Bad supermoon on the rise! Why we’ll all see red at Monday’s eclipse
STARGAZERS won’t believe their luck early next week when they can witness the moment a total lunar eclipse coincides with a supermoon.
They are being urged to head outdoors in the early hours of Monday to witness the rare natural phenomenon.
A supermoon occurs when the Moon sits in the closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit – which means it will be at its brightest and biggest to the naked eye.
And the spectacular sight of the earth’s shadow being cast on our nearest celestial neighbour will be the last total eclipse Ireland will see for another 11 years.
Astronomy Ireland chairman David Moore said it will be an extraordinary sight.
He said: ‘This is one of the most spectacular sights in nature. It’s a total eclipse of the Moon and we will see every single part of it.
‘Anyone on the side of the earth facing the Moon can see it and this time we have a grandstand view from Ireland.
‘There will be other total lunar eclipses between 2019 and 2029 but they will happen as the Moon sets or rises, from Ireland, thus spoiling the view. This total lunar eclipse on Monday morning will be entirely seen in Irish skies from start to finish.
‘We are recommending everyone take a day off work or school and watch this amazing spectacle of nature when the brilliant full moon turns to a dim blood moon for 62 minutes.
‘This is early in the morning but my advice to people is, you snooze, you lose. This is an amazing spectacle.
‘You would be crazy to be asleep even if you only look for five minutes and go back to bed.’
The sight will be visible to millions of people and no viewing equipment will be necessary. As the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow the Moon will slowly disappear in a growing darkness.
Just at the point when the Moon is completely hidden, experts say, it will instead begin to glow red – a visual effect that in years past was considered a bad omen.
‘A total eclipsed moon is a blood moon because the Moon turns a reddish colour when it dims down by a factor of nearly a million,’ said Mr Moore. ‘It is a coincidence that it is a supermoon.
‘The Moon’s distance from the earth varies by about 15% and it just so happens it is closer, so technically the Moon will be that little bit “bigger” in the sky.’
The eclipse beings at 4.41am and runs until 5.43am on Monday.
Astronomy Ireland is hoping to get skywatchers to submit pictures and reports of their experience of the eclipse at www.astronomy.ie.
‘This eclipse will be seen from half the world so there are bound to be photographs from all over the planet,’ said Mr Moore who is also the editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine. ‘But Irish photographs will be especially important to those of us on this island.’
‘You’d be crazy to miss this’