The lunar eclipse and Mars will be seen tomorrow

The total eclipse of Luna the longest of the 21st century will dye the red satellite of the Earth this Friday, while Mars, which will be almost at its closest point to the planet blue, will be particularly brilliant

"It's an unusual and interesting coincidence of phenomena," said Pascal Descamps, astronomer at the Paris Observatory. "The moon will have a reddish tone, a little coppery, and March nicknamed" the red planet ", will be at his side very bright, with a slightly orange hue," he explains.

The astronomical spectacle It can be observed at a glance, without any danger. But binoculars, lenses and telescopes allow you to enjoy them even more.

Photo: NASA

The eclipse will be visible – partially or totally – only in the middle of the world: we can see it from the beginning. Africa, Europe, Asia and Africa, Middle East and India .

In Latin America, it will be visible at dusk Friday 's dusk on the east coast of the mainland in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, although the austral winter may complicate the weather. observation of the phenomenon.

For there to be an eclipse of Luna there must be an almost perfect alignment of the Sun, the Earth and the Moon, when our planet is between the star and the moon, it casts its shadow on our natural satellite tro On Friday, the moon, which will be in the full moon, will gradually enter the darkness, then in the shade, where it will enter completely and then come out gradually.

The complete phenomenon (including the penumbra phase) will begin at 12:14 Mexico time and will end at 18:28. The show will actually start at 1:24 pm, when it will appear that the moon has a shadow bite. The most captivating moment of the eclipse, that is to say when the Moon will be completely in the shadow cone projected by the Earth, will start at 14:30 and will end at 16:13

This "total" phase will last 1 hour and 43 minutes (103 minutes), making it the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.

This will be the second total solar eclipse of 2018, after the one that took place on January 31st. On this occasion, it was a "supermoon" because the satellite looked to be particularly big.

On Friday, on the other hand, will be a "miniluna" because it will be almost at the farthest point of Earth and it will give the sensation of having a smaller size. Also for this you will need more time to cross the cone in the shade.

By being deprived of rays of the Sun the Moon will darken and become red. This color is explained by the fact that the Earth's atmosphere diverts the red rays from the sun into the cone of the shadow and that the moon can reflect them.

According to atmospheric conditions and, in particular, pollution, Luna can acquire a very dark reddish gray, or dye a more intense red if there are no particles in the atmosphere.

The other protagonist of the night will be the planet Mars, which will be just 57.6 million kilometers from Earth (the minimum distance will be reached on July 31.)
15 years ago, the appearance of its diameter is not so great. And we will have to wait until 2035 to see the red planet so close. At first glance, only a bright spot will be seen, but with lenses or a telescope, it will be possible to observe it in detail.