Tonight, June 15th, there’s going to be a total lunar eclipse that’s visible from every continent except North America (sorry guys!). The Moon will spend 100 minutes fully engulfed in Earth’s shadow, making this the longest lunar eclipse in nearly 11 years. The appearance of the eclipse might be affected by exhaust from Chile’s erupting Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano, which is also causing spectacular sunsets around the southern hemisphere.
Diagram created with LunarPhase Pro. All times in UT. [Click image for larger view]
The June 15 total lunar eclipse will be visible to observers in Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. It is thought that this eclipse will be one of the darkest eclipses in recent times with extra atmosphere being added by the Chilean volcano’s ash cloud in the southern hemisphere. It will be second only to the July 16, 2000 total lunar eclipse. During totality, the moon will pass in front of the center of the earth’s shadow. The best location to view the eclipse will be in the northernmost region of the “entire-eclipse zone” in central Asia, as well as Eastern Europe and northeastern Africa.
Observers in South America, Western Africa and Europe will see the eclipse at moon rise, while Eastern Asia and Australia will see it at moonset. Western Europe will see the moon rise already totally eclipsed and covering a portion of the ninth-magnitude globular cluster NGC 6401, while those in southern Africa and Australia will see the moon slip past the cluster untouched. It is important to note that in order to see the cluster, you will need at least a 100-mm telescope.
Send any photos you take to me and I’ll add them to this page or leave a comment about your experience of the eclipse.
Filed under: The Moon
last one till 2141.