The longest eclipse of the 21st century is happening tonight. Said to last about one hour and 43 minutes, it will begin at 11:30 pm ISD. But due to the country’s cloudy weather at the moment, it may not be the easiest thing to catch with the naked eye. Before it begins, here are a few things you should know about this Blood Moon.
1. It is said to happen once in 100 years and this will be the longest eclipse until June 9, 2123. A lunar eclipse takes place when the sunlight’s path to the moon is blocked by the Earth. In this case, the moon will be at its furthest position from the Earth on its orbit.
2. It is called a Blood Moon because the moon takes on a reddish hue as its path of sunlight is blocked by the Earth. Hence, in its shadow, it only receives the sunlight scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere.
3. Mars will also be visible once the lunar eclipse begins, as Mars will be in the closest position to Earth since the past 15 years.
4. If you are an astronomy enthusiast and don’t want to miss any of the action, the eclipse will be live streamed on multiple YouTube channels. Timeanddate.com will also be broadcasting it live.
5. The moon will turn red at the highest point of the eclipse, which will begin to take place at 1 AM and last till 2:43 AM, post which the moon will begin moving away from the earth’s shadow.
Beware of the superstitions as you try to catch the lunar eclipse because most neighbourhood preachers will try to keep you indoors on a Friday night.
Images – Giphy, Shutterstock
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