A total lunar eclipse will occur tonight, visible from all over Cyprus. The entry into Earth’s shadow begins at 19:26, while the total eclipse starts at 20:30.
The eclipse details are as follows:
Entry into the penumbra at 18:26
Entry into Earth’s shadow begins at 19:26
Total eclipse begins at 20:30
Maximum eclipse at 21:11
Exit from the shadow at 22:56
Exit from the penumbra at 23:56
The Moon will rise at 19:10
It should be noted that the phenomenon begins at 18:26 when the Moon enters Earth’s penumbra, but in practice, the phenomenon will become visible and noticeable from Cyprus after 19:26, when the Moon begins to enter Earth’s shadow and the sun has set.
An eclipse of a celestial body occurs when a third body is interposed between two other bodies, resulting in the two bodies not having direct line of sight. In this case, the “triplet” of this system consists of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon, and the alternations between the three cause Solar and Lunar eclipses in combination with the most stunning “coincidence” of our solar system. This coincidence is that the apparent diameter of the Moon and the Sun, as seen by an Earth observer, is almost the same.
During a lunar eclipse, the Earth is interposed between the Moon and the Sun, thus obscuring the Sun from the Moon. During the eclipse, the Moon does not become invisible, as happens with the Sun during solar eclipses, because the Earth strongly refracts and scatters sunlight. Thus, the Moon is visible indirectly rather than directly from the Sun.
This results in the Moon beginning to turn red as it enters Earth’s shadow instead of becoming invisible, for the reason mentioned above. There will also be a full moon, as it is always a prerequisite for an eclipse to occur.
*The Faka Tutorial’s Observatory, in collaboration with the Cyprus Astronomical Society, invites you to observe the phenomenon through a telescope at the Faka Tutorial’s Observatory at 78 Larnakos Avenue, 1046, Nicosia, with arrival time at 20:00. The event will last until 23:00. Guests will also have the opportunity to see planets through the telescopes.
