“Look at the Moon”, recommended netizens on social networks between the night of this Sunday (15) and the dawn of this Monday (16), in an alert for the total eclipse of the Moon that kept many people up late to watch the astronomical event.
This type of eclipse happens two to three times a year, but it is not always fully visible in all corners of the world. This time, South America can follow the event from start to finish.
The Blood Moon, as this phenomenon is popularly known, can be seen not only in South America, but also in Central America and part of North America, as well as in some areas of Europe and Africa.
The satellite with reddish tones is the result of the moment when the Moon crosses the Earth’s shadow, illuminated by the Sun. When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up, in exactly that order, our natural satellite passes behind the Earth’s shadow. This is the lunar eclipse, which can be partial, if the shadow occupies only a part of the Moon, or total, if the lunar surface comes to be completely hidden under the shadow.
For Mariano Rivas, head of Scientific Outreach at the Planetarium of Buenos Aires, the eclipse is “one of the simplest and most impressive phenomena in nature”, since the Moon, when entering the shadow caused by the Earth, causes the satellite “to assume a pale orange-red color for an hour and a half.
In São Paulo, the Ibirapuera Planetarium, in the park of the same name, promoted a night shift to observe the phenomenon. On the internet, channels such as the one maintained by the National Observatory, carried out live broadcasts and were followed by thousands of people.
In Campinas, the Municipal Observatory of Jean Nicolini made telescopes available to watch the phenomenon.
The Rio Planetarium, called Planeta.RIO, in Gávea, also allowed the use of its telescopes, free of charge, to observe the phenomenon.
O B’s Astronomy Clubrasilia he concentrated on the Três Poderes square, next to Espaço Lúcio Costa, to observe the eclipse.
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