Blood Moon 2018: Lunar eclipse completes the longest of this century

Skywatchers around most of the world began to look at a complete lunar eclipse that is the longest of this century that coincides with the closest approach to Mars in 15 years.

The so-called "blood moon", when it turns dark red, is visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America when the sun, the Earth, and the moon are over. Align perfectly, projecting the shadow of the Earth on the moon. with the whole event for more than four hours. For about half of the world, the moon will be partly or entirely in the shadow of the Earth for six hours and 14 minutes in all, reports news.com.au.

The moon began to turn red around 4:30 am Saturday morning [19659005] LOOK THE MOON BLOOD BELOW

Throughout Africa, people have turned to the sky, looking at the shadow reddish slide on the surface of the moon. In Somalia, some rushed to mosques for special prayers often observed during lunar eclipses. In South Sudan, some have dared to take pictures in a war-torn country, where the use of a camera in public is discouraged. In the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, people from an open-air restaurant admired a rare unobstructed view during the rainy season, comparing a live broadcast of NASA to what they saw above. above. Then the clouds entered.

"Dem yelebesech chereka", some whisper – Amharic for "blood moon".

"The reason the moon turns red is because atmospheric the diffusion makes the red light go through the atmosphere and the composition of the atmosphere can change if volcanic eruptions or wildfires occur, "said Tom Kerss, an astronomer of the Royal Observatory of Greenwich

.The atmosphere can make the moon appear a particularly deep red, and indeed it has the same effect on our sunsets and our sunsets. "

MARS APPROACHES

In a special treat, Mars is also on his closest approach to Earth this week Pascal Descamps, astronomer at the Paris Observatory, says, "We have a rare and interesting conjunction of phenomena" , he says in 19659003. moon with Mars the 'red planet e "next door, very br"

Enthusiastic air watchers on social media shared photos of the bright planet just to the right of the moon.

North America missed Friday's lunar eclipse, but can look forward to the next. a January 21, 2019, according to NASA

ECLIPSE, BLOOD BLONDE EXPLAINED

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth takes a position in a straight line between the moon and the sun, erasing the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite whitish-yellow.

The moon moves to a similar position every month, but the tilt of its orbit means that it normally passes above or below the Earth's shadow – so the most months we have a full moon without eclipse.

When the three celestial bodies are perfectly aligned, 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 pinkish blush

C & Is what gives the phenomenon the name of "blood moon", although Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland says that the color can vary considerably.

It depends in part on the transparency or transparency of the parts of the atmosphere that allow the sunlight to fall. to reach the Moon. the moon can be almost invisible. The darker eclipses can show the moon as dark gray or brown … as rust, brick red, or, if very bright, coppery red or orange. "

The long duration of this eclipse is partly due to the fact that the moon will make a nearly central pass through the shadow of the Earth – the darkest and most central part of the shadow

Our constant companion will also be at the furthest point of the Earth, its movement across the sky is slower from our point of view, thus spending more time in the dark.

NASA, meanwhile, has denounced the hoaxes of social media claiming that Mars will appear as big as the Moon during the eclipse

"If that were true, we would be in big trouble considering the gravitational pulls. on Earth, Mars and our moon! "March 1965 will probably 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 weird. and beautiful, "said Robert Massey of the ASR