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Skywatcher Giuseppe Petricca took this image of a total lunar eclipse "supermoon" on September 27, 2015, from Pisa, Italy, about 2 minutes before the start of the whole phase.
Credit: Giuseppe Petricca
The longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century is only a month away.
The total phase of the July 27 "Blood Moon" eclipse will last 1 hour and 43 minutes, during which the Earth's natural satellite will become a spectacular red or brown-red color. From beginning to end, all the celestial event will last nearly 4 hours.
The eclipse will not be visible to viewers in North America except through webcasts. According to lunar scientist Noah Petro of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, observers in much of Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Southeast Asia Indian Ocean will benefit from a cooperative weather. [In Photos: The Rare Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse of 2018]
What is the blood moon of July 27?
Unlike solar eclipses, you do not need special equipment to observe lunar eclipses. These latest events, which occur when the moon passes in the shadow of the Earth, are sure to see directly to the naked eye, telescopes or binoculars.
The moon turns dark red or reddish brown during eclipses, instead of becoming completely dark. This is because some of the sunlight that flows through the Earth's atmosphere is bent around the edge of our planet and falls on the surface of the moon. The Earth's air also diffuses more light to shorter wavelengths (in colors such as green or blue); what remains is the longest, more red wavelength of the spectrum.
Where and when will it be visible?
Timing if this total lunar eclipse means that it will not be visible from North America, although much of the eastern hemisphere of the Earth will see some or all of it of the eclipse. The entire eclipse will be visible from Africa, the Middle East and the countries of Central Asia. The eclipse will be visible from the east of South America to its end and from Australia at the beginning.
The moment of greatest eclipse will be 4:21 pm EDT (2021 GMT) 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). There will also be some time before and after when the moon will be in the clearest part of the Earth's shadow, called twilight. Including this penumbral time, the eclipse will last 3 hours and 55 minutes.
On July 27, 2018, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. This NASA graphic by Fred Espenak, expert in eclipse, shows details and projections of visibility for this eclipse of "blood moon".
Credit: Fred Espenak / NASA GSFC
Why is it the longest of the century?
"What controls the duration of the lunar eclipse, it's the position of the moon when it goes through the shadow of the Earth," Petro told Space.com. The darkest part of Earth 's shadow is called Shadow. You can imagine the umbra as a cone extending from the Earth in the opposite direction to the sun, Petro explained.
"The moon can either graze through the cone, or go through the middle. [the middle] "This time, the moon passes closer to the center of this cone, and so it's a little longer than the eclipse we had in January."
In addition, the moon will be at a point farther from Earth along its orbit, EarthSky said. This means that the moon will appear slightly smaller in the sky and will take a little longer to cross the Earth's shadow.
Petro is also the project scientist for Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) at NASA, which has been around the moon for nine years. He is best known for getting detailed information on the water ice and taking high resolution photos of spacecraft on the lunar surface. Because LRO is an older probe, most of its components (with the exception of battery heaters and others) will be turned off during the eclipse, to preserve the solar satellite's battery and keep it safe for most of the eclipse, Petro said. .
When is the next lunar eclipse?
The next total lunar eclipse visible from North America will take place on January 21, 2019. All of that day will last 1 hour and 2 minutes, and the eclipse will particularly favor viewers on the west coast. This year will also see a partial eclipse, July 16, 2019 – the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first mission of landing on the moon, Apollo 11. LRO will probably still be operational then, having spent its 10th anniversary of the year. to arrive at the moon on June 23, 2019.
Editor's note: If you capture an incredible photo or video of the total lunar eclipse or any other night vision and you want to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to spacephotos @ space .com.
follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally posted on Space.com.
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