The Moon will be almost completely in darkness as it moves behind the Earth, reddening 99% of its face
Los Angeles, USA:
The longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years, which will cast a red cast over the Moon, will be visible on Thursday and Friday to a large portion of humanity.
The celestial program will see the Moon almost completely shadowed as it moves behind Earth, reddening 99% of its face.
The scene will be visible to all of North America, as well as parts of South America, Polynesia, Australia and northeastern Asia.
Space scientists say skywatchers in these regions who are blessed with cloud-free visibility will see the Moon dim slightly from 0602 GMT Friday as it enters Earth’s penumbra – outer shadow area.
An hour later, it will appear as if someone has taken a giant bite out of the moon’s disk as it begins to enter the umbra – full darkness.
At 0845 GMT, the Moon will be red, with the most vivid color visible at its zenith 18 minutes later.
The whole process then reverses as the Moon breaks free from its shadow and makes its endless journey around our planet.
The dramatic red color is due to a phenomenon known as “Rayleigh scattering,” in which shorter waves of blue light from the Sun are scattered by particles in Earth’s atmosphere.
The longer, red light waves pass easily through these particles.
“The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during a lunar eclipse, the redder the Moon will be,” explains a NASA website.
“It was as if all the sunrises and sunsets in the world were projected onto the Moon.”
From when the eclipse begins – when the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow – to its end will take more than three hours and 28 minutes.
It’s the longest partial lunar eclipse since 1440 – around the time Johannes Gutenberg invented his printing press – and won’t be defeated until the distant future of 2669.
The good news for Moon Watchers, however, is that they won’t have to wait that long for another show – there will be a longer total lunar eclipse on November 8 next year, NASA said.
And even better news for anyone who wants to watch is that no special equipment is required, unlike an eclipse.
Binoculars, telescopes or the naked eye will give you a good view of the scene – as long as the weather here on Earth is suitable.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
