INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
People gather as they wait for the appearance of the 'Blood moon' in Berlin (AFP)Paris: The longest "blood moon" eclipse this century was
underway Friday, coinciding with Mars' closest approach in 15 years to treat skygazers across the globe to a thrilling celestial
spectacle.As Earth's constant companion slowly sailed across the skies, crowds gathered around the world to catch a glimpse of the rare
phenomenon.Beside Lake Magadi, 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, young members of the Maasai community
watched the eclipse through a high-powered telescope provided by a local couple."Until today I thought Mars, Jupiter and the other planets
were in the imagination of scientists," Purity Sailepo, 16, told AFP."But now I've seen it I can believe it and I want to be an astronomer
to tell other people."The full moon during a "blood moon" eclipse as seen from Cairo on July 27Unlike with a solar eclipse, viewers do not
need protective eye gear to observe the rare display.For about half the world, the moon will be partly or fully in Earth's shadow from 1714
to 2328 GMT -- six hours and 14 minutes in all.The period of complete eclipse -- known as "totality", when the moon appears darkest --
lasted from 1930 to 2113 GMT.At the same time, Mars hovered near the moon in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye.Amateur
astronomers in the southern hemisphere are best-placed to witness the rare sight, especially in southern Africa, Australia, South Asia and
Madagascar, though it will also be partly visible in Europe and South America.More than 2,000 people including many children armed with
binoculars gathered in the Tunisian capital of Tunis."I hope this eclipse will bring us happiness and peace," said Karima, 46, without
taking her eyes off the sky.However, bad weather thwarted the cosmic display in several parts of the world.The full moon during a 'blood
moon' eclipse beside the Golden temple in Amritsar early on July 28Widespread monsoon rainstorms and thick clouds hid the moon across much
of India and its neighbours, which should have had a prime view.Similarly, eager observers who had assembled on cliffs and beaches in the
English county of Dorset were left in the dark due to an overcast sky."It's disappointing," Tish Adams, 67, told AFP
"I took a few photos but there was nothing but a streak of pink in the sky."Celestial bodies alignMars appeared unusually large and bright,
a mere 57.7 million kilometres (35.9 million miles) from Earth on its elliptical orbit around the sun."We have a rare and interesting
conjunction of phenomena," Pascal Descamps, an astronomer with the Paris Observatory, told AFP."We should have a coppery red tint on the
moon with Mars the 'Red Planet' just next to it, very bright and with a slight orange hue itself."The "blood moon" eclipse over the temple
of Apollo in Corinth, Greece on July 27A total lunar eclipse happens when Earth takes position in a straight line between the moon and sun,
blotting out the direct sunlight that normally makes our satellite glow whitish-yellow.The moon travels to a similar position every month,
but the tilt of its orbit means it normally passes above or below the Earth's shadow -- so most months we have a full moon without an
eclipse.When the three celestial bodies are perfectly lined up, however, the Earth's atmosphere scatters blue light from the sun while
refracting or bending red light onto the moon, usually giving it a rosy blush.This is what gives the phenomenon the name "blood moon",
though Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland said the colour can vary greatly.It depends partly on "how cloudy or
transparent those parts of the Earth's atmosphere are which enable sunlight to reach the moon", he told AFP."During a very dark eclipse the
moon may be almost invisible."The long duration of this eclipse is partly due to the fact that the moon will make a near-central passage
through Earth's umbra -- the darkest, most central part of the shadow.'Eerie and beautiful'The moon will also be at the farthest point on
its orbit from Earth, making its movement across the sky slower from our perspective, thus spending longer in the dark.NASA, meanwhile,
called out social media hoaxers claiming that Mars would appear as big as the moon during the eclipse."If that were true, we'd be in big
trouble given the gravitational pulls on Earth, Mars, and our moon!" the NASA website stated.Mars will more likely appear as a very bright
star."In the middle of a lunar eclipse it can look as if a red planet has taken up residence near the Earth -- they are both eerie and
beautiful," said Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society in London.(This story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff
and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
