Total lunar eclipse: looking forward to Mo(o)nday!
In 2018 “Mondfinsternis,” or lunar eclipse, was the top term among Google searches in German-speaking countries. According to Google trends, the Earth satellite was also at the top of the list. The question most people asked was: “Where is the moon?”
The reason for this enormous interest was probably the “Super Blood Moon”, which thousands could marvel at on a warm July 2018 evening in the southeastern sky.
Half a year later, on January 21, to be exact, we can look forward to such a natural spectacle again. You’ll have the best views in Europe, North and South America and West Africa. Central and East Africa as well as Asia will experience only a partial lunar eclipse. The total lunar eclipse is mostly for early birds in Europe.
Read more: What you can see in space in 2019
An optical trick: The closer the moon is to the horizon, the bigger it appears
Set an alarm!
In Germany it can be seen early in the morning, around half past five. At 04:34 a.m., the moon enters the innermost part of the Earth’s shadow, the umbra. The complete eclipse lasts about one hour from 5:41 a.m. to 06:43 a.m. The maximum eclipse is at 06:12 a.m.
Shortly before sunrise, at 7:51 a.m., the moon will leave the umbra again. If the weather cooperates, the show can be seen in the west. The moon will have only risen 16 degrees above the horizon by the time of the total eclipse.
But from the last eclipse in July 2018 we still know it’s worth getting up that early: The sunlight is refracted in the Earth’s atmosphere and the short-wave blue light components are scattered in such a way that they will not reach the moon. Only the long-wave red rays can penetrate the atmosphere and indirectly illuminate the moon with red light.
Seen from Earth, the moon will not shine silver as usual, but copper red. That’s why it’s called “blood moon.” The color intensity depends mainly on how much moisture, dust or other fine particles will be in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The moon will also appear larger than usual. This optical illusion is due to the fact that the moon is closer to Earth than usual – “only” 357,340 kilometers away. Another factor: Since the moon will hang relatively low over the horizon, it will appear larger to us observers.
Read more: China lands Chang’e-4 probe on ‘dark’ side of moon
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The mythological moon
Fly me to the moon
On July 27, 2018 a rare dual celestial phenomenon occurred: a relatively long lunar eclipse or “blood moon” due to the moon’s change in color while shadowed by earth, and the nearest approach of planet Mars in 15 years. The very rare cosmic coincidence had sky gazers out in force. Since the beginning of time, however, the moon has been revered for its magic, mystery and cultural significance.
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The mythological moon
Religious symbolism and astrology
People have worshipped the moon since the beginning of time, structuring their lives around its patterns and revering its perceived forces. Sometimes time was counted in moons rather than days or months. The bronze Nebra sky disc, found in Saxony-Anhalt in 1999, represents the duality of early astronomy and spirituality. The disc is estimated to be 3700-4100 years old.
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The mythological moon
The meaning of…
In the visual arts, the moon has been used to symbolize a variety of themes: innocence, the Virgin Mary, female sexuality. However, the overwhelming association has always been one of romance. Artists frequently looked to the moon for its magic, as displayed here in Caspar David Friedrich’s “Two Men Contemplating the Moon” from 1820.
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The mythological moon
Immortal muse of the poets
The moon has played a pivotal role in literature since time immemorial. In poetry, it’s often used to express melancholy and longing — or often solace, as in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem “To the Moon.” The opening verse of the poem reads: “Bush and vale thou fill’st again / With thy misty ray / And my spirit’s heavy chain / Castest far away.”
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The mythological moon
Howl at the moon
The moon may inspire owls and wolves to sing, but humans have also made a habit of howling at it. Famous examples include Matthias Claudius’ beloved German lullaby “Gently the Moon has Risen,” Elvis Presley’s version of Rodgers and Hart’s “Blue Moon” and Pink Floyd’s seminal 1973 album “The Dark Side of the Moon.”
