Three years ago, the sky of Puerto Rico was dyed from a reddish tone with the call “Blood Moon”. This week, the astronomical show will be repeated with a lunar eclipse Total that will offer Puerto Ricans a unique opportunity to witness one of the most fascinating events in the cosmos.
Although in September of this year another total lunar ellipse will occur, it will not be noticeable from Puerto Rico. Therefore, here we present everything you should know about this heavenly event that It will not be repeated in our area until June 2029.
What is a total lunar eclipse?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) details that a lunar eclipse occurs When the SunEarth and Moon They align in such a way that the planet obstructs the sunlight that illuminates the satellite.
1/9 | This was how the lunar eclipse in Puerto Rico was seen. A total lunar eclipse could be seen from all Puerto Rico between Sunday night and Monday morning. It was the first “blood moon” in a year. – Jorge Colón
In this type of eclipse, according to NASA, the whole moon passes within the darkest part of the shadow of the earth, called umbra.
When will it happen what time?
The Caribbean Astronomy Society (SAC) indicated that the lunar eclipse will be visible from all over the island in the early hours of Friday, March 14. The total phase will occur between 2:26 am at 3:31 am (Puerto Rico time), that is, Thursday for Friday.
“This eclipse coincides with a slight meteor rain called ‘Gamma standards’and maybe you could see some while you appreciate the eclipse, ”said the educational entity.
1 /31 | Spectacular images of the lunar eclipse from different parts of the world. A lunar eclipse was visible in total phase from the entire island, as well as from all over Latin America, east of North America and Europe. The most intense phase of the eclipse began at 11:29 pm on Sunday, being the maximum at 12:11 am, and culminating at 12:53 am in the early hours of Monday. Image from California. – Ringo Hw Chiu
Although the partial phase of the eclipse begins at 1:09 am and culminates at 4:47 am, the SAC indicated that the interesting part of the eclipse will be the whole with orange-redizo color that will last 65 minutes, between 2:26 am to 3:31 am.
Why does the moon become red during a lunar eclipse?
According to NASA, The same phenomenon that causes the sky to look blue and the sunsets look red is the one that causes the moon to be observed in a reddish orange color during a lunar eclipse.
The federal agency explains that sunlight looks white, but actually contains a rainbow of components. When the sun is high on a clear day, the blue light is dispersed throughout the sky.
When it dawns and sunset and the sun is close to the horizon, sunlight then travels a longer path at a low angle through the atmosphere of the earth. According to NASA, the most blue part of sunlight is dispersed in the distance and “Only the part of the spectrum that goes from yellow to red comes to our eyes. ”
NASA explained that, during a lunar eclipse, the satellite looks red or orange because the sunlight that is not blocked by the planet is filtered by a thick portion of the atmosphere of the earth.