The longest lunar eclipse of this century will occur later this month and lucky stargazers, in certain parts of the world, will be able to view this once-in-a-lifetime event.
The bad news is it won’t be visible in North America. The best views will be in Africa and Asia, but those in Europe, South America and Australia will still get partial views, according to Nasa.
It’s known as a blood moon and the total eclipse, set for Friday, July 27, will last nearly two hours.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon’s surface, Earth’s shadow falls on it and takes on a reddish glow, earning it the nickname “blood moon.”
This dramatic occurrence happens when the sun, Earth, and moon are perfectly lined up and according to NASA the moon will be completely obscured for 1 hour and 43 minutes: a remarkable length of time.
“This is a really cool eclipse,” said Noah Petro, a planetary geologist from NASA, speaking to NBC News, adding that the event will be extra special because, “this is going to be the longest eclipse of this century.”
In addition to this lengthy lunar eclipse, on the same day planet Mars will reach its opposition, meaning it will shine at its brightest in the sky according to Space.com. Mars will be at its closest to Earth since 2003.
Space enthusiasts in North America will have to wait until Jan. 21 2019 to see the next lunar eclipse.
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlEH6dKXfCU” /]
This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see something incredible so to all those living in the viewing countries enjoy! Please share to let others know of this historical event.
