The ‘blood moon’ eclipse will be the shortest

 

The lunar eclipse on April 4 will not only be the unique ‘blood moon’ eclipse, it will also be the shortest this century. Nearly half the globe will have the ability to observe a total lunar eclipse this weekend, but skywatchers will have to be quick about it, because it will be the shortest total lunar eclipse of the century.  According to NASA, the total eclipse will last just five minutes. The first part of the eclipse can be seen from Eastern North America and Western South America before sunrise. Those in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand will be able to see the end stages after sunset. Europe, Africa, and the Middle East will miss out on the show entirely.

 

When Earth’s natural satellite is covered by the planet’s shadow, the moon takes on the name “blood moon”, for its intense red-orange colour during totality. The change in colouration occurs as sunlight that has skimmed through Earth’s atmosphere is refracted by the atmosphere onto the umbra. And it’s not just the shortness of this eclipse that makes it noteworthy. The last two lunar eclipses, along with this week’s event, are all part of rare occurrences known as a lunar tetrad.

 

 

 

During a tetrad, four total lunar eclipses occur in succession, each separated by about six months. April and October of last year brought the first two eclipses of the series, and the final eclipse is scheduled to occur on September 8 of this year. Only eight tetrads will occur over the duration of this century, according to NASA.