Rare ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse to loom over North America, Australia and New Zealand | Science

North America, Australia and New Zealand will experience a rare total lunar eclipse known as a “blood moon” on Tuesday.

Swinburne University astrophysicist Dr. As the full moon dips into the planet’s shadow, its color will change to a “dark, coppery red,” says Rebecca Allen.

This will be the last time people will see this celestial event for about three years.

What is a blood moon?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Moon and the Sun. The sun’s light is blocked and a shadow falls on the moon.

However, in some eclipses, sunlight reaches the moon indirectly, painting a sunset palette on the moon.

“Any light that passes through shines through our atmosphere and turns the lunar surface a dark, coppery red,” says Allen.

Australian National University astrophysicist Dr. Brad Tucker described it as a bit of sunlight “stripping” through the Earth’s atmosphere.

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“Just like a sunset or sunrise can be pink or red, this light is refracted and thus illuminates the moon in an orange-red color,” he says.

For the best experience, Allen recommends finding a dark spot away from city lights and waiting 10 to 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust.

Jupiter will also be visible high in the sky, creating what Allen calls “a great match.”

What time is the blood moon in Australia?

Allen says the best times to watch the eclipse in Australia on Tuesday night are:

• Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart – starts at 22.04, ends at 23.02

• Brisbane – Starts at 21.04, ends at 22.02

• Adelaide – Starts at 21.34, ends at 22.32

• Darwin – starts at 20.34, ends at 21.32

• Perth – Starts at 19.04, ends at 20.02

What time is the blood moon in New Zealand?

Prof Richard Easther says the eclipse in New Zealand will reach its “deepest point” shortly after midnight on Tuesday, when the moon is high in the sky.

“It will be visible all over the country,” says the University of Auckland physics professor. “Anyone who can see the moon will also see the eclipse.

“As an astronomer, I’m excited about anything that encourages people to ‘look up’ and experience the night sky for themselves.”

What time is the blood moon in North America?

The total lunar eclipse will be visible in some parts of the American continent early on Tuesday morning, March 3.

“Observers near the edge of the visibility zone can only see part of the eclipse because the moon is setting for them.” based on To NASA.

Time and Date best times says To view the eclipse in North America:

• New York, Washington DC – starts at 3:44am, ends around 6:30am

• Detroit – starts at 3:44 a.m., ends at 7:06 a.m.

• New Orleans, Chicago – starts at 2:44 a.m., ends at 6:24 a.m.

• San Francisco, Los Angeles – Starts at 12.44pm, ends at 6.23pm

Other major international cities where the Blood Moon may be visible include:

• Tokyo – Starts at 17.44, ends at 23.23

• Beijing – Starts at 18.00, ends at 22.23

• Manila – Starts at 17.57, ends at 22.23

• Jakarta – Starts at 18.06, ends at 21.23

When is the next total lunar eclipse?

Total lunar eclipses occur every 18 months to three years, Allen says.

The next total eclipse will be on New Year’s Eve 2028. It will be visible to most of the world: Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa, but will not be visible to the Americas. The next total lunar eclipse visible in North America will occur in June 2029.

A partial eclipse will occur on August 28, 2026. America and Africa will have the best views, but will be almost completely invisible from Australia and New Zealand.

What does a blood moon mean?

In the modern era, of course, the blood moon is just a dramatic astronomical event.

“[They are] A breathtaking reminder that we live on a moving planet, in a dynamic solar system. “It’s just a wonderful little world drifting through space,” says Allen.

But in ancient times they were given terrible omens.

Daniel Brown, lecturer in astronomy at Nottingham Trent University Wrote for speech He said the ancient Inca people interpreted the deep red color as a jaguar attacking and eating the moon, and in ancient Mesopotamia, a lunar eclipse was considered a direct attack on the king.

Native American Luiseño tribes in California chanted and sang healing songs towards the darkened moon, believing it to be injured or sick.

More recently, the 2013 book Four Blood Moons by Christian minister John Hagee promoted an apocalyptic superstition called the “blood moon prophecy.”

The March full moon is also known as the “worm moon.” According to the old Farmer’s AlmanacBecause in the northern hemisphere, in March, the soil begins to warm up and the first signs of life begin to return.