The countdown has finally begun for one of the
biggest incidents of the century - the longest lunar eclipse.Lunar eclipse 2018 will
occur on the late hours of July 27 early hours of July 28. The total lunar
eclipse is a unique celestial phenomenon in which people will have a chance to
take a glimpse of the so-called "blood moon", which is a phenomenon
in which the mood looks red in colour. The
chandra grahan will last for 1 hour and 43 minutes, wherein the moon will be in
perfect alignment with the sun and Earth. The partial
phases of this eclipse will last for a period of 6 hours. The event is much
more than a one-night cosmic wonder. Before you get all excited about watching
the blood moon, read these interesting science facts about lunar eclipse
1. The moon orbits the earth around 12
times in a year. The occurrence of eclipse does not happen
every time the moon orbits the earth. This is because orbital planes of the
earth and moon differ only slightly. The two intersect at angle of around
5-degrees.
2. Simply
put, this July lunar eclipse or chandra grahan will be such
that the earth will come directly between the sun and moon. As
a result, the sunlight will be blocked from reaching the moon's surface and
will cast a shadow over it.
3. But the
event will not be visible in all parts of the world, as is the case with most
eclipses. But need not worry as India
will fall under the zone in which the blood moon will be visible.
4. The
story behind blood moon: During chandra grahan, the moon
will be at farthest distance from the earth. As a result, revolution of the
moon around the planet will seem slower than usual. As mentioned above, the
moon will also fall under the region over which the earth casts its shadow.
This region is known as the umbra. This will shield the moon from the sun for a
much longer duration. A red light will be reflected of the moon's surface, and
thus we all see a magnificent red or blood moon.
5. The tinge
of light is because of an interesting fact. There are colours with shorter
wavelengths and there are colours with longer wavelengths. Lights like blue are
refracted at sharper angles and thus have shorter wavelights. Lights
like red on the other hand, do not diverge very far from their original path
and thus have longer wavelengths. Low-frequency waves
refract just enough to pass the earth and land on the moon. This is the reason
why lunar eclipses appear red.
6. Lunar
eclipse 2018 is however, the second blood moon of 2018. Earth
witnessed a "super blue blood moon" on the night of January 31. Many
parts of the world were able to see the super blue blood moon.
7. People
in India will be able to witness chandra grahan. Some parts of North-east India
may not be able see the entire lunar eclipse. People in
North America and north-western parts of South America will not be able to
witness the event. Portions of the eclipse will be viewed by most parts of
Europe, Australia, Japan, China and western Africa.
The blood moon will begin
at 11.43 pm on July 27 and will end on 5.34 am on July 28.
Books are available in the Library on the Topic Lunar eclipse
2018, go through the books and write the reviews.
Name of the Book: Exploring Space
Author: Barbara Bourne, Wendy Saul
Name of the Book: Eclipse – A Celestial Shadow Play
Author: B. S. Shylaja, H R Madhusudan
Name of the Book: Universe
Author: Discovery Channel, Young Discoverer Series
