DON’T MISS THE LONGEST LUNAR ECLIPSE OF THE 21st CENTURY

Take a look at the skies tonight and watch the moon disappear, and then appear again. South Africa is perfectly positioned to get an excellent view.

A blood moon will appear in the night sky around much of the world tonight as the moon moves into the shadow of the earth for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.

South Africans are in for a treat as they will be perfectly positioned to enjoy it and clear skies are predicted for the duration of the eclipse.

Garth Sampson, of the Port Elizabeth weather office, said those in East London stand “a good chance” of seeing the lunar eclipse in all its glory.

According to Nasa, the total eclipse will last one hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds, though a partial eclipse precedes and follows, meaning the moon will spend a total of three hours and 54 minutes in the earth’s umbral shadow.

Kevin Cole, scientist at the East London Museum, said: “A full moon is required for a lunar eclipse. The earth will begin to cast a shadow on the moon at around 7.14pm [a penumbral eclipse starts] and at 8.24pm a partial eclipse will begin [the moon will start to get red].

“At 9.30pm a total eclipse of the moon will begin and an almost completely red moon should be visible. The maximum eclipse [when the moon is closest to the centre of the Earth’s shadow] will occur at 10.21pm. The total eclipse will end at 11.13pm and the partial eclipse will end at 12.19am.”

Andrew Fabian, professor of astronomy at the University of Cambridge, explained: “If you were standing on the moon in this eclipse, you would see the sun and then the earth would come in the way and blot out the sun. The rim of the earth would be glowing because light is being scattered by the earth’s atmosphere.”

When asked if the eclipse might be an omen of some sort, Fabian laughed: “Absolutely not. Astrology is not something we follow.”