By Zoila Palma: Skygazers could be treated to a rare double spectacle tonight as a partial lunar eclipse is expected to turn much of the Moon a deep coppery red while a geomagnetic storm could produce vibrant northern lights across parts of North America.
The partial lunar eclipse will be visible in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Western Asia.
The Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow, with about 96 percent of its surface expected to be covered during the deepest stage of the eclipse.
At the same time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a moderate G2 geomagnetic storm warning, raising the possibility that auroras could be visible as far south as parts of the northern United States.
Astronomers say observers in Canada and Alaska may have the best chance of seeing the aurora and eclipsed Moon at the same time.
The two phenomena are unlikely to appear in exactly the same part of the sky, but viewing conditions could allow the glowing auroral bands to appear alongside the reddish Moon, particularly for observers farther west.
The potential aurora display follows a powerful M-class solar flare recorded on August 25, which was followed by a coronal mass ejection—a large cloud of charged solar material traveling toward Earth.
NOAA forecast G1 and G2 geomagnetic storm conditions between August 27 and 28, coinciding with the lunar eclipse, which is expected to begin at around 9:23 p.m. EDT, reach its peak shortly after midnight and end around 3 a.m. Friday.
The eclipse will not technically be a total lunar eclipse, since a small portion of the Moon will remain outside Earth’s darkest shadow.
However, it is expected to be the deepest lunar eclipse visible worldwide until December 2028.
The Moon’s red appearance occurs because Earth’s atmosphere filters and bends sunlight toward its surface, while auroral colors are produced when charged particles from the Sun interact with gases in Earth’s atmosphere.
The post Rare red northern lights could appear alongside Red moon during Lunar eclipse appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Skygazers could be treated to a rare double spectacle tonight as a partial lunar eclipse is expected to turn much of the Moon a deep coppery red while a geomagnetic storm could produce vibrant northern lights across parts of North America. The partial lunar eclipse will be visible in the Americas, Europe,
The post Rare red northern lights could appear alongside Red moon during Lunar eclipse appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
