Friday’s lunar eclipse, the longest one this century

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Friday’s lunar eclipse, the longest one this century

There’s a Blood Moon on the rise, and people around the world will be able to catch a glimpse of it on Friday July 27th, 2018, when the Moon ducks into the Earth’s shadow. However, this eclipse is only visible to those in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and Australia, so you may not get to see this one.

This will be the second Blood Moon (also known as a lunar eclipse) of the year. And it’ll last a whopping one hour and 43 minutes, making it the longest one this century. But the eclipse’s impressive length also means that the Moon itself will actually look a little smaller and dimmer than usual. 

That’s because the Moon will be as far away as it gets from the Earth on its elliptical orbit, making the Moon appear smaller. But, the Moon also moves more slowly when it’s that far away, according to Frederick Walter, a professor of physics and astronomy at Stony Brook University. That lets it linger for longer in the Earth’s shadow and stretches out the length of the eclipse.

Folks in regions like the Middle East and much of Europe will get a good view of the eclipse. They’ll see the Moon turn a rusty red — which is where lunar eclipses get their “Blood Moon” nickname.

During an eclipse, sunlight has to filter through the Earth’s atmosphere before it can illuminate the Moon. “Blue light bends more than red light, so blue light actually gets scattered out,” Walter says.

So the light that the atmosphere projects on the Moon is red, giving it that bloody glow.

Five reasons this Friday is going to be extra special

1. The total lunar eclipse is due to last for 1 hr 40 mins, making it the longest total lunar eclipse of this century!
2. Experts say that dust thrown into the atmosphere by recent volcanic eruptions in Hawaii and Guatemala may likely paint the Moon an even deeper red this week.
3. As the blood Moon is happening, Mars will appear directly below the Moon at almost its maximum brightness. The red planet will not have been this big and bright since 2003, when the distance between Mars and Earth closed to less than 56 million kilometres, so there's another thing to look out for.
4. As if that wasn't enough, keen space watchers may also be able to spot Jupiter in the south-west.
5. Finally, you should also be able to see the International Space Station (ISS) sailing overhead a little later in the night. Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, says: "A total lunar eclipse, Mars, Jupiter and the International Space Station. What more could you want?!"

What's so special about a blood Moon?

A blood Moon is really quite a sight and in the past people used to get very superstitious about what it meant. Some said that it meant that Mars - the God of War - was on his way.

It is still seen as a symbol of doom in some parts of the world today.