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SINGAPORE – Astronomy enthusiasts will have the chance to witness the longest total lunar eclipse of the century in Singapore on Saturday, July 28th. From 3:30 in the morning, the eclipse will last 1h 43min
The lunar eclipse will also coincide with the opposition of Mars, where the planet is on the side of the Earth opposite to the Sun.
Mars will be close to its closest approach to Earth since 2003. The red planet will therefore appear as a reddish "star" near the moon all night long.
Here's all you need to know about this cosmic event:
1. WHAT IS A LUNAR ECLIPSE?
In simple terms, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth and is thus enveloped by its shadow
A lunar eclipse occurs only during a full moon. The Sun and the Moon must be exactly aligned, with the Earth between them, for the event to occur.
A total lunar eclipse, as its name indicates, is when sunlight is completely blocked by the Earth reaching the moon.
The moon is 37% obscured by the Earth's shadow during the partial lunar eclipse over Sydney on June 4, 2012. PHOTO: AFP
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon partially or completely blocks the Sun.
A lunar eclipse can be observed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth, while solar eclipses can be seen from a small number of places on Earth.
2. THE PHASES OF THE ECLIPSE
The total lunar eclipse will begin first with the penumbral eclipse, where the shadow diffuse exterior of the Earth will fall on the Moon. From Earth, it will appear as a dark shading on the face of the Moon.
The next step is the partial lunar eclipse, where the shadow of the Earth, or shadow, takes a bite on the face of the moon. The Moon begins to take a reddish hue as this "bite" becomes larger.
Finally, we reach the "totality" – the period of time during the eclipse where all the light is blocked. The Moon will now appear completely red and that is when the Moon is closest to the center of the Earth 's shadow.
3. THE MOONS
Red Moon or Blood
The moon appears coppery red during lunar eclipses due to a simple optical phenomenon: refraction. only light reflected from the Moon's surface is refracted by the atmosphere of the Earth
The particles in the atmosphere are smaller than the wavelengths of sunlight, which is composed of different colors.
(eg, blue), are more strongly scattered, and are therefore removed before light hits the surface of the moon during the eclipse.
Those who have long wavelengths – red and orange – pass and refract
This effect is known as Rayleigh scattering, the same reason why the sky is blue or the sunsets of sun are red
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon can become a particularly deep coppery red. out of a desire to make the event more than dra
Blue Moon
A blue moon may designate either the second full moon in a month that has two full moons, being the third full moon in an astronomical season of four full moons.
A moon that looks really blue is – as the cliché suggests – very rare.
Only particles of a certain size in the air slightly wider than 900 nanometers can cause a red light. disperse, making blue moon appear
This happens sometimes after wildfires or volcanic eruptions. For example, reports of blue lunar observations followed the eruptions of Mount St Helens in the United States in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991.
Black moon
A black moon can refer to the second new moon in a month, where the moon is completely invisible. They occur once every 32 months or so
Another definition refers to the case where no new moon appears for a whole month, a situation only possible in February.
As February has 28 days and lunar cycles are 29.5 days, the month may sometimes miss a full moon or a new moon
Supermoon
When a full moon coincides with the Moon being closest to the Earth. This point is also known as perigee
Although there is no strict definition, this distance may be less than 360 000 km from the center of the Earth.
The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 382 500 km
Micromoon
A micromoon is so named because it seems smaller and less glossy, appearing around 14% smaller than normal.
This happens when a full moon or new moon coincides with the point in the Moon's orbit that is furthest from Earth.
This point is also known as the climax, and can be located more than 405 000 km from the center of the Earth
Astronomical Society of Singapore, said that the Moon will be at the apogee during the eclipse of Saturday. The apparent size of the Moon will be smaller.
4. SEE THE ECLIPSE
Lunar eclipses can be seen with the naked eye safely, says Mr Ho. This is different from solar eclipses, which can permanently damage the eyes if they are seen without safety equipment.
