'Blood moon' dazzles skygazers across the world in the century's longest lunar eclipse | science

The longest "blood moon" eclipse this century dazzled skygazers across the globe Friday, coinciding with Mars' closest approach in 15 years in a thrilling celestial show.

As Earth's constant companion slowly sailed across the skies, crowds gathered around

Beside Lake Magadi, 100 kilometers 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. [19659002] "Until today I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets were in the imagination of scientists," Purity Sailepo, 16, told AFP.

"But now I've seen it I can believe it and I want to be an astronomer to tell other people. "

Unlike a solar eclipse, viewers did not need to protect the eye of the earth.

For about half the world, the moon was partially or fully in Earth's shadow from 1714 toThe time of complete eclipse – known as "totality", when the moon appears darkest – lasted from 1930 to 2113 GMT

At the same time, the sun rises in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye.

Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere were best-placed to witness the rare sight, especially in southern Africa, Australia , and Madagascar, though it was also visible in Europe, South Asia and South America.

More than 2,000 people with many children in Tunisian capital of Tunis.

"I hope this eclipse will bring us happiness and peace, "said Karima, 46, without taking care of the eyes of the sky.

However, bad weather thwarted the cosmic display in several parts of the world.

Widespread monsoon rainstorms and thick clouds hid the moon across much of India and its neighbors, which should have had a prime view.

Similarly, eager observers who had assembled on cliffs and beaches in the English county of Dorset were left in the dark due to an overcast sky.

"It's disappointing," Tish Adams, 67, told AFP. "I took a few pictures but there was nothing but a streak of pink in the sky."

Those gathered in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro had more luck, snapping the red moon in the clear night sky with their phones and cameras. 19659002] "I thought it was very pretty and I liked the planet March even more, which you could see right next to the moon," said Talita Oliveira, 34.

Celestial bodies align

Mars is unusually wide and bright, a mere 57.7 million kilometers from Earth on its elliptical orbit around the sun.

A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth takes a direct line between the moon and sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that

The moon travels to a position similar to that of the Earth's shadow.

When the three celestia The bodies are perfectly lined up, however, the Earth's atmosphere scatters blue light from the sun while refracting or bending red light onto the moon, usually giving it a rosy blush.

This is what gives the phenomenon "blood moon" , but Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland said the color can vary greatly.

"It's a cloud of sunlight to reach the moon," he told AFP.

"During a very dark eclipse the moon may be almost invisible." 19659002] The long duration of this eclipse is the fact that the moon will make a near-central passage through Earth's umbra – the darkest, most central part of the shadow.

'Eerie and beautiful'

The moon was also at the farthest point on its orbit from Earth, making its movement in the sky slower from our perspective, hence spending longer in the dark.

NASA, meanwhile, called social media hoaxers claiming that Mars would appear as a big moon during the eclipse.

"If that were true, we'd be in big trouble given the gravitational pulls on Earth, Mars, and our moon!" NASA website stated.

March instead appeared as a very bright star.

"In the middle of a lunar eclipse it can look like a planet has taken up residence near the Earth – they are both eerie and beautiful," said Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society in London.