The world has watched the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century

The world has observed the longest lunar eclipse of the twenty-first century
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AFP
/ Christof STACHE

The longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century made our satellite blush on Friday, dazzling audiences around the world, while the planet Mars, almost as close to Earth as possible, was full of brilliance.

For a lunar eclipse to occur, there must be an almost perfect alignment of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. Our planet, lying between our star and the Moon, then projects its shadow on its natural satellite.

Deprived of the rays of the Sun, the Moon has darkened and taken a brick tint because the earth's atmosphere deviates the rays reds of sunlight into the shadow cone. The Moon could then send them back.

The eclipse, which corresponds to the moment when the Moon plunges into the shadow of the Earth, was visible, partially or totally, in one half of the world (notably the eastern hemisphere) . It has been observed, depending on weather conditions, from Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia.

The complete phenomenon (including darkness, imperceptible to the naked eye) began at 17:14 GMT and ended at 23:28 GMT

The real show started at 1824 GMT. The most interesting moment of the eclipse, when the Moon was completely in the shadow cone projected by the Earth, took place at 19:30 GMT and ended at 21:13 GMT.

This so-called "totality" phase "took 1 hour 43 minutes (103 minutes), the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.

" I want to become an astronomer "

" It's so interesting to see how red the moon is as if it were covered with blood, "exclaimed Marion Rotich, a mother who is observing the phenomenon with her two daughters in Naivasha, southern Kenya.

Near Lake Magadi, an isolated region far from the light pollution of cities 100 km southwest of Nairobi, a couple, Susan Murabana and Daniel Chu Owen, had set up their telescope so that the locals could admire the l

"We had already done this on the occasion of the solar eclipse in 2016," said Susan Murabana. Some 300 members of the local community, mostly Masai, had come to use their telescopes. "It's good to give such an opportunity to people like this."

"Until today, I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets were in the imagination of scientists," told AFP one of the young observers, Purity Sailepo, 16 years old. "But now that I've seen this, I can believe it and I want to become an astronomer to tell others."

At the same time in Tunis, more than 2,000 people had gathered at the Cité des Sciences de la capital to admire the eclipse.

Amazed by the color change of the satellite, men, women and especially children with binoculars waited their turn to look at the moon through the telescopes. Others filmed, portable by hand.

"I hope this eclipse will bring us happiness and tranquility", hoped Karima, 46, binoculars in hand.

In Berlin, people gathered on the Drachenberg, a hill that rises to a hundred meters west of Berlin. "For people who live today, it's a unique event," commented Sven Melchert, director of Heppenheim's Friends of the Stars Association in western Germany, quoted by DPA News Agency

Disappointment and Clouds

Monsoon rains from thick clouds hid the moon in much of India and its neighbors, which should have had an unobstructed view.

Even disappointment in much of Europe where thick clouds disrupted the lunar spectacle.

North of London, on the terrace of Alexandra Palace, hundreds of people were frustrated by clouds obscuring all sky View. With a very British humor, they consoled themselves by singing "Total eclipse of the heart", a global hit of local singer Bonnie Tyler, released in 1983.

In a small seaside resort in Dorset County, in the south In the West of England, observers had found themselves on the beaches and cliffs, hoping for a clearing of the sky, without success. "It's disappointing," said Tish Adams, 67. "I took some pictures but there was nothing but a little pink trail in the sky, it would have been so good to see her."

Those who gathered in Rio de Janeiro had more luck, grabbing the red moon in the clear night sky with their camera. "I found it very pretty and I liked even more the planet Mars that we could see right next to the moon," said Talita Oliveira, 34.

The other star of the night was indeed Mars, which is only 57.6 million kilometers from the Earth. To the naked eye, we can see a bright spot while with a telescope or a telescope, it is possible to observe it in detail.

This was the second total lunar eclipse of 2018, the first having taken place on January 31.

28/07/2018 04:10:38 –
Paris (AFP) –
© 2018 AFP