Crimson glory: All you need to know about the rare blood moon

SINGAPORE—Across the world on Wednesday, sky-watchers will be casting their gaze towards the heavens for a glimpse of the rare blood moon — where the moon appears reddish as a result of a total lunar eclipse.

This phenomenal cosmic event begins Wednesday before sunrise in North America, and is a cause for excitement among astronomy enthusiasts all over the world.  



Here are some interesting facts about this once-in-a-red-moon occurrence:

What is a blood moon?

When the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned, a total lunar eclipse occurs and sees the Moon passing close to the centre of the Earth’s inner shadow – the umbra. The filtering and refracting effect of Earth’s atmosphere creates a blush on the face of the Moon, giving it a reddish hue.

Why is it significant?
Not only is this eclipse one of the most striking astronomical events visible from Earth, the blood moon can also be seen by the naked eye and does not require telescopes.

What’s the difference between lunar and solar eclipses?

For a solar eclipse to occur, the Moon must come between the Earth and Sun; for a lunar eclipse to happen, the Earth must come between the Sun and Moon.

In all instances, all three bodies must be nearly in a straight line.

In total solar eclipses, the Sun is darkened save for some wisps of light around its corona – as though a hairy sackcloth was held up in front of it. It is also termed a “sackcloth sun”.

In total lunar eclipses, the Moon is not completely darkened. Depending on the weather, the Earth’s atmosphere filters out blue rays, and what results is the Moon looking faintly dull orange or red. Hence the term, “blood moon”.

What are some noteworthy lunar eclipse dates?

The longest blood moon took place on July 23, 1888, and lasted one hour and 46 minutes.

The year 2011 marked the longest total lunar eclipse in a decade, lasting one hour and 35 minutes.

The shortest one is projected to occur on Nov 9, 2068, and is estimated to last just 18 minutes.

How often does a blood moon tetrad happen?

Blood moons are rare occurrences, and tonight’s one is even more so because it is one in a set of four eclipses – what astronomers call a tetrad.

Tetrads are so uncommon, that there was reportedly no tetrad for 300 years, between 1600 and 1900.

Tonight’s blood moon is said to be the second in a series that will happen over two years, with the first having taken place earlier this year in April. The third is slated for April 4, 2015, and the fourth on Sept 28, 2015.

The next tetrad is predicted for 2032-2033.

Interestingly, the ongoing 2014-2015 tetrad falls in the Hebrew year 5775 – which runs from September 2014 through September 2015 – and will supposedly fall exactly on four major Hebrew festivals.

Where and what time can it be seen?

Tonight’s celestial show can be watched by sky-gazers in the Americas and Asia.

The full eclipse will begin at 3.25am Pacific Daylight Time (6.25pm Singapore time) and will continue for about an hour.

Recent blood moon occurrences in Singapore

In 2007, Singapore caught only the tail end of a blood moon, although people from places such as the United States, South America and Australia witnessed it in its full glory.

In 2011, some 700 people gathered at the Singapore Science Centre to watch the eclipse, but overcast skies resulted in a failed sighting.

In April 2014, the first eclipse in the current 2014-2015 tetrad took place, but it was not visible in Singapore. Although the moon during this eclipse had an unusual tinge, this was said to be attributed to atmospheric effects, dust or particles.

Where to view the blood moon in Singapore?

The Astronomical Society of Singapore (Tasos) has organised an observation gathering tonight for the rare total lunar eclipse at Labrador Park, near the Tanjong Berlayer Beacon facing Sentosa.

The start of tonight’s total lunar eclipse phase is estimated to be at 6.25pm, and since Singapore’s moonrise is estimated to be at 6.52pm tonight, the moon is expected to be in total eclipse phase from the time of its rising.

How else can we view it?

Watch a  live stream of tonight’s blood moon by Slooh, a company that connects telescopes with the Internet to provide access to the broader public.

Alternatively, US space agency  Nasa is also providing a live feed  to the event tonight.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Satellite likely to hit Earth in unpopulated area

BERLIN – The European Space Agency said that one of its research satellites that ran out of fuel will most likely crash to Earth into the ocean or polar regions.

The agency said Sunday the crash is expected to occur between 1830 GMT Sunday and 0030 GMT on Monday (1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. EST).

It said “with a very high probability, a re-entry over Europe can be excluded.”

