Super blood moon eclipse to occur Monday

CAIRO - 16 January 2019: The only total lunar eclipse until 2021 will take place on Monday, January 21 featuring a super blood moon. The phenomenon can be seen in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, the Americas, most of East Asia, and the Pacific Ocean.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the entire moon passes through the Earth's shadow when it is between the moon and the sun.

Expert at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics Mohamed Gharib told Egypt Today that the super moon phenomenon happens when the moon is at its orbit’s closest point to the earth.

Expert at the same entity Ashraf Tadros says that a super moon is seen as bigger by 14 percent, and brighter by 30 percent approximately.

A blood moon is a moon that takes on a red or orange tint as it moves into the Earth's shadow.

“The red component of sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere is preferentially filtered and diverted into the Earth's shadow where it illuminates the eclipsed moon, making it appear red or 'blood' color,” said Director of astrobiology at Columbia University Caleb Scharf told AccuWeather..

The stage at which the edge of the moon starts to enter the outer shadow of the Earth is called the penumbra.

Gharib stated that the duration of the eclipse will be five hours and 15 minutes, while the total eclipse will take one hour and three minutes. In Cairo, the penumbral lunar eclipse will occur at 18:51 after the beginning of total eclipse by 10 minutes, the expert added.

The National Research Institute Of Astronomy & Geophysics will observe the phenomenon in Mudawara Mountain in Fayoum governorate.

Two lunar eclipses took place last year in January and July.