From America to India, passing through Europe and Africa, the curious crowds are délectées in the night from Sunday to Monday of the strange red hue of the “Super Blood Moon “.
For a little over an hour from 2:11 GMT, they were able to enjoy the exceptional spectacle of a particularly large and bright lunar orb, if red dye. A “mature fishing” for some, a “ruby” to others.
This “super Blood Moon” is the result of a rare combination of two astronomical phenomena.
In the early hours of Monday, the moon was at its perigee, the closest point to Earth. She then appeared 30% brighter and 14% larger.
In addition, the Earth was Monday perfectly aligned with the Moon and the Sun, thereby depriving the Moon, which does not produce its own light, light it receives from the sun and normally gives it its white color.
However, some rays of light deflected by the atmosphere of the Earth continued to enlighten and came to throw this strange red light on the lunar orb.
Photos taken in France, Argentina and the US in particular have captured the progression of the show to its final red.
In Washington clouds ruined part of the show
A Brooklyn, in the center of New York, a crowd of people had gathered in the squares and sidewalks, looking up at the sky, trying to take pictures with their smartphones.
While New -Yorkais benefited from a clear sky, in other US cities like Washington, clouds ruined a good part of the show.
The phenomenon was visible from any of the major Indian cities but in the northeast of the country, equipped amateur telescopes have also been able to enjoy the show.
The color of the lunar orb could even make fear the Apocalypse among some followers of the Mormon Church.
A fear likely due to the writings of Mormon author who regularly warn against the arrival of global calamities. The Mormon Church issued a statement to reassure the faithful.
For those under 33, it was the first opportunity to see the “Super Blood Moon.”
The latest combination of a lunar eclipse and a Super Moon dates back to 1982, according to NASA, and the next will not occur before 2033.
The exceptional event is also of scientific interest.
Normally, on a 24-day cycle, the temperature of the Moon is between 121 degrees Celsius and minus 115 degrees Celsius, depending on its exposure to sunlight.
These variations allow researchers to study the composition of the lunar crust, as the rocks heat up and cool slower than the dusty areas.
But on the night of Sunday to Monday, the temperature of the moon evolved much more quickly, allowing scientists to make observations much more detailed of the lunar surface.
No comments:
Post a Comment