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Blood Moon 2018 : Longest Total Lunar Eclipse of Century In the News For over six hours, stargazers and common across the world witnessed a spectacular celestial phenomenon - the Blood Moon 2018, the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century on the night of July 27-28. Blood Moon or Total Lunar Eclipse is a rare celestial event, which lasted beyond 100 minutes. What is Total Lunar Eclipse? A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind Earth and into its shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are aligned (in syzygy - the Greek word for being paired together.) exactly or very closely so, with the planet in between. Hence, a lunar eclipse can occur only on the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend on the Moon's proximity to either node of its orbit. During a total lunar eclipse, Earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. The only light reflected from the lunar surface has been refracted by Earth's atmosphere. This light appears reddish for the same reason that a sunset or sunrise does: the Rayleigh scattering of bluer light. Due to this reddish color, a totally eclipsed Moon is sometimes called a blood moon. A Total Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and covers the Moon with its shadow called Umbra. Unlike with solar eclipses, you need no special equipment to observe lunar eclipses. These latter events, which occur when the moon passes into Earth's shadow, are safe to view directly with the naked eye, telescopes or binoculars. The moon turns deep red or reddish brown during eclipses, instead of going completely dark. That's because some of the sunlight going through Earth's atmosphere is bent around the edge of our planet and falls onto the moon's surface. Earth's air also scatters more shorterwavelength light (in colors such as green or blue); what's left is the longer-wavelength, redder end of the spectrum.
Type of Shadow of Earth Earth's shadow can be divided into three parts: Umbra - the darker, central part. Penumbra - the outer part. Antumbra - the partly shaded area beyond the umbra. Solar Eclipse Vs Lunar Eclipse BASIS FOR COMPARISON SOLAR ECLIPSE LUNAR ECLIPSE Meaning Solar eclipse is the one in which sun is blocked by the moon. Lunar eclipse refers to the eclipse in which moon appears dim, as it passes into earths shadow. Position Moon lies between sun and earth Earth lies between sun and moon Frequency Once in every eighteen Twice a year months. Occurrence Occurs during day Occurs during night Phase New moon Full moon Duration 5-7 minutes Approx An hour Approx Appearance Appears in some places only. Appears in many places. Places where the Total Lunar Eclipse was visible? The Blood Moon 2018 was first visible in India from around 10:44pm, while its capital New Delhi was right between the action of the full total eclipse at around 1 am midnight which ended at 2.43am. It was majorly seen in the Eastern Hemisphere including Central Asia and Eastern Africa. The best view of the entire eclipse was visible across the Eastern Europe, Central and East Africa and South East Asia. Important Note In July 2018, the Full Moon, as well as the Lunar Apogee Fall, occurred on the exact same date, which is July 27. The Lunar Apogee is said to be the moon s farthest orbital point from the Earth, which makes it appear particularly small and distant. The longest Total Lunar Eclipse The first part of the lunar eclipse saw the Moon fall under the Earth s shadow called Umbra. This part of the eclipse is known as the Penumbral Eclipse. It coincided not only with Mars's close approach, but with the "procession of planets", a line-up of celestial neighbours Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. The total lunar eclipse lasted 103 minutes, that is 1 Hour 43 minutes, which made it the century s longest.
Different Phases of a Total Lunar Eclipse 1. Beginning of Penumbral eclipse: The outer part of the Earth's shadow begins moving across the Moon. 2. Beginning of Partial eclipse: The inner part of the Earth's shadow begins covering the Moon. 3. Beginning of Total eclipse: The Earth's shadow completely covers the Moon, turning it into a reddish brown colour. 4. Maximum eclipse: The mid-point of totality 5. Total eclipse ends: The Earth's shadow starts moving away from the Moon. 6. Partial eclipse ends: Earth's shadow completely leaves the surface of the Moon. 7. Penumbral eclipse ends: The outer part of the Earth's shadow completely moves away from the Moon Blood Moon 2018: Why was this Lunar Eclipse so special? Blood Moon 2018 or Total Lunar Eclipse 2018 cast a larger shadow over the earth than the previously recorded moons. An interesting fact is that today the Earth was at its farthest distance from the Sun, and the Moon was also at its greatest distance from the Earth. This year's blood moon also saw the Moon cast in a crimson red hue for the duration of the eclipse. When is the next lunar eclipse in India? After witnessing this celestial treat of Blood Moon, India will witness the next lunar eclipse on December 31, 2028. Source : IE, wiki, timeanddate.com