Total lunar eclipse woos sky watchers

WASHINGTON - An unusual set of celestial circumstances came together over Sunday night and the wee hours of Monday for sky watchers in Europe, Africa and the Americas, where the moon was fully obscured before lighting up again with a faint red glow.

In the streets of Mexico City, Los Angeles and Paris and in the Moroccan desert, moon gazers turned to the sky to observe the phenomenon, around midnight in the Americas, and shortly before dawn in Europe and Africa.

The eclipse lasted about three hours: during the first hour the full moon was gradually swallowed up by the shadow of the Earth, then an hour of total eclipse where it was not invisible but instead appeared tinted in hues of red, orange and pink, followed finally by its full reemergence, bright and shining. 

The full Moon appeared bigger than normal because it was closer to the Earth -- about 222,000 miles (358,000 kilometers) away -- earning it the nickname "super Moon."

Other monikers include a "Wolf Moon," a traditional way of coining an eclipse in the month of January, and a "Blood Moon" because of its rusty, red color. Hence the name for this year's event: a "super blood wolf Moon."

At its peak, where night skies were clear of clouds, Venus and Jupiter shone brightly in the night sky. 

Not everyone was fortunate: in London, for example, astronomy enthusiasts hopes were dashed by a cloudy night. 

WHY RED?

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon appears red because the light of the Sun no longer directly illuminates it, since Earth is passing in between the Moon and Sun.

"The color is due to Rayleigh scattering -- where the Sun's blue light is scattered off molecules in Earth's atmosphere -- which also happens at sunsets," explained the Royal Astronomical Society of Britain. 

"The Sun's red light is scattered much less by air, and is bent by Earth's atmosphere in a process called refraction, traveling all the way through it to light up the Moon's surface."

LAST ECLIPSE

Total or partial lunar eclipses happen at least twice a year on average, Florent Deleflie, an astronomer at the Observatory of Paris-PSL told AFP. It's just that they are not visible everywhere.

It's a rare event when a total lunar eclipse is visible on so many parts of the Earth's land mass, as is the case Monday.

Europeans last saw a total lunar eclipse in July 2018. The next chance for a glimpse at a lunar eclipse will be in 2022, but the entire continent won't be able to see the totality of a lunar eclipse again until 2029.

North Americans may get their next glimpse of a blood moon in 2021 along the West coast and 2022 on the East coast.

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'Blood moon' dazzles skygazers in century's longest eclipse

The longest "blood moon" eclipse this century occurred Friday night (early Saturday morning in the Philippines), coinciding with Mars' closest approach in 15 years to treat skygazers across the globe to a thrilling celestial spectacle.

As Earth's constant companion slowly sailed across the skies, crowds gathered around the world to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon.

Beside Lake Magadi, 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, young members of the Maasai community watched the eclipse through a high-powered telescope provided by a local couple.

"Until today I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets were in the imagination of scientists," Purity Sailepo, 16, told AFP.

"But now I've seen it I can believe it and I want to be an astronomer to tell other people."

Unlike with a solar eclipse, viewers do not need protective eye gear to observe the rare display. 

For about half the world, the moon will be partly or fully in Earth's shadow from 1714 to 2328 GMT -- six hours and 14 minutes in all.

The period of complete eclipse -- known as "totality", when the moon appears darkest -- lasted from 1930 to 2113 GMT.

At the same time, Mars hovered near the moon in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye.

Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere are best-placed to witness the rare sight, especially in southern Africa, Australia, South Asia and Madagascar, though it will also be partly visible in Europe and South America.

More than 2,000 people including many children armed with binoculars gathered in the Tunisian capital of Tunis.

"I hope this eclipse will bring us happiness and peace," said Karima, 46, without taking her eyes off the sky. 

However, bad weather thwarted the cosmic display in several parts of the world. 

Widespread monsoon rainstorms and thick clouds hid the moon across much of India and its neighbours, which should have had a prime view.

