The moon stays dark for a very long time

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Doom thinkers like to talk about "blood moon" & # 39;

Because of the striking red-orange color of the dark black moon it – especially in the circles of unhappy thinkers waiting for the end of the world – is also called "blood moon".

Also in "normal" circles, the term appears more often, especially if the corresponding lunar eclipse also occurs when the moon is in the closest point to its orbit. For such a big moon, an astrologer coined the term "supermaan". In combination with a complete eclipse, it becomes a "super moon of blood".

And then there is the "blue moon", a term that is now used to indicate the second full moon in a calendar month . Originally it was the third full moon in a season that has four full moon – something that is only possible in the years that count thirteen moons instead of the usual twelve.

Whatever the case may be: on many sites, the total lunar eclipse of January 31, 2018 (which was not perceptible in Europe) was therefore also called "superblue bloodmoon The upcoming eclipse could therefore be called "micro-blood moon".

In the evening and the night of Friday 27 to Saturday, July 28 is a total lunar eclipse that can also be seen in the Netherlands. This striking celestial phenomenon occurs when the shadow of the earth falls exactly on the moon, as a result of which it no longer receives direct sunlight. The moon does not darken at all: a small ray of sun is deflected by the earth's atmosphere. This light gives the moon a ghostly orange glow

The eclipse occurs this time just when the moon has reached the farthest point of its orbit around the earth. Then the speed at which the moon crosses its orbit is at its lowest. Although at the same time the shadow of the earth is slightly smaller at this distance, the net effect is that the moon takes longer to cross the shadows.

Because the moon also passes almost exactly in the center of the earth's shadow, the coming darkening takes a long time. Between the moment it enters the shadow of the so-called core of the earth and the moment it leaves the shadow, nearly four hours elapse. But only from 21:30 to 23:14 the moon is completely darkened.

This makes it the longest total lunar eclipse of the next 100 years. The next lunar eclipse of this caliber is only June 9, 2123. Incidentally, it is not so long ago, July 16, 2000, a lunar eclipse in which the whole lasted a few minutes more.

There is a hitch in the grass. From the Netherlands, the moon only rises at 9:30 pm – exactly at the beginning of the whole. Who wants to follow the eclipse, must have a clear vision of the southeast horizon.

Even worse, we still have a long light after the moon rises: the sun just goes down. Even an hour later, when the moon is in the middle of the shadow of the earth, the sky is still very clear. However, the moon in the lower right corner of the moon can also be considered as the (orange) planet of Mars.

Spectators in countries further south see it better. With them, darkness falls faster and the darkened moon rises higher in the sky.

Whatever the case may be: it is better to follow the celestial phenomenon in any case until the end of the totality. Then it gets a little darker and the moon is also a little further up the horizon. After 23:14, the moon is partially obscured for more than one hour.