People in Prague to Enjoy Best View of Sunday Night's Lunar Eclipse

Residents across Europe will be treated to a lunar eclipse right before the moon sets late Sunday night, where the weather cooperates.

The time when the moon will turn rusty orange or red, will be seen from Greece, western Ukraine, Belarus and points to the north and west. The moon will set before totality is over across Turkey and southwestern Russia. A clear sky should offer residents in the Czech Republic, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg a perfect opportunity to view the eclipse.

Sunday night’s total lunar eclipse will appear similar to those in the past but has been given the unofficial nickname of the “super blood wolf moon.”

“Although it’s a bit of a silly-sounding name, it does have a basis in some real phenomena,” said Caleb Scharf, director of astrobiology at Columbia University.

The term “blood moon” has emerged in recent years due to the color the moon turns during the height of a total lunar eclipse.

“‘Blood Moon’ is not a term used in astronomy. It’s more of a popular phrase, perhaps because it sounds so dramatic. It simply refers to a total lunar eclipse,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac website. 

This eclipse also falls during the first supermoon of 2019, when the moon appears slightly larger than normal. Preceding the terms “supermoon” and “blood moon,” a Full Wolf Moon is simply the name bestowed upon January’s full moon.

“In Native American and early Colonial times, the full moon for January was called the Full Wolf Moon. It appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac reported. 

No special equipment or glasses are needed to view the lunar eclipse, but give yourself some time to adjust to the lighting of the sky in your area.

Author: red