Stargazers across the world will be able to see a unique celestial event as the moon turns red under the effect of the Total Lunar Eclipse (TLE). The lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align in a straight line so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow.
During the total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the moon is within Umbra, it gets a reddish hue, giving it its unique blood-red appearance. According to Nasa, the change in colour of the Moon is due to the same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red.
“Light travels in waves, and different colours of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength,” Nasa said.
During a lunar eclipse, the Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere. The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during an eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear.
NEXT TOTAL UNAR ECLIPSE ONLY IN 2025
The November 7 lunar eclipse will be unique since a Total Lunar Eclipse will not occur till 2025. The next total lunar eclipse will occur on March 14, 2025. However, there will continue to be partial lunar eclipses throughout the years.
A partial lunar eclipse will next happen in October 2023.
According to time and date, for a lunar eclipse to occur, the Sun, Earth, and Moon must be roughly aligned in a line. Otherwise, the Earth cannot cast a shadow on the Moon’s surface and an eclipse cannot take place. When the Sun, Earth, and Moon come together in a straight line, a total lunar eclipse takes place.
The eclipse will cast a shadow on the Earth which is classified into three phases: Umbra, which is the darker, central part, the outer part known as Penumbra, and Antumbra, which is the partly shaded area beyond the umbra. The two prerequisites for a total lunar eclipse include a full moon and, at the same time, the moon should be a lunar node, so the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth are aligned perfectly together.
