On Monday, the Earth’s shadow will cover about a quarter of the Moon.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Croatia on Monday, 7 August, when Earth’s shadow will cover about a quarter of the Moon’s surface, reports N1 on 2 August 2017.
The maximum eclipse will be seen from the island of Lošinj, announced the Croatian Astronomical Association.
“Since the Moon will enter the Earth shadow at 19.22 hours, the first part of the partial eclipse will not be visible because the Moon will not rise before 20.12. The maximum eclipse as far as Croatia is concerned will be visible from the island of Lošinj. Those who would like to see this phenomenon there should go to a part of the island with a clean vista towards the east. In other locations in Croatia, the eclipse will vary by a few minutes,” reads the statement.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow. There are total and partial eclipses, depending on whether the whole of the Moon is covered or not. When the Moon throws its shadow on the Earth’s surface, a solar eclipse takes place, explained physicist and director of the Zagreb Observatory Dragan Roša.
He pointed out that sometimes, during a lunar eclipse, it is possible to see the Moon and the Sun at the same time above the horizon. “Since the lunar eclipse is created by the entrance of the Moon into the Earth’s shadow, it seems illogical that we could see both the Sun and the Moon at the same time, but the explanation is simple. In such situations, the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are about on the same line, but due to the refraction of the light in the Earth’s atmosphere the apparent positions of the Sun and the Moon are changed,” added Roša.
During a total eclipse, the Moon is usually of a reddish colour. That is also a result of the refraction of the light in the Earth’s atmosphere, explained Roša.
Eclipses have always been impressive to humans, especially total solar eclipses when the darkness appears during a day, and glittering stars and planets can be seen in the sky. Unfortunately, there will be no total solar eclipses taking place in Croatia in the near future. The closes that Croatia came to such an event in recent years was in 1999 when about 97 percent on the Sun was covered.
Translated from N1.
