The ‘bloody moon’ phenomenon, in which the moon is dyed red due to a total lunar eclipse, has been centered in the Americas.
According to Space.com, a space media outlet, a lunar eclipse started at 10:27 pm (US Eastern time) on the 15th in some eastern parts of the United States and all of South America. This phenomenon continues until 1:55 am on the 16th (2:55 pm Korean time on the 16th).
A lunar eclipse is a phenomenon in which the sun, the earth, and the moon form a straight line, and the earth’s shadow blocks the sunlight that is going to the moon. When the moon enters Earth’s shadow (umbra) region and a total lunar eclipse occurs, the moon turns red. This is because only red light with a relatively long wavelength is transmitted to the moon among the light that has passed through the earth.
A total lunar eclipse lasted 85 minutes from 11:29 p.m. to 0:54 p.m. Eastern time in the United States. Unfortunately, it might not be observed in Asian countries including Korea, which are in the daytime zone.
Instead, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Griffith Observatory broadcast live broadcasts in real time to appease those who might not see the total lunar eclipse.
There is another long total lunar eclipse in November of this year, which is expected to be seen in Asia as well. At that time, contrary to this time, it cannot be seen in the Americas.
Meanwhile, during a total lunar eclipse, NASA turned off the science equipment of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) orbiting the moon. This is to reduce battery power consumption while the LRO, which is powered by solar charging, is not exposed to sunlight. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) lunar probe Chandrayaan 2 also followed the same procedure.
Reporter Seo Hee-won, Electronic Newspaper Internet (shw@etnews.com)
