Avi Blizovsky, Benny Ran and Dodi Zusiman
See at the end of the news an update about the observation sites
A total lunar eclipse will be visible tonight, May 4, this is the third time in recent times. The two previous lunar eclipses occurred on May 15-16, 2003 and November 8, 2003. The upcoming eclipse will be seen mainly by residents of the eastern side of the Earth. The best areas to view the lunar eclipse are western Asia, much of the Indian Ocean and the eastern two-thirds of Africa. Israel is, therefore, in the center of the most suitable viewing area.
At the beginning of the eclipse, the moon will enter the penumbra of the Earth, after which it will move towards the umbra. However, the penumbra will be clearly visible to the eye until the moon has completely passed over it. The first stages of the lunar eclipse will be visible in significant parts of Central and Eastern Asia (except northeastern Siberia), in most of the territory of Indonesia and Australia. The central part of the eclipse will be seen in most of the territory of Australia and the last stages will be seen in the western third of Africa, in Europe and also in parts of the American continent.
Below are the times of the eclipse, according to Israel time on the night between May 4-5 as prepared by the SPACE.COM website team:
20:51 - The moon enters the penumbra - the partial shadow area
21:51 - The moon enters the umbra - the full shadow area
22:52 - The beginning of the total eclipse
23:30 - the middle of the eclipse
00:08 – the end of the total eclipse
01:12 - The moon leaves the umbra
02:10 - The moon leaves the penumbra
The next full moon eclipse will happen on the night of October 28-29. It will be seen in most of America and the western parts of Europe and Africa.
The lunar eclipse on May 4 - questions and answers
Written by Dodi Zosiman, space engineer
1. What is a lunar eclipse? This is an astronomical phenomenon, which occurs when the moon's orbit passes inside the shadow created by the earth. When the Earth's shadow covers the Moon then the reflected light from the Moon is blocked, and the Moon seemingly disappears.
2. When does a lunar eclipse happen? Note that the phenomenon can only occur when the moon is full, because then its illuminated part is exactly in front of us and in front of the sun together.
3. Why doesn't a lunar eclipse happen every time there is a full moon? The moon's orbit around the Earth is slightly tilted (about 5 degrees) so that only when all three bodies (