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The mythological moon
Horror and romance
Mark Twain once said “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” Since ancient times, legends have abounded about people who turn into wolves at the full moon. The werewolf has been a perennial cinema favorite — as in “The Wolf Man” of 1941, pictured. But the moon has played a role in every genre, including romantic comedies like the 1987 romcom “Moonstruck.”
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The mythological moon
Blockbuster of the century
With the historic moon landing in 1969, the moon could well have lost its remaining secrets — and luster. Suddenly people were there, exploring its mysteries first-hand — and even taking photographs. Science, it seemed, had finally conquered the Earth’s mysterious satellite.
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The mythological moon
Eternal mystery
But the magic of the moon wasn’t destroyed by its human conquest. Indeed, it still continues to inspire, and in 2013 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and his Danish collaborator Ólafur Elíasson launched their “Moon” project. At www.moonmoonmoonmoon.com people can immortalize their own drawings of the moon. “Leave your fingerprint and see the shared moon grow as others reach out too,” implores the website.
How often can a lunar eclipse be seen?
The moon touches the shadow of the Earth, and thus “creates” a lunar eclipse, two-and-a-half times a year on average. But there isn’t always a total lunar eclipse. That only comes about when a full moon completely falls into the umbra.
In Germany a partial lunar eclipse can be observed on July 16 during the first half of the night.
There will also be a total solar eclipse on July 2, but it can only be observed in South America. Then, a ring-shaped solar eclipse will be seen over Asia on December 26.
The next total lunar eclipse over Germany will be in May 2022. But the moon will set just when the total eclipse would occur and will therefore not be visible from Europe. The next total lunar eclipse that you can see from Germany will only be on December 31 2028.
Read about the moon’s facts and figures: Spectacular moon theatrics
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Six key moments from NASA’s 60-year history
Explorer 1 — older than NASA
The Soviet Union launched its Sputnik satellite in 1957, beating US to the punch and prompting fears of Soviet dominance in space. In January of the next year, the US army responded by sending up the Explorer 1 satellite (pictured above). And on July 29, 1958, the US Congress approved the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, or NASA. The agency opened its doors on October 1.
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Six key moments from NASA’s 60-year history
Men on the moon
NASA managed to land humans on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, just 11 years after the association’s foundation. The feat was accomplished using less computing power than that possessed by the modern-day smartphone. The photo shows Neil Armstrong and Erwin Aldrin planting the US flag on the lunar surface.
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Six key moments from NASA’s 60-year history
‘Houston, we’ve had a problem’
On April 14, 1970, an oxygen tank on the Apollo 13 spacecraft exploded, prompting astronaut James Lovell (center) to report back to NASA base in Texas: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” The crew made it back to Earth after a risky repair operation. Lovell’s phrase, slightly misquoted, was made famous by a 1995 movie, Apollo 13.
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Six key moments from NASA’s 60-year history
Death over a rubber seal
The Challenger Space Shuttle was not as fortunate as Apollo 13. It exploded, killing all seven people on board, just minutes after takeoff on January 28, 1986. Famed physicist Richard Feynman eventually determined that the crash was caused by a rubber seal ring that failed in unusually cold temperatures.
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Six key moments from NASA’s 60-year history
Burying the hatchet
The Cold War rivalries between Russian and American scientists were finally buried on December 14, 1998, when the US-built Unity module and the Russian-made Zarya module docked in space. The two modules form the basis of what we now know as the International Space Station (ISS).
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Six key moments from NASA’s 60-year history
NASA’s Curiosity is scouting ahead for us
On August 6, 2012, NASA landed the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars. The mobile laboratory is still sending scientific findings, selfies and even tweets from Mars, albeit with a little help from its Earth-based handlers. Curiosity’s data is crucial for NASA’s next mission: landing humans on Mars some time in the 2030s.
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/total-lunar-eclipse-looking-forward-to-mo-o-nday/a-47133650