The longest lunar eclipse of the century, Mars will captivate Singapore this Saturday



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SINGAPORE: Astronomers at the head, another celestial phenomenon is about to occur at the end of this month.

After being treated to the super blue blood moon last January, astronomers in Singapore eagerly await the lunar total eclipse of the century on July 28, which also coincides with the March opposition.

This means that sky observers will be able to look at both Mars and a total lunar eclipse at the same time.

The lunar eclipse begins in the early morning hours of July 28, starting at 1:14, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The total lunar eclipse will last 1:43 and can be seen from 3:30 to 5:13. This is only four minutes from the longest possible time for a total lunar eclipse, which is 1h 47min, according to Albert Ho, president of the Singapore Astronomy Society (TASOS) .

The last time a total lunar eclipse lasted almost as long was on July 16, 2000, with a total duration of 1h 46, according to NASA data.

Similar to the super blue blood moon, the July 28th moon will appear red during the eclipse. However, it will also appear smaller this time.

"This total lunar eclipse also coincides with the lunar apogee when the moon is farthest from the earth," said Dr. Abel Yang, a professor in the Department of Physics of Faculty of Science. University of Singapore. "At the climax, the moon will appear slightly smaller because it is farther from the ground, it is the opposite effect of a supermoon."

The moon also moves more slowly when it is farthest away from the Earth. This explains its long duration.

The total lunar eclipse will also coincide with the opposition of Mars, said Dr. Remus Chua, astrophotographer and founder of the Singapore Astronomy Forum (SingAstro). The opposition takes place every two years or so and occurs when Mars, Earth and the Sun form a straight line during their orbits, he added.

"When that happens, Mars will be about 5 times brighter than usual, and will allow visual observations with the help of easy and interesting telescopes," Chua said. Mars will also appear as a "reddish star near the moon," Ho said.

According to a spokesman for the Singapore Science Center, Mars will come very close to the moon early in the morning of July 28 .

PREPARATION OF THE ECLIPSE, MARS

Several astronomical events will take place in Singapore from July 27 to morning to July 28.

All spots for a special event of the Singapore Science Center were rounded up, according to a spokesperson, with a total of 120 adults and 80 children from 7 to 12 years old have registered for the free event funded by SkillsFuture. There is also a long list of waiting for people who are interested in the event, which is held at the Institute for Lifelong Learning and Education, but who did not register, added the spokesman.

At another special screening, about 500 people are expected at Marina South Pier for the event "MARS-LE: Mars Opposition and Lunar Eclipse" organized by SingAstro. Twelve telescopes will be available on the site for viewing purposes.

Meanwhile, TASOS will give a lecture on eclipses at the Observatory Hall of the Singapore Science Center on July 27th.

Several photographers should also capture images of the eclipse and Mars. However, capturing an image of the moon this time might be more delicate as it will be smaller than the super blue blood moon, a name invented for the combination of a blue moon, a supermoon and a 39, a total lunar eclipse.

"The lunar eclipse or blood moon is the iconic image of next week's phenomena and you will need a long telephoto lens of about 300mm and one robust tripod to do it, a high resolution camera would be a bonus "Joe Nair. "The moon is moving faster than you think, without a decent shutter speed of at least 1/80 of a second there will be motion blur."

He adds: "The good news of the eclipse is that you have a lot of"

The total lunar eclipse of July 28 can also be seen from South America, the Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, according to NASA

The next total lunar eclipse will take place on January 21st next year but will not be visible from Singapore as it will occur during the day, said Dr. Yang.The Singapore Science Center said the moon of the next lunar eclipse would remain red for only 62 minutes.

Singapore will have to wait until As of May 26, 2021, for the next visible total lunar eclipse of the country, said TASOS

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