We’re approaching the second of four total lunar eclipses that come at half-year intervals in 2014 and 2015: a lunar-eclipse tetrad. All four can be seen from at least parts oAssuming you’re anywhere on the lucky side of Earth, a total lunar eclipse happens near midnight, when the Moon is high in the sky and easily seen. Like the rising/setting Moon, it’s orange-red color is caused by scattering. But during an eclipse, refraction also happens. Refraction bends sunlight through Earth’s atmosphere into its shadow. The eclipsed Moon’s color is caused by the combined light of all the sunsets and sunrises occurring around Earth’s perimeter (as seen from the Moon). . Unluckily we African n part of Europe going miss it.What you’ll see on October 8 is difficult to predict. Every lunar eclipse is unique, depending on just where through Earth’s shadow the Moon passes. In the image above, the umbra (darkest part of the shadow) is near the top of the Moon. During the October 8 eclipse, the umbra will be at the bottom (as seen from a northern hemisphere perspective).Various colors can appear, depending on the cloud cover around Earth’s perimeter. The Moon could be anything from bright orange to brick red. Rarely, when the clouds are thick and opaque, the Moon goes completely dark. Whatever surprises this eclipse brings, East Asia (and Australia) and western parts of North America will have the best view.Two factors affect an eclipse’s color and brightness. The first is simply how deeply the Moon goes into the umbra; the umbra’s center is much darker than its edges.The other factor is the state of Earth’s atmosphere along the sunrise-sunset line. If the air is very clear, the eclipse is bright. But if a major volcanic eruption has recently polluted the stratosphere with thin global haze, the eclipse will be dark red,
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 08:52:31 +0000
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