A total lunar eclipse will occur tomorrow, Friday
Follow-up - INA
The Earth will witness a total lunar eclipse tomorrow, Friday. This is the first of two eclipses expected to occur this year. The Earth's curved shadow will be clearly visible on the surface of the moon during this rare astronomical phenomenon.
Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, confirmed that the total eclipse will be visible to the naked eye in several regions around the world, including parts of Antarctica, the western half of Africa, Western Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, eastern Australia, northern Japan, and eastern Russia. However, residents of the Middle East will not be able to see it.
Abu Zahra explained that the eclipse will occur in all its phases between 6:57 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Mecca time, and the moon will be three days away from reaching apogee, which will cause it to appear 5.2% smaller than average. During the partial eclipse phase, the Earth's arched shadow will appear on the lunar surface, a phenomenon historically used to demonstrate the sphericity of the Earth.
He pointed out that the most exciting part of this phenomenon is the total eclipse, which will occur between 9:25 and 10:31 a.m. Mecca time. During this phase, the moon will appear coppery or reddish in color due to the reflection of sunlight through the Earth's atmosphere, a phenomenon that depends on the amount of dust and clouds in the atmosphere.
He added that this eclipse is considered eccentric, as the moon will not pass through the center of the Earth's shadow, meaning the southern end of the moon will be closer to the center of the shadow than the northern end. As a result, the northern end of the moon will appear less dark than the southern end. The total eclipse phase lasts 65 minutes.
Abu Zahra pointed out that the term "blood moon" is not a scientific term; it first appeared in 2013 and is used to refer to a total lunar eclipse.
He pointed out that the lunar surface cools rapidly during a total eclipse, losing approximately 140 degrees Celsius in a few minutes. This rapid cooling will be monitored to extract data that will help understand the composition and geological characteristics of the lunar surface.
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