The longest lunar eclipse of the century will take place on Friday night and Saturday morning, starting on the night of July 27th through to the early morning of 28th July. The moon will be eclipsed by the Earth for 1 hour and 43 minutes, and it’s during this time period certain people around the world will be able to see a “blood red” moon. So, it’s time to break out the heavy duty camera equipment, and start snapping away at this once in a lifetime event.
A “blood moon” is the name given to the moon during a lunar eclipse, when the Earth passes the Sun and the Moon, casting the moon into shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, creating a dark moon, today the moon will turn red, hence the name, “blood moon”.
How a blood moon is formed in the night sky. Credit: The Sun
Chris Tinney, a professor of the physics department at the University of New South Wales, said “If the Earth was a big smooth ball with no atmosphere that would be the end of the subject, it would just go dark, like with a new moon.”
“But because there is light scattered through the atmosphere of the Earth, some of the sun’s light gets bounced around the edge of the Earth to hit the moon.”
Here’s your science part – with blue and violet wavelengths being scattered more than red and orange, more of the red wavelengths reach the moon, making the moon appear red.
The best view of this lunar eclipse will be from east Africa, the Middle East, across to India and the westernmost tip of China, but if you’re in other parts of Africa, Europe, other parts of Asia, Australia, or the eastern tip of South America, you’ll still be able to get a good view of it. Unfortunately, if you’re in North America or Greenland, you won’t see much of the blood moon.
How it will look from our perspective, in its various stages. Credit: Forbes
Additionally, the best place for you to see the “blood moon” will be if you’re out in the countryside, or away from city lights. It’s the best way to get the most pristine look at the lunar eclipse.
So, will you be stalking the moon this evening in order to get a great shot? Maybe we will, but we also hope there’s no mysterious celebrity deaths this evening either, as this lunar cycle has also been known to be a celebration or sacrificial day of Satanists. Perhaps the “blood moon” has some sort of significance, so let’s pray that everyone stays safe this evening as well.
Story by The Narrator
Featured Photo Credit: Evening Standard