A total eclipse of the Moon will be visible with the naked eye throughout South Africa on Friday night.
According to the Astronomshadow ical Society of Southern Africa (Assa)‚ it will be the longest lunar eclipse this century.
It will last from 8.24pm to just after midnight.
The Moon will start changing shape when it enters the of Earth at 8.24pm before it is fully eclipsed from 9.30pm to 11.13pm.
The Moon will be faintly lit by light that is refracted from the Earth’s atmosphere, which gives it a pale reddish colour.
“Near the eclipsed ‘blood Moon’ on Friday will be the ‘red planet’ Mars,” Assa said.
“The red planet will shine at its brightest since 2003 – our planet is overtaking Mars next week‚" the society said.
The eclipse will also be visible to most parts of Africa‚ Europe‚ the Middle East and eastern Asia.
If you miss the lunar show on Friday night‚ you will have to wait until May 16 2022 to see the next eclipse.
-TimesLIVE
SA to get rare glimpse of total eclipse
Image: ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF SA
A total eclipse of the Moon will be visible with the naked eye throughout South Africa on Friday night.
According to the Astronomshadow ical Society of Southern Africa (Assa)‚ it will be the longest lunar eclipse this century.
It will last from 8.24pm to just after midnight.
The Moon will start changing shape when it enters the of Earth at 8.24pm before it is fully eclipsed from 9.30pm to 11.13pm.
The Moon will be faintly lit by light that is refracted from the Earth’s atmosphere, which gives it a pale reddish colour.
“Near the eclipsed ‘blood Moon’ on Friday will be the ‘red planet’ Mars,” Assa said.
“The red planet will shine at its brightest since 2003 – our planet is overtaking Mars next week‚" the society said.
The eclipse will also be visible to most parts of Africa‚ Europe‚ the Middle East and eastern Asia.
If you miss the lunar show on Friday night‚ you will have to wait until May 16 2022 to see the next eclipse.
-TimesLIVE
It's not often that we get a chance to see our planet's shadow, but a lunar eclipse gives us a fleeting glimpse. During these rare events, the full Moon rapidly darkens and then glows red as it enters the Earth's shadow. Though a lunar eclipse can be seen only at night, it's worth staying up to catch the show. The next lunar eclipse visible from the western hemisphere will take place in the early morning hours of April 15, 2014, from about 2:00 am - 5:30 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11516 Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Latest Videos
Most Read
News
News
News
News
News