There hasn’t been a longest partial lunar eclipse since February 18, 1440. But not all experts agree. Find out why.
Citizens of Africa, America, the Pacific, Oceania and Asia were able to enjoy this Friday a partial lunar eclipse that lasted 208 minutes and 23 seconds, a phenomenon that practically could not be seen in Europe.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow that obscures our satellite; for this it is necessary that the three objects are aligned.
Although the partial eclipse lasted 3 hours and 28 minutes – the time that a dark part of the Moon is observed – the total phenomenon – penumbra eclipse – began at 06:02 GMT and ended at 12:04 GMT, according to data from the US space agency NASA.
In reality this eclipse has been almost total, with a percentage of 97 percent concealment; its maximum took place around 09:00 GMT.
The partial eclipse was visible in the westernmost tip of Europe, America, the Pacific, Oceania, and eastern Asia. In its last phases, in North America, also in the Pacific, Oceania and much of Asia, explains the National Geographic Institute on its website.
Eclipse, blood moon and supermoon: when and how to see them
On its website, NASA makes a comparison of the duration of this partial eclipse with other past of the same category.
It is, he assures, the longest partial lunar eclipse in centuries, with a duration of 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds.
There has been no longest partial lunar eclipse since February 18, 1440 (3 hours, 28 minutes and 46 seconds) and it will remain the longest partial for 648 years, until February 8, 2669 (3 hours, 30 minutes and 2 seconds).
However, there will be a longer total lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022.
How often do lunar eclipses occur?
But not all experts agree and the director of the Pamplona Planetarium (northern Spain), Javier Armentia, complains about this “Astronomical yellowness”.
“Many total eclipses are longer, for one thing. And then there are like a hundred that are only a second shorter “he says on his Twitter account and wonders that then” why so much? “. His answer: so that the note has more shine in the networks, “pure clickbait”.
For this astronomer, “only from the deepest ignorance of what an eclipse is can anyone point out that the total duration of a partial eclipse is something relevant. It never was, but it seems that before the control criteria for what is publicly said were stricter ”. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