Spokeswoman Jocelyne Landeau said the satellite, GOCE, will mostly disintegrate as it comes down and “we will have only a few pieces which could be 90 kilograms at the most.”

ESA said Friday that humans are 250,000 times more likely to win the lottery than to get hit by the debris.

GOCE was launched in 2009 to map the Earth’s gravitational field.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

India counts down to launch of mission to Mars

NEW DELHI— India is counting down to the launch of its first journey to Mars, a complex mission that it hopes will demonstrate and advance technologies for space travel.

Mangalyaan, which means “Mars craft” in Hindi, will ride a powerful rocket first into an elliptical orbit around Earth. There, it will perform a series of technical maneuvers and short burns to raise its orbit before it slingshots toward Mars.

The 1,350-kilogram (3,000-pound) orbiter must travel some 780 million kilometers (485 million miles) over 300 days to reach the red planet next September.

If successful, India would be only the fourth country or group of countries to visit Mars, after the Soviet Union, United States and Europe.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Earth braces for biggest space storm in five years

WASHINGTON - The biggest space weather storm in five years is hurtling toward Earth, threatening to disrupt power grids, GPS systems, satellites and airline flights, experts say.

The brunt of the storm is expected to strike early Thursday and last through Friday, possibly garbling some of Earthlings' most prized gadgets but also giving viewers in parts of Central Asia a prime look at the aurora borealis, or northern lights, when darkness falls on Thursday.

"Space weather has gotten very interesting over the past 24 hours," said Joseph Kunches, a space weather scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, NASA warned of a "severe" storm event that would impact both the Earth and Mars as well as some key space agency satellites.

The fuss began late Sunday at an active region on the Sun known as 1429, with a big solar flare that was associated with a burst of solar wind and plasma known as a coronal mass ejection that thrust toward the Earth at some four million miles per hour (6.4 million kilometers per hour).

A pair of solar flares and a CME followed overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, setting off a strong geomagnetic and solar radiation storm registering at level three on a five-step scale.

NASA said the first of the two flares on March 6-7 -- classified in the potent X class and facing directly at the Earth -- was the biggest this year and one of the largest of this cycle known as the solar minimum, which began in early 2007.

In fact, it was second only to a stronger one that erupted in August, and the leading edge of the CME it sparked is expected to reach Earth at 0525 GMT on March 8, plus or minus seven hours.

"Such a CME could result in a severe geomagnetic storm, causing aurora at low latitudes, with possible disruption to high frequency radio communication, global positioning systems (GPS) and power grids," NASA said.

The solar flares alone caused brief high frequency radio blackouts that have now passed, according to NOAA.

The storm is likely "the strongest one since December 2006," Kunches said, noting, however, that the Earth experienced a stronger radio blackout last August.

"But en masse, if you put it all together with the geomagnetic effects and the solar radiation effects, I would put it on par with one at the end of the last solar cycle, which was over five years ago."

Satellites, power grids and even astronauts aboard the International Space Station could be affected by the radiation storm, which may cause them to seek shelter in better protected parts of the orbiting lab as they have in the past.

"Flight surgeons in Houston's mission control center have been monitoring the solar activity and will continue to do so," NASA spokesman Mike Curie said.

"They have determined that there presently is no concern for the six crew members aboard the International Space Station."

However, Kunches said some commercial airlines have already taken actions to reroute and fly further away from the poles.

And more such storms could follow in the coming days because region 1429 is expected to stay active, he said.

Geomagnetic and radiation storms are growing more frequent as the Sun leaves its solar minimum period and moves into a solar maximum over the coming years, but people are generally protected by Earth's magnetic field.

"The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the Sun's normal 11-year solar cycle, during which activity on the Sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013," the US space agency said.

However, some experts are concerned that because the world is more reliant on GPS and satellite technology now than it was during the last solar maximum, more disruptions to modern life are likely.

Space storms are not new. The first major solar flare was recorded by British astronomer Richard Carrington in 1859.

Other solar geomagnetic storms have been observed in recent decades. One huge solar flare in 1972 cut off long-distance telephone communication in the midwestern state of Illinois, NASA said.

Another similar flare in 1989 "provoked geomagnetic storms that disrupted electric power transmission" and caused blackouts across the Canadian province of Quebec, according to the US space agency said. — AFP

source: gmanetwork.com