Total Pageviews

Friday, September 25, 2015

GET READY WATCHING THE BLOOD MOON

 What is it?

Blood Moon is sometimes used to describe a Total Lunar Eclipse. When the Earth casts its shadow on a Full Moon and eclipses it, the Moon may get a red glow.
A Total Lunar Eclipse can be a Blood Moon

Lunar Tetrad

Total lunar eclipses are rare – only about one in three lunar eclipses are total. About four to five total eclipses can be seen at any place on Earth in a decade.
Every once in a while, four total lunar eclipses happen in a row. This is called a lunar tetrad. The total lunar eclipses happen 6 months apart. There are at least six full Moons between two total lunar eclipses in a tetrad.
Full moons are pretty common, occurring every month. But on Sunday, the full moon’s orbit will be closer to Earth, making it appear up to 14 percent larger. This increased size will make it a supermoon, an event that happens about four to six times a year.
According to the Weather Channel, the moon will also pass through the Earth’s shadow, creating a lunar eclipse. During this eclipse, the sun’s light will have to travel through the Earth’s atmosphere before it reaches the moon. This will give the moon a red-orange tint, making it a blood moon.
On September 28, 2015, the Moon will turn a shade of red in many parts of the World as the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon's surface.
This rare Total Lunar Eclipse of a Supermoon will begin on the evening of September 27, 2015. In Europe, South/East Asia, Africa, the Arctic, and in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans it starts after midnight on September 28, 2015.

 Also called a Blood Moon this eclipse will last for about 1 hour and 12 minutes.

The September 28, 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse is the fourth and final eclipse in a series of four total lunar eclipses called the lunar tetrad. The first three eclipses of the tetrad took place on April 15, 2014, October 8, 2014 and on April 4, 2015.
Notice something interesting about the dates? Each of the eclipses in the tetrad occurs about 6 months apart and have 5 full Moons between them!

 When to see it

Regions seeing at least some parts of the eclipse: Europe, South/West Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic, Antarctica.
If you live on the West Coast of the U.S. or Canada, you will be able to see the supermoon and lunar eclipse beginning at 7:11 p.m. It might be a good idea to eat dinner outside, as the event will last about an hour and 12 minutes.
On the East Coast, sky gazers will have to wait until 10:11 p.m. to see the spectacular event.
And if you’re in Europe or Africa, you might need to chug a Red Bull to see the event. The full eclipse will peak at around 3:11 a.m. on Monday in London and about 4:11 a.m. in Cape Town.
The times displayed are accurate to around 2-3 seconds.

 

Event
UTC Time
Time in Dar es Salaam*
Visible in Dar es Salaam
Penumbral Eclipse begins
28 Sep, 00:11:47
28 Sep, 03:11:47
Yes
Partial Eclipse begins
28 Sep, 01:07:13
28 Sep, 04:07:13
Yes
Full Eclipse begins
28 Sep, 02:11:12
28 Sep, 05:11:12
Yes
Maximum Eclipse
28 Sep, 02:47:09
28 Sep, 05:47:09
Yes
Full Eclipse ends
28 Sep, 03:23:05
28 Sep, 06:23:05
No, below horizon
Partial Eclipse ends
28 Sep, 04:27:05
28 Sep, 07:27:05
No, below horizon
Penumbral Eclipse ends
28 Sep, 05:22:31
28 Sep, 08:22:31
No, below horizon

* The Moon is below the horizon in Dar es Salaam some of the time, so that part of the eclipse is not visible.
What if I miss it?
The last time a supermoon and blood moon occurred at the same time was in 1982. Similarly, the next time this will occur is in 2033. So if you skip it, you’ll have to catch the next one in 18 years.

No Need for Eye Protection

A partial solar eclipse looks like the Moon has taken a bite of the Sun.
Lunar eclipses can be spectacular and they are easy to see with the naked eye. Unlike solar eclipses, which require protective eye wear, a lunar eclipse can be viewed without specialized eye wear.

SOURCES:
Brittany Jones CooperEditor, Yahoo Travel
http://earthsky.org

No comments:

Post a Comment