"As the moon is very bright and is not affected by light pollution, any place that offers you an unobstructed view of the sky, the western horizon will suit," he added
Mr. Ho recommended a pair of binoculars or a telescope to enhance the viewing pleasure.
Events
Singapore Science Center and Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) jointly organize a camp for families with children aged 7 to 12 years old, starting at 6:00 pm on Friday and ending at 7:00 am the next day.
Outside the lunar eclipse, the night with the stars at LLI night camp includes a discussion on the eclipse, workshops for adults and children, and a session of making family telescopes.
Unfortunately, the event is fully subscribed. Interested people can always write to be placed on the waiting list. More details on the camp can be found here.
The Astronomical Society of Singapore will also give a lecture on eclipses at the Science Observation Hall of Singapore Center at 8 pm Friday.
The conference is open to the public providing information on eclipses and how to view them, and discuss upcoming eclipses in Singapore.
Interest Group Singapore Sidewalk Astronomy also organizes a star-gazing activity from Friday evening to Saturday morning. It starts at 10pm in front of the McDonald's point of sale at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the group said that Mars' surface features may not be so obvious because of recent dust storms on the planet.
5. O WH IN THE WORLD?
A large part of the moon Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and South America will be able to see at least part of the eclipse that will happen on Saturday (it will still be Friday for some regions due differences in time).
Some of the cities include: Tokyo, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Budapest, Cairo, Egypt, Jakarta, Athens, Rome, Sydney, Singapore, New Delhi, Paris, Moscow, Beijing and Rio de Janeiro.
Singapore is relatively lucky, because the total lunar eclipse can be seen in
But we will not be able to see the penumbral eclipse that signals the end of the event because the moon would be below the horizon for Singapore at this time.
People living in India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and other neighboring countries will be able to see everything, while most of America will not be able to see the eclipse at all.
6. LUNARY, PAST AND FUTURE EVENTS
On January 31 of this year, a lunar eclipse, a blue moon, and a super moon occurred simultaneously. During the event, the total lunar eclipse lasted 1h 16min
Approximately 5,000 visitors gathered at the Observatory of the Singapore Science Center to use telescopes at a single station. special viewing session.
The cosmic coincidence occurred more than 150 years ago. 1866.
The next total lunar eclipse that will take place in January of next year will not be visible from Singapore and will last as long, 1h 2min.
The next total lunar eclipse that we can see from Singapore will not be another three years, May 25, 2021.
Other long lunar eclipses total
Lunar eclipses can last for hours, but the comparison time of total lunar eclipses is the duration of the whole
Thus, the duration of the upcoming eclipse – 103 minutes – actually refers only to the period time between 3:30 and 5:13 on Saturday when the moon will be completely blocked.
In theory, the upper limit of such an eclipse is 107 minutes, the eclipse on Saturday just four minutes from the maximum
On July 16, 2000, a total lunar eclipse lasted 1h46.4min, reaching almost the theoretical maximum.
Other significant total lunar eclipses by their total duration include those on October 28, 2004 (1:20 min), August 28, 2007 (1:30 min) and June 15, 2011 (1:40 min) .
7. ECLIPSE CHEAT SHEET
Totality: Time period during an eclipse where the eclipsed body light is completely obscured.
Syzygy: From an ancient Greek word meaning "hitched together". A syzygia refers to three or more celestial bodies forming a straight line in space, resulting in an occultation (when a larger body passes in front of a smaller body), a transit (vice versa), or an eclipse .
Penumbra: A semi-shade that occurs when a light source is only partially covered by an object – for example, when the moon obscures part of the sun.
Umbra: The dark central part of a shadow.
Apogee: The point of the orbit of the Moon furthest from the Earth
Perigee: Point of the orbit of the Moon which is closest to the Earth
Sources: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Center Singapore, TimeAndDate.com, Space.com, CNET.com, Singapore Astronomical Society, National Geographic, The Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, Time Magazine, USA Today
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
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