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Lunar Eclipse to Go Technicolour
The moon is likely to glow coppery red early Wednesday morning when a total lunar eclipse occurs.
The phenomenon will be visible from the northeastern part of North America, the eastern part of South America, the Arctic Ocean, Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It is expected to last three hours and 17 minutes.
This information was made available by the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is based in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the entire moon passes through the Earth's shadow.
The lunar eclipse is expected to start at 2:42 am (GMT18:42). Full eclipse is expected to occur at 4:21 am, when the moon will be virtually covered by Earth's shadow.
At 4:52 am, it will begin to emerge from the eclipse, and by 5:59 am, it will be completely out of Earth's shadow.
A lunar eclipse happens twice a year but not every eclipse is total, according to Li Jing, a professor of astronomical history at the Beijing Astronomical Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Another lunar eclipse, a partial one, is expected to be visible July 5-6.
"It is a normal astronomical phenomenon," Li said. "But tomorrow's eclipse is especially worth seeing because the moon will be a spectacular colour, coppery red or orange."
Also, the solar eclipses expected in June and December will not be visible from China.
The eclipse of the moon can be seen with naked eye when it is clear, Li said.
However, astronomy buffs in Beijing will have no luck if it remains cloudy or snowy.
City lights will not detract from the phenomenon too much because the moon is so bright, he added.
Source: China Daily
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