On Saturday you will see the Sun and a moon eclipsed in the sky at once

Just after 8am Saturday, some Kiwis will have what could be a unique chance to attend a rare celestial event: The Sun and a Moon eclipsed in the sky at the same time

This is what is called a selenion and that is when we can see a moon eclipsed on the western horizon and the rising sun on the eastern horizon.

This seems impossible – an eclipse occurs when the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are in a straight line, you could not see the moon and the sun at the same time.

However, the bending – or refraction – of the rays of light caused by our atmosphere of about half a degree make it possible to see both

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But you'll have to be in the right place to see it – and it's almost a blink-and-you-miss-it event.

The places that a selenelion can be seen are limited because the total lunar eclipse must occur at the time of the moon and sunrise, according to Dr. Duncan Steel Center of Space Science Technology at Alexandra, Central Otago

THE MOST SOUTHERN, THE BEST

– In Auckland, the eclipse is still partial because the Moon disappears under the l. horizon. 19659007] – From Whanganui to Wellington, there is a chance to see the Moon totally eclipsed as the Sun takes a look at izon.

– At Invercargill, there will be five minutes between sunrise at 8:12 and the moon shortly after, with the moon entirely in the shadow of the Earth

– At Dunedin the interval is reduced to four minutes; in Christchurch, three minutes

CREDIT: DUNCAN STEEL / SUPPLIED

The places where a selenelion can be seen are limited because everything has to align.

WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?

During the total eclipse, which starts at 7:30 in the morning, the moon will be much weaker than usual.

Its color will be somewhere between dark brown and blood red

This color is due to sunlight flowing through the earth's atmosphere and reaches the moon.

Red light has a better chance of doing so because the wavelengths are dispersed more efficiently by the molecules in our atmosphere and the red has a relatively long wavelength.

HOW TO SEE IT

You must be as far south as possible, have a clear sky, and be in a place where you can see the moon set in the southwest and the sun rising in the northeast.

The higher you can go, the better. This is because the sun will barely clear the horizon as the moon goes in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, MetService predicts that Saturday will bring rain showers or rain in the west and south of the country. .

Conditions should be mostly good in the east of New Zealand. A spring-like western flow is expected to persist over the next few days in the country

TAKING A PICTURE

Taking a photo of a selenelion is going to be quite difficult. The two points of interest will be far apart one from the other.

"They are in opposite parts of the sky, it is very difficult to capture one," said Steel

"This is really not spectacular."

However, he once told people in South Australia about one and they took a selfie with the sun brightening them and the moon behind them.

A RARE EVENT

Having the opportunity to observe an event like this is quite rare. In New Zealand, they took place "once every few decades," Steel said.

All over the world, they happened more often, but you had to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right weather conditions. Very few people had seen them, says Steel.

"You're not very lucky, I've never seen one, but I'm interested in eclipses, I've never been to the right place at the right time. are not as rare as total solar eclipses, but it's the peculiarity that is interesting. "

The first record of such an event dated 1666.

A selenelion is also known as a selenehelion. This is a combination of selena – for the moon – and heli – for the sun.

Selenelion is pronounced "sell-e-nel-ion", says Steel.

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