Similarly, eager observers who had assembled on cliffs and beaches in the English county of Dorset were left in the dark due to an overcast sky.

"It's disappointing," Tish Adams, 67, told AFP. "I took a few photos but there was nothing but a streak of pink in the sky."

- Celestial bodies align -

Mars appeared unusually large and bright, a mere 57.7 million kilometres (35.9 million miles) from Earth on its elliptical orbit around the sun.

"We have a rare and interesting conjunction of phenomena," Pascal Descamps, an astronomer with the Paris Observatory, told AFP.

"We should have a coppery red tint on the moon with Mars the 'Red Planet' just next to it, very bright and with a slight orange hue itself."

A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and sun, blotting out the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow.

The moon travels to a similar position every month, but the tilt of its orbit means it normally passes above or below the Earth's shadow -- so most months we have a full moon without an eclipse.

When the three celestial bodies are perfectly lined up, however, the Earth's atmosphere scatters blue light from the sun while refracting or bending red light onto the moon, usually giving it a rosy blush.

This is what gives the phenomenon the name "blood moon", though Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland said the colour can vary greatly.

It depends partly on "how cloudy or transparent those parts of the Earth's atmosphere are which enable sunlight to reach the moon", he told AFP.

"During a very dark eclipse the moon may be almost invisible."

The long duration of this eclipse is partly due to the fact that the moon will make a near-central passage through Earth's umbra -- the darkest, most central part of the shadow.

- 'Eerie and beautiful' -

The moon will also be at the farthest point on its orbit from Earth, making its movement across the sky slower from our perspective, thus spending longer in the dark.

NASA, meanwhile, called out social media hoaxers claiming that Mars would appear as big as the moon during the eclipse.

"If that were true, we'd be in big trouble given the gravitational pulls on Earth, Mars, and our moon!" the NASA website stated.

Mars will more likely appear as a very bright star.

"In the middle of a lunar eclipse it can look as if a red planet has taken up residence near the Earth -- they are both eerie and beautiful," said Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society in London.

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Rare 'super blood blue moon' visible on Jan 31

MIAMI - A cosmic event not seen in 36 years -- a rare "super blood blue moon" -- may be glimpsed January 31 in parts of western North America, Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Australia.

The event is causing a buzz because it combines three unusual lunar events -- an extra big super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse.

"It's an astronomical trifecta," said Kelly Beatty, a senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine.

A blue moon refers to the second full moon in a month. Typically, a blue moon happens every two years and eight months.

This full moon is also the third in a series of "supermoons," which happen when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit.

This point, called the perigee, makes the moon appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter.

During the eclipse, the moon will glide into Earth's shadow, gradually turning the white disk of light to orange or red.

"That red light you see is sunlight that has skimmed and bent through Earth's atmosphere and continued on through space to the moon," said Alan MacRobert of Sky and Telescope magazine.

"In other words, it's from all the sunrises and sunsets that ring the world at the moment."

The alignment of the sun, moon and Earth will last one hour and 16 minutes, visible before dawn across the western United States and Canada.

Those in the Middle East, Asia, eastern Russia, Australia and New Zealand should look for it in the evening, as the moon rises.

Unlike a solar eclipse, this lunar eclipse can be safely viewed without protective eyewear.

HOW RARE? 

"We've had a lot of supermoons and we've had lunar eclipses, but it's rare that it also happens to be a blue moon," said Jason Aufdenberg, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's campus in Daytona Beach, Florida.

"All three of these cycles lining up is what makes this unusual," he added.

"It's just a wonder to behold."

According to Sky and Telescope magazine, "the last time a complete lunar cover-up took place on the second full moon of the month was December 30, 1982, at least as reckoned by local time in Europe, Africa, and western Asia -- locations where the event could be seen."

That event also occurred at the moon's orbital perigee, making it an extra bright supermoon.

