Egypt to Afghanistan to enjoy best views of lunar eclipse; Monsoon rain to spoil show in India
Most of Africa and central Asia will get to view the entirety of Friday night's longest lunar eclipse of the century, where the weather cooperates.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the Earth’s innermost shadow. When this happens, the moon turns rusty orange or deep red in color and is how it earned the nickname of a blood moon eclipse.
That is exactly what residents across most of African and central Asia will see where the sky is clear or where clouds break enough.
The entirety of the eclipse will be visible across the region on Friday night, starting at 17:14 UT. The total phase of the eclipse, when the moon turns red, will begin at 19:30 UT.
While showers and thunderstorms threaten to spoil the show across central Africa, clouds will be largely absent to the north across Libya and Egypt.
Skygazers will also enjoy clear skies eastward across northern Saudi Arabia to Iraq, Iran and most of Afghanistan.
Farther to the east, monsoon rain will make the eclipse difficult to see across most of India and into neighboring parts of northern Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Unlike a solar eclipse, no special equipment or glasses are needed to view a total lunar eclipse.
Friday night's lunar eclipse will be particularly special as it is the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st Century.
The total phase of the eclipse will last for an impressive 1 hour and 43 minutes, while the entire eclipse, including the partial phases, will last for over 6 hours.
One reason why this eclipse is lasting so long is because it is occurring when the moon is near apogee, or the point in its orbit when it is farthest away from the Earth, making it appear smaller than normal.
This is sometimes referred to as a ‘micromoon,’ and is the opposite of the well-known supermoon, or perigee (when the moon is at its closest to Earth).
Another factor that is playing a role in the eclipse’s duration is the path that the moon is taking through the Earth’s shadow. During Friday night's eclipse, the moon will be passing almost directly through the middle of the shadow, maximizing the time that moon spends in darkness.
The next time there is a total lunar eclipse this long will not be until June 9, 2123.
People in areas where clouds are not obstructing their view of the sky should also keep an eye out for some shooting stars.
The Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks around July 28, but the light pollution from the moon will make it difficult to see many of the dimmer meteors on the night that the shower reaches its peak.
However, the drop in natural light pollution during the total lunar eclipse will allow people to see more of the dimmer meteors.
This meteor shower favors the Southern Hemisphere with up to 15-20 meteors an hour, but people in the Northern Hemisphere may still be able to spot a few shooting stars around the shower’s peak.
Stargazers will also be able to see Mars shining bright just below the eclipsed moon.
Mars will also appear red due to the planet's color, and will be shining brighter than it will at any other time of the year as it will be at opposition.
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