Tonight's unique blood moon: why do you have to watch and what time



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A tip for those who have nothing to do tonight: between half past ten and eleven fifteen, you can see the special blood moon. What is it exactly and why is this moon visible tonight? Esther Hanko of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Amsterdam explains

Hanko works at the Anton Pannekoek Institute of Astronomy. It is the institute of astronomy of the University of Amsterdam. He answers seven questions about the blood moon

What is so special about this lunar eclipse?

The lunar eclipse of tonight is the longest of this century. It lasts from 21:30 to 23:14. In addition, it is clearly visible through clear weather.

How often does a lunar eclipse occur?

The previous lunar eclipse took place in September 2015. Lunar eclipses are more common than solar eclipses. In January of this year, there was also a blue supermaan, but in the Netherlands she could only be considered a slightly larger supermaan. This is because the eclipse can also occur if it is elsewhere at night, for example in Asia or America. We are actually "turned on too late". As soon as it arrives here, it can only be seen a little bigger. The next lunar eclipse can be seen on January 21st. Only again in September 2025.

Is it still the full moon at a lunar eclipse?

Yes

Why do we see the moon so big tonight?

This is a kind of optical illusion, a distorted picture. The moon revolves around an elliptical orbit around the earth, it is further away from us in the summer than in the winter. Today, it is relatively far from us, what you call a mini-moon. In winter it is a supermaan. Because the moon rises above the horizon, it seems to be very large because of the distortion and because it comes off houses and trees. While he is actually smaller than other times in his work.

Here's how the lunar eclipse works:

What side of the moon we see the lunar eclipse of?

We always see only one side. Because of gravity, the moon is shooting at us and we are pulling towards the moon. As a result, we always see the same side. The back of the moon is only seen by a few satellites and Apollo missions flying around the moon. André Kuipers could not see the back of the Moon either since the ISS

Is there anything else to see next to the red moon?

At the same time as the darkened moon, four planets are clearly visible. Mars is right under the moon. In the south are Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter is the clearest of the two. With good binoculars, you can see the rings of Saturn and the four largest moons of Jupiter. In the west, where the sun goes down, Venus is the brightest light in the sky

Do you have to put on a pair of glasses to see the eclipse?

The moon itself does not give light, but only reflects sunlight. The light intensity of this indirect light is much less strong than the direct sunlight. With a solar eclipse, it must always be.

Where can you go better?

The most ideal place to see the lunar eclipse is on a hill in a remote area. If this is not possible, your balcony is good too, but the less light there is in buildings or lamps, the better.

The previous blood moon was like this

In January, the previous blood moon was exposed, but not in the Netherlands.

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