Aufdenberg said that by his calculations, the last time a supermoon, blue moon and total lunar eclipse all together were visible from the eastern United States was on May 31, 1844.

According to Sky and Telescope, the last blue moon total lunar eclipse visible from North America happened on March 31, 1866.

"But on that date the moon was near apogee, its most distant point from Earth," it said.

Lunar eclipses during a supermoon happen rather regularly. The last one was in September 2015.

Lunar eclipses occur at least twice a year.

Supermoons can happen 4 to 6 times a year.

The next supermoon lunar eclipse visible throughout all of the United States will be January 21, 2019 -- though that one will not be a blue moon.

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NASA: 'Super blue blood moon' to shine in January 2018

Rare lunar events will mark the entry of 2018 as two supermoons are set to shine on the first and last evenings of January, with the finale expected to have an "extra special" red glow, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on its website.

A "supermoon" is a full moon that appears 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the usual full moon. It appears when the moon orbits closest to Earth during its full phase.

The "wolf moon" or the first full moon of the year will be a supermoon, NASA said. It follows the opener of the supermoon "trilogy"- as NASA put it - which was seen in early December.

"You almost feel as though you could reach out, grab the glowing orb, and drop it into your coffee cup," NASA said.

But moon-gazing will be twice the fun in the grand finale by the end of January, when a very rare "super blue blood moon" will appear.

"Sometimes the celestial rhythms sync up just right to wow us," NASA said.

A "super blue blood moon" is a "supermoon", a "blood moon", and a "blue moon" all happening in one night.

A blue moon is the second full moon in a month, while a blood moon is seen when a full moon temporarily turns red during a total lunar eclipse.

"The January 31st supermoon will feature a total lunar eclipse, with totality viewable from western North America across the Pacific to Eastern Asia," NASA said.

"The Moon will lose its brightness and take on an eerie, fainter-than-normal glow from the scant sunlight that makes its way through Earth’s atmosphere," NASA added.

The space agency said it would be best to view to natural phenomenon when the moon rises or sets over the horizon.

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LOOK: Supermoon sightings all over the world

The total "supermoon" lunar eclipse treated sky-watchers around the world when the shadow of Earth cast a reddish glow on the moon, the result of rare combination of an eclipse with the closest full moon of the year.

The astronomical event occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, making it appear much larger and brighter than usual. (Reuters)

Mobile users can view the desktop version of the slideshow here.

The Moon, appears next to a statue on the Alexander III bridge in Paris. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

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Saturday eclipse, meteor shower double treat for stargazers

Stargazers will have a double treat of sorts Saturday night as they are likely to see a meteor shower and a partial lunar eclipse.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the eclipse will start at 4:55 p.m. and end at 10:21 p.m.

"Lunar eclipses are safe to watch and observers need not use any kind of protective filters in the eyes. A pair of binocular will help magnify the view and will make the red coloration of the Moon brighter," it said. [See: PAGASA astrodiary]

PAGASA said the eclipse’s magnitude will be 54.2 percent and will also be visible primarily in some parts of America, Pacific Ocean, Antarctica, eastern Asia, and Australasia.

In Manila, the moon will rise at 6:28 p.m. and will set at 5:04 a.m. on June 27.

Penumbral eclipse begins at 4:55 p.m., while the partial eclipse begins at 6:16 p.m. The greatest eclipse will be at 7:38 p.m. Partial eclipse ends 9:00 PM

The penumbral eclipse ends at 10:21 p.m.

On the other hand, PAGASA said recent unseen activity makes the annual June Bootid meteor shower worth observing.

But it said that while the shower is normally active from June 26 to July 2 and peaks June 27, “little or no" activity is expected this year with the full Moon on June 26.

“The radiant is usefully accessible virtually all night, and all observing techniques can be employed," it said.

PAGASA said the shower is derived from the debris ejected by Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke. The radiant of the shower will originate from the constellation of Bootes, the Herdsman, which lies nearly overhead when darkness falls. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV