Experience the
‘Super Blood Moon total Eclipse”
This Sunday, September 27th 2015, a rare combination of celestial
events is taking place. Lunar eclipses are always captivating and
this one even more so because the moon will not only be fully
eclipsed, but also appear larger and brighter in the night sky than
normal; hence ‘supermoon’. This phenomenon has to do with the
moons elliptical orbit around our planet. When at ‘perigee’ (the
point when it’s closest to Earth) the moon naturally appears larger
and more luminous.
What makes this event extra special is that this is the first
supermoon eclipse in more than 3 decades (last one was in 1982),
and will not occur again until 2033!
Wondering how an eclipse happens? Put on your spatial thinking cap and imagine objects of various
sizes strung out in space at various distances and planes. Many things must come together for an
alignment and eclipse to occur. As you can
see from the diagram, the moon is in
alignment with the Earth and Sun. A long
shadow is cast by the Earth which extends
deep into space well beyond the Moon. In its
orbit on Sunday night, the moon will go
through the Earth’s shadow; creating an
event we call an eclipse. There are partial eclipses as well as total; this one happens to be a total
Lunar Eclipse.
What you will also notice is that while bathed in shadow, the moon will darken in color and transform
from a bright warm white to a soft reddish-orange; hence the term ‘blood’ moon or in this case ‘super
blood moon eclipse’. The change is color is due to Rayleigh scattering, the same mechanism that
causes colorful sunrises and sunsets.
The eclipse will last for 3 hrs and 20 mins from beginning to end, with the Moon in ‘totality’ for just
over an hour. Lethbridge will miss the beginning stages of the eclipse because the event starts
before the moon rises here. Unlike a solar eclipse, which is dangerous to look at with the naked eye,
it's perfectly safe to watch a lunar eclipse.
So mark your calendar, bundle up with friends and family and head outdoors just after 7 pm to
experience the magic of a total lunar eclipse.
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http://www.lethbridgeastronomysociety.ca/
http://earthsky.org/?p=51212
http://www.timeanddate.com/moon/canada/lethbridge
Lethbridge Herald:
http://lethbridgeherald.com/commentary/opinions/2015/09/25/experience-a-rare-super-moon-eclipse/