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We are not strangers to the sight of the moon in the sky, but the Blood Moon to be held in July will be a little different.
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The eclipsed moon shines in the dawn sky on December 21, 2010, in this view of Stedman, NC (Photo: Johnny Horne, AP)

First, the good news: at almost two o'clock, the lunar eclipse next week will be the longest of the century

The bad news: l & # North America is the only continent on Earth where it will not be visible.

The best views will be in Africa and Asia, but people in Europe, South America and Australia will still have partial views.

The eclipse will occur on the night of July 27 in the early morning of July 28. at EarthSky, it is the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. "The total phase of the eclipse – called the totality – extends over 1 hour 42 minutes and 57 seconds," says Bruce McClure of EarthSky

During the eclipse, the moon will appear in red , giving him the nickname "blood moon".

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are exactly on opposite sides of the Earth, according to NASA. When this happens, the Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of sunlight striking the surface of the moon, the shadow of the Earth falls on it.

Although the moon is in the shadow of the Earth, sunlight reaches the moon. Sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere, causing the atmosphere of the Earth to filter most of the blue light

The moon then appears red to people on Earth

The same day, the planet Mars reaches its opposition, when it will shine at its best in the night sky, according to Space.com. An opposition of Mars is when the Earth is between Mars and the Sun, causing the Sun and Mars to appear in opposite directions as seen from Earth.

This month, Mars will be at its closest to the Earth since 2003.

The next lunar eclipse that will be visible in North America will be next winter: January 21, 2019. Skywatchers will have to to regroup for that.

With regard to the solar eclipse, the wait is longer. Although there are three partial solar eclipses this year, none are visible in the United States.

The next total visible sun eclipse in the United States will take place on April 8, 2024. This gives you ample time to make reservations on those eclipses glasses that you threw after the big eclipse last year.

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