The longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years was seen in Brazil: find out where and when to observe – 11/17/2021 – The science

The longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years will occur on Friday (19) and can be seen from Brazil.

At the height of this phenomenon, the moon would have over 97% of its surface covered by the Earth’s shadow and would have a reddish appearance.

Partial eclipses are more frequent than total eclipses, albeit less spectacular.

This phenomenon can be seen across North America, as well as large parts of South America, Polynesia, eastern Australia, and northeastern Asia.

The partial eclipse begins around 4:19 AM EST and should last just over 3 hours. However, it can be observed an hour earlier, when the Moon enters the Earth’s semi-shadow (outer part of the shadow). At this point, the satellite gets darker, albeit subtly.

The peak should occur at 6:00 am, but since the moon will already be below the horizon in Brazil, it will not be possible to see it anymore.

For Brazilians, the best time to observe the phenomenon would be first, around 4:00 AM, when the partial eclipse actually begins. Visibility will depend on weather conditions.

The eclipse will be more visible in the northern region than in the south of the country.

The original is red

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned so that the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. In a full lunar eclipse, the entire moon is covered by the Earth’s shadow, which is called the umbra.

During this phenomenon, the moon acquires a reddish color.

This phenomenon, called Rayleigh Scattering, is the same one that explains “the cause of blue skies and red sunsets,” according to NASA.

“Light travels in different waves and colors of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is spread more easily by particles in the Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength, and red light, on the other hand, travels in different waves and colors of light that have different physical properties. NASA says on its website:

“When the sun rises, we see blue light across the sky. But when the sun goes down, more sunlight has to pass through the atmosphere and travel farther before it reaches our eyes. Blue sunlight spreads out. The longer it lasts. Red, orange and yellow light passes the length waveform.”

“During a lunar eclipse, the moon turns red because the only sunlight that strikes the moon passes through the Earth’s atmosphere. The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during an eclipse, the redder the moon will appear. It’s like all sunrises and sunsets,” the agency adds. : “The world has been dropped on the moon.”

During an eclipse, the moon moves through the western part of the constellation Taurus.

In this way, the closest observer can see the Pleiades star cluster in the upper right corner, and the Hyades cluster – including the bright star Aldebaran, the eye of the bull – in the lower left corner.