The Moldovans are likely to watch on February 20 to 21, at night, the first total Moon eclipse in 2008 that will be visible in Moldova, too.

The moon eclipse will begin at 03:00, when the moon discus will be observed on the semidarkness of the earth, Environmental Metrology and Astronomy Laboratory Head of the State University of Moldova Petru Lozovan has said to BASA-press. Around 05:00, it can be observed in Moldova, too, if the weather conditions allow, and the sky will be cloudless.

After 05:00, the total eclipse will begin. The entire moon discus will be darkened by the Earth. Since that moment, the sky will be as black as during a moonless night. The discus will be of a reddish colour. The colour of the Moon during the total eclipse depends on the earth atmosphere state that would allow the red light to pass inside the darkness cone. After almost 50 minutes of total eclipse, at 05:50, the Moon will begin leaving the earth shade, and the total phase of the eclipse will end.

The Moon eclipse on February 21 is included in the series Saros 133, which is the 26-th eclipse of those 71 of the series. In this one, the eclipse is the sixth total eclipse, the series including 21 of such eclipses. The series Saros 133 began on March 13, 1557, with an eclipse to the south of the Earth shade and will end on June 29, 2819, with an eclipse through the semidarkness to the north of the earth shade, according to the international sites.

For a good visibility of the eclipse the specialists recommend finding a low West horizon or a place outside the localities, with as little light as possible. To observe the details of the eclipse, they also recommend using binoculars, a small telescope, or a usual telescope.

The total Moon eclipse on February 21, 2008, will be visible in Europe, Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, North America, South America and the East of the Pacific Ocean.  // BASA-Press



Publication date: 20 February 2008   

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