Skygazers and enthusiasts are all in for a treat in the early hours of Tuesday when the first lunar eclipse in almost three years is to take place which will turn the moon pink, coppery and even a red. The lunar eclipse coincides with the northern hemisphere’s mid winter solstice.
Moon will have most of its refracted light in the red part of the spectrum as a result of which turns to a reddish coppery or orange hue. NASA veteran expert Fred Espenak said, “The entire event is visible from North America, Greenland and Iceland. Western Europe will see the beginning stages of the eclipse before moonset, while western Asia will get the later stages after moonrise.”
The eclipse is to run for three and a half hour from 6:33 GMT to 10:01 GMT (1:33 a.m. EST to 5:01 a.m. EST). The stage of total eclipse lasts from 7:41 GMT to 8:53 GMT (2:41 a.m. EST to 3:53 a.m. EST).
Earth’s atmosphere also effects how clearly we see the eclipse. If the air is clear, eclipse is bright. The last total lunar eclipse took place on Feb. 21, 2008. Next year will see two more on June 15 and Dec. 10.
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