ASTRONOMY ENTHUSIASTS PREPARE FOR TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE On Wednesday, October 8, Filipinos will not be able to witness an ordinary moonrise! As the moon rises by 5:34pm (Philippine Standard Time), the Earth’s umbral shadow will have been passing on the moon’s surface to cover its entirety by around 6:55pm. Termed as total lunar eclipse, this astronomical phenomenon can be witnessed in Eastern Asia including the Philippines on the said date. Philippine Astronomical Society former President Edmund Rosales mentioned that, “This is the only total lunar eclipse scheduled to be seen in our country this year.” Moreover, “We are expecting to see a bloody red moon as an indicator that the eclipse is going on”, Rosales added. Furthermore, the moon will exit the totality by 7:23pm and expected to exit the earth’s umbra by around 8:34pm. Total lunar eclipses happen when the Earth’s umbra passes directly on the moon’s surface during a new moon phase, when moon passes with one of the two lunar nodes—an area where the moon’s orbit coincides with the ecliptic plane. The “bloody moon” phenomenon during lunar eclipses is a result of refraction of sunlight brought about by the earth’s atmosphere. Join the Philippine Astronomical Society members as they observe the event at the UP PAG-ASA Observatory roof deck from 6-9pm, October 8.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 08:05:01 +0000
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