Photo: ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP / Getty Images
You won’t need binoculars or telescopes this weekend to observe a spectacular astronomical phenomenon.
With just direct your eyes towards the sky between Sunday night 15 and Monday morning 16 of May, you will be able to observe -from all South and Central America, much of North America, southern and western Europe, southern and western Asia, Africa, in the oceans the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and from the Antarctica– a total lunar eclipse.
Depending on your time zone, you will see the Moon take on a reddish hue during the eclipse, which is why it is known as a “Blood Moon”.
This Blood Moon will also be special, as occurs when the satellite is cas i at its closest point to Earth, making it appear larger than usual.
Special Alignment
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth stands between the Moon and the Sun generating a shadow on the Moon. The three celestial bodies must be perfectly aligned for that to happen.
Although the Earth blocks the passage of direct sunlight, preventing the Sun from illuminating the Moon’s surface, some rays reach the Moon’s surface indirectly.
This sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, which filters out most of the blue light; That is why, during this phenomenon, the Moon is seen in a reddish hue and for this reason it is sometimes called “Blood Moon”.
And since the diameter of our planet is four times the diameter of the Moon, its shadow it is also much wider, so the totality of a lunar eclipse can last up to 104 minutes.
Although the times depend on where you observe the phenomenon, the GMT times can serve as a guide.
JEFF OVERS
The lunar eclipse of 02 to the 16 of May -depending on your time zone- is special: it is a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse.
- Nearly 85 minutes
is how long the event will last.
- two Total number of total lunar eclipses in 2022
- Reddish tone is the one acquired by the Moon when some rays of the Sun filter through the Earth’s atmosphere.
- Where?
Visible in the Americas and in some parts of Europe and Africa.Source: BBC, timeanddate.com
According to the page TimeandDate.com, the partial eclipse phase will start on 16 of May at 02: 28 GMT, the reddish moment of greatest intensity will take place at : 11 GMT and the event will end at 05: 55 GMT .
As it is a lunar eclipse, observing it directly does not represent a risk for the eyes .
“It’s basically looking at the full moon. You do not need any instrument, at first glance it is already something beautiful. If someone wants, they can also use binoculars, telescopes or glasses,” Roberto Costa, a professor at the Department of Astronomy at the University of São Paulo (USP), tells the BBC.
Of course, like the vast majority of astronomical phenomena, the sky has to be clear or so we can enjoy it.