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People gather while waiting for the appearance of the "Blood Moon" in Berlin (AFP)
The longest "blood moon" eclipse of this century was in progress Friday, coinciding with the closest approach to Mars. 15 years to treat skygazers around the world to an exciting celestial show.
As the constant companion of the Earth slowly sailed through the heavens, crowds gathered around the world to see the rare phenomenon. (60 miles) southwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, young members of the Maasai community watched the eclipse through a high-powered telescope provided by a local couple
"Until today I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets "But now I've seen it, I can believe it and I want to be an astronomer to tell it to other people."
The full moon during an eclipse of "blood moon" seen from Cairo on July 27
Unlike a solar eclipse, viewers do not need goggles to observe RARE DISPLAY.
For about half of the world, the moon will be partly or entirely in the shadow of the Earth from 1714 to 2328 GMT – six hours and 14 minutes altogether.
The period of complete eclipse – known as "The totality", when the moon seems the darkest, lasted from 1930 to 21:13 GMT [1965] 9004] At the same time, Mars hovered near the moon in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye.
The southern hemisphere is best placed to observe this rare spectacle, particularly in southern Africa, Australia, South Asia and Madagascar, but also in Europe and South America.
More than 2,000 people including many children armed with binoculars gathered in the Tunisian capital of Tunis.
"I hope that this eclipse will be" We bring happiness and peace, "said Karima, 46, without taking her eyes off the sky
However, the bad weather thwarted the day. cosmic exhibition in several parts of the world.
The full moon during an eclipse of "blood moon" next to the gold temple in Amritsar early July 28
Torrential monsoon rains and thick clouds hid the moon from much of India and its neighbors, who should have had a privileged view.
Similarly, enthusiastic observers were gathered on the cliffs and beaches of Dorset, left in the dark due to a cloudy sky.
"It's disappointing," told AFP Tish Adams, 67. "I took some pictures but there was only a trail of roses in the sky."
Celestial bodies align
Mars appeared unusually large and brilliant, barely 57.7 million kilometers (35.9 million miles) from Earth in its elliptical orbit around the sun.
"We have a rare and interesting conjunction of phenomena," Pascal Descamps, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory, told AFP. hue on the moon with Mars the "red planet" next door, very bright and with a slight orange hue itself. "
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and the sun, erasing direct light of the sun that normally makes our satellite bright yellow-whitish.
The moon moves to a similar position every month, but the tilt of its orbit means that it normally goes above or below the Earth's shadow – the most months, we have a full moon without eclipse
lined up, however, the Earth's atmosphere diffuses blue light from the sun while refracting or bending the red light on the moon, usually giving it a blush pink.
This is what gives the phenomenon the name of "blood moon". According to the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland, the color may vary considerably
It depends in part on the transparency or transparency of the parts of the Earth's atmosphere that allow the light of the sun to reach the moon. During a very dark eclipse, the moon can be almost invisible. "
The long duration of this eclipse is partly due to the fact that the moon will make a nearly central pbad through the shadow of the Earth – the darkest and most central part.
The moon will also be at the furthest point of its earth orbit, making its movement across the sky slower from our point of view, thus spending more time in the world.
NASA, meanwhile, called "If this were true, we would be in great trouble considering the gravitational pull on Earth, Mars and our moon!" said the website of NASA
Mars will most likely appear as a very bright star.
"In the midst of a lunar eclipse, one may have the impression that a red planet has taken up residence near Earth – they are both mysterious and beautiful, "says Robert Mbadey of the Royal Astronomical Society in London
(This story was not edited by the NDTV staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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