On Friday 27 July 2018, there will be a historic moment for people across the world to witness the lunar eclipse. Kenyans will be among the “chosen” ones to witness this historic happening from 10.30 pm.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth, falling into the earth’s shadow. This results in the moon looking bloody. A total eclipse will last for about 1 hour 42 minutes when the earth will be in total darkness.
Later on, the moon will be partly covered in the earth’s shadow for about 3 hours and 54 minutes forming a partial eclipse. This will be the longest ever lunar eclipse of the 21st Century.
“It’s called a blood moon because the light from the sun goes through the earth’s atmosphere on its way to the moon and the earth’s atmosphere turns it red in the same way that when the sun goes down it goes red,” Andrew Fabian, professor of astronomy at the University of Cambridge.
The last eclipse the country experienced was a partial solar eclipse on July 13th 2018. A lunar eclipse is safe to be viewed with naked eyes, unlike a solar eclipse which requires glasses as looking into the sun directly can damage your eyes.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur on January 21, 2019. However, another central lunar eclipse will occur in 2084.