The longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century is just a week away
The upcoming lunar eclipse is undoubtedly one of the most interesting astronomical events of the year. It will happen when the Silver Globe is in the so-called. apogee, which is the point in the orbit farthest from Earth. The distance between our planet and its natural satellite will be just over 406,000. kilometerów.
Residents of the Middle East and Russia and central Asia will have the best observational conditions, but from Poland the eclipse will also be visible, although it will be hampered by the Moon’s position just above the horizon. During the maximum phase in póhe northern reaches of our country the Silver Globe will be 8.4 degrees above the horizon, and in the south the Moon’s height above the horizon will be nearly 14 degrees.
The eclipse will last from 9:30 p.m. to 11:13 p.m., culminating at 10:21 p.m. The partial eclipse preceding the total phase will begin at 8:24 pm. Residents of the póThe north of Poland’s rising Moon will already appear as it enters the Earth’s shadow. In the south, the Moon will still rise in full brilliance. Eastód of our natural satellite in Szczecin will fall at 20:57 – in Rzeszów 20:12. Therefore, the best observation conditions will be in southeastern Poland.
It will take almost four hours from the moment the overcast edge of the Moon’s disk to the return of its total brightness. Interestingly, on the same day will fall the Great Opposition of Mars – The moment in whichórym Mars will be very close to Earth.
Earth is illuminated by the sun and casts a shadow, as any body illuminated by the sun’s rays. From time to time, the Silver Globe enters the shadow of our planet. This occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon.
When the Silver Globe enters the so-called. The cone of the total shadow, that is, at the location from which theórego the Sun is completely invisible, there is a total eclipse of the Moon. When even a small part of the satellite is outside the total shadow cone, we have a partial eclipse.
If the Moon enters the aforementioned cone pólth of the Earth, i.e. in a place from which theórego only part of the Sun is visible and it is not in the total shadow cone, we are dealing with a póThe shadow eclipse of the Moon. This is well illustrated by the graphic below.
A – Sun, B – Earth, C – Moon, D – p coneóshadows, E – total shadow cone. Photo. MesserWoland/C.C.3.0/Wikimedia
The most convenient place to observe the eclipse will be an area away from the city, where light pollution will not hinder admiring the spectacle. The observation position is worth positioning to the southeastód. It is also important to ensure that nothing obscures the horizon.
We don’t yet know if atmospheric conditions will allow the observation. Nevertheless, we wish you successful observations!
