Mars is the closest to the Earth since 2003 this month (there is also a long blood moon eclipse)!

As you prepare to celebrate the Independence Day in red, white and blue, get ready to see a lot of red in the sky in July. Mars will be at its peak since 2003, and some observers of the sky will also be entitled to a long lunar eclipse.

The red planet is about to reach the part of its orbit called opposition, where it is exactly in front of the sun in the sky of the Earth. This year, he will also announce the closest vision of Earth to Mars in 15 years. Earth and Mars orbit the sun at different distances. Since the Earth is closer to the sun, it turns faster than Mars. Once every two years (approximately), the sun, the Earth and Mars create a straight line with each other – the opposition. [Mars Opposition 2018: What It Is & When to See It]

The opposition this year will be held on July 27, with the closest approach to Mars at 3:50 am EDT (0750 GMT) on July 31. Mars will be shining in the sky – its brighter since 2003, when it came to its closest distance from Earth in nearly 60,000 years. In 2003, Mars was about 34.7 million miles (56 million kilometers) from Earth, according to NASA. This time, Mars will be at 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers) and will be 10 times brighter than usual.

You can currently find Mars in the southeastern mid-late sky in the constellation Capricorn, according to EarthSky.org.It will be at its peak between July 21 and August 3. In addition, the sun will begin to set earlier at this time e, which will facilitate the observation of the planet in the sky.

While Mars will be much clearer than usual, do not believe the hoax saying that Mars will be as big as the full moon. This has been circulating on the Internet since 2003, and it's as fake now as it was then. In reality, Mars will be only 24.3 seconds arc from the Earth's point of view, and will always appear as a shining object resembling a star. The moon appears 75 times larger, at 1800 arc seconds, by comparison.

Moon of Blood

The other red world in the sky will be the moon, though it will only turn red for a few hours. The same day that Mars reaches the opposition, the moon will experience the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century.

On July 27, observers in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and the Indian Ocean will see a total eclipse of an incredible duration of 1 hour and 43 minutes. (North American observers – who will still be in broad daylight at this time – will have to watch the show on the webcasts.) By including the partial phases of the eclipse, the moon will be in the shadow of Earth for nearly 4 hours. [Blood Moon 2018: Longest Total Lunar Eclipse of Century Occurs July 27]

Lunar eclipses occur when the moon passes in the shadow of the Earth, directly at the opposite of the sun. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are totally secure. You do not need special equipment – only your own eyes. The lunar eclipse can be a total or partial eclipse. During a partial eclipse, the moon has a black shadow that seems to take a "bite" from her face.

But if the moon moves completely into the deepest part of the Earth's shadow, known as the ombra, the moon turns red instead of becoming completely black. Red comes from the sunlight that flows through the Earth's atmosphere. The sunlight bends and falls on the surface of the moon. (The Earth's air also diffuses more light to shorter wavelength – think of colors such as blue or green – which leaves behind the red at the end of the spectrum. The time of the greatest eclipse will be 4:21 pm EDT (2021 GMT) on July 27, according to EarthSky.org. The total eclipse will last from 15:30. at 5:13 pm EDT (from 1930 to 21:13 GMT) . If you can not see this eclipse, however, other opportunities will come up in a few months.

The next visible total lunar eclipse of North America will take place on January 21, 2019, favoring viewers on the west coast. The total phase will last approximately 1 hour and 2 minutes. Later this year, July 16, there will be a partial eclipse. July 16, 2019 is also the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first landing mission on the Moon, Apollo 11.

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