Eerie Phenomenon: Mars Will Line Up Directly Below The ‘Blood Moon’ This Friday

Eerie-Phenomenon-Mars-Will-Line-Up-Directly-Below-The-‘Blood-Moon’-This-Friday.jpgA ‘blood moon’ is coming, accompanied by Mars, the God of War, shining more fiercely than it has for years. The longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century is expected to occur on Friday, July 27.

As it lines up with the Earth and sun, the rising full moon will darken and change from silver to rusty or dreadful blood red.

The phenomenon struck terror into our ancestors and is still seen as a portent of doom in some parts of the world today. But in fact, it is caused by sunlight being filtered through the Earth’s atmosphere so that red colors predominate when it reaches the lunar surface.

Fiery Mars will add to the spectacle as it appears directly below the blood moon at close to its maximum brightness.

The last time the Red Planet was bigger and brighter than this was in 2003 when the distance between Mars and the Earth closed to less than 56 million kilometers.

As if that was not enough, sky-watchers should get a glorious view of Jupiter in the south-west and have a chance of catching the International Space Station (ISS) sailing overhead.

Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said: ‘A total lunar eclipse, Mars, Jupiter and the International Space Station. What more could you want?’

He pointed out that the moon’s appearance greatly depended on atmospheric conditions around the Earth at the time of the eclipse.

But dust thrown into the atmosphere by recent volcanic eruptions in Hawaii and Guatemala was likely to paint the moon a deeper red.

‘You may see this very eerie-looking deep-red moon rising,’ said Mr. Scagell. ‘We’ve all caught on to this lovely word ‘blood-moon’. It certainly will look very strange.

‘In early days experiencing a total lunar eclipse would have felt like the end of the world. It’s not surprising people were terrified by it.’

For people in the UK, the ‘blood moon’ will rise in the south-eastern sky already immersed completely in the Earth’s shadow. Moonrise will be at 20.49 BST in London, and 21.46 in Glasgow.

Mid-eclipse is at 21.21 BST and the ‘total’ phase of the eclipse ends at 22.13.

You will have to stay up later to catch a glimpse of the ISS as it moves quickly across the sky from west to east. Looking like a bright star, it will appear just after 11 pm before fading from sight a few minutes later.

‘It’s the brightest thing in the sky apart from aircraft,’ said Mr. Scagell. ‘It’s a bright white star-like object but it doesn’t twinkle and it’s really unmistakable.’ Unlike a solar eclipse, both the eclipsed moon and Mars can be viewed safely without eye protection.

Here are some Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse informational tidbits:

The total lunar eclipse on July 27 will be visible to large swathes of the Eastern hemisphere. It will reach peak eclipse at 9:22 (BST), however, the total eclipse will last for a total of 1 hour 43 minutes.

Skygazers in South America will be able to see part of the final stages of the eclipse just after sunset on July 27. In contrast, New Zealanders will be able to watch the start of the eclipse before sunrise July 28.

It will not be visible at all in the United States.

Parts of central Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Africa will see the lunar eclipse in its entirety.

The UK falls slightly outside of the ideal viewing range, meaning people will see the total eclipse for only 84 of the 103 total minutes. This is due to the moon being below the horizon in Britain when the eclipse begins.

Although the moon will be smaller than usual due to its distant position in its orbit, it will still be visible with the naked eye.

If the sky is clear, looking up at the moon will be enough to witness the shadow of Earth-crossing its surface. A telescope will undoubtedly enhance this, but is not essential.

Unlike a solar eclipse, where the moon crosses the path of the Sun, it is perfectly safe to look directly at the lunar eclipse.

Areas with low light pollution will see a clearer eclipse. To escape this omnipresent glow, head to a high vantage point or the countryside.

We hope you enjoyed this article! Enjoy this spectacular celestial event, and be sure to share it with those you love.

 

Source: Via DailyMail

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