NewsFebruary 01, 2018
Lunar eclipse, super blue moon seen across globe
LOS ANGELES/ISLAMABAD: The stargazers across large swaths of the globe including Pakistan from the streets of Los Angeles to the slopes of a smoldering Philippine volcano -- had the chance to witness a rare "super blue blood moon" on Wednesday, when the earth’s shadow bathed our satellite in a coppery hue.The celestial show, a phenomenon appeared after 150 years, was the result of the sun, earth, and moon lining up perfectly for a lunar eclipse just as the moon is near its closest orbit point to the earth, making it appear "super" large.
It is the second full Moon within the same month, a phenomenon called a "blue" Moon which has nothing to do with its color. The "blood" in the name comes from the reddish brown color the moon takes on when Earth enters between it and the sun, cutting off the light rays that usually brighten the lunar surface.
The eclipse began around 6:10pm in Pakistan, as a black shadow began to devour one corner of the gray-white moon. An hour later, the lunar surface was plunged into darkness, known as totality. Then, rusty tones began to sheath the moon, reflecting the light of all the sunrises and sunsets on the earth at the same moment.
There were gasps of delight at that moment in a school in the Philippines town on Guinobatan where some of the 90,000 people who have fled the erupting Mount Mayon volcano were sheltering.
There they were treated to a double-spectacle -- a supermoon eclipse rising over a mountain spewing ash and lava. "It´s huge and bright. It´s exciting to see. God created this beautiful moon and the volcano," farmer Jose Almesolano, 75, said.
On the other side of the Pacific thousands were gathering at Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory, which opened its doors at 3:30am (1130 GMT) to a crowd expected to reach 2,000. Some had waited in line since 10:00pm the night before, hoping for a choice viewing spot, many science buffs bringing their own telescopes to set up on the lawn.
The extreme east of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Russia, Australia and New Zealand could enjoy the spectacle on Wednesday night, weather depending, as the moon rose there. But most of South America, Africa and Europe, where the alignment occurs in the middle of the day, missed out on the show.
In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, several thousand people lined up at the planetarium to catch a glimpse of the rare event on one of its telescopes. "I was watching the news on TV and then came here immediately," Yami, who like many Indonesian goes by one name, told local media.
In Nepal, where the super moon was just visible in the hazy polluted night sky over Kathmandu, the celestial phenomenon was greeted with more caution as an ominous sign. Local newspapers there had printed warnings telling citizens not to eat, drink, sleep or even go to the toilet during the lunar eclipse, citing Hindu customs.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
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