Total Lunar Eclipse Enthralls Sky Watchers

Provided the weather and the observation position were favorable, a rare celestial spectacle could be observed on Sunday evening with a total lunar eclipse. When the moon rose shortly before 7:30 PM, just before the start of totality, it was already 86 percent immersed in the Earth's umbra as seen from Vienna, but also shrouded in clouds. The phase of total eclipse - during which the moon appears in its characteristic red - lasted until just before 9:00 PM.

In the west of the country, the Earth's companion rose already fully eclipsed at 7:46 PM. The event reached its maximum at 8:12 PM. Around 10:00 PM, the cosmic shadow play ended with the complete exit of the moon from the umbra. Astronomical associations, centers, and observatories had invited people on Sunday to lectures and communal observations in light of the prospect of quite good conditions.

Total Lunar Eclipse: Variable View of Phenomenon in the East

From the center of Vienna, the celestial spectacle, often referred to as the "astronomical event of the year," was hardly visible at the beginning. After a day with hardly any clouds in the east of the country, clouds moved in during the evening - especially when looking towards the rising moon in the southeast.

On the Sofienalpe in the Vienna Woods, where the Vienna Working Group for Astronomy (WAA) directed their gaze to the evening sky together with around 200 interested individuals, the moon emerged from the cloud and haze cover over the capital shortly after 8:00 PM, explained Christa Plassak and Karin Elisabeth Sturm from the WAA to the APA. The working group was on site with several devices, through which attendees could take a closer look at the moon. The atmosphere was "very good" despite clouds passing through repeatedly.

"Copper" or "Blood Moon"

In the gradient from soft pink to orange, the event was also observable from less favorable locations in urban areas - although initially limited by twilight and then by the urban light dome. After the end of totality, the appearance increasingly transformed towards a "normal" full moon.

The reddish and thus significantly darker appearance of the moon is caused by the deflection of sunlight through the layers of the Earth's atmosphere. Especially the short-wave blue component of sunlight is weakened by scattering in the atmosphere. What remains is a larger proportion of reddish sunlight. Commonly, the Earth's companion is then referred to as a "Copper" or "Blood Moon."

Next Total Lunar Eclipse Not Until End of 2028

Lunar eclipses only occur during a full moon. The Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned, and the Earth's satellite passes through the Earth's umbra or penumbra. It can be completely (total lunar eclipse) or only partially (partial lunar eclipse) immersed in this shadow.

The first lunar eclipse of the year on March 14 was rather modest, as the moon was already set when it was only nine percent eclipsed. The next lunar eclipse observable from Austria - a partial one - will occur on August 28, 2026. The next total lunar eclipse, which will be fully visible in its total phase from Vienna, will not be until December 31, 2028.

(APA/Red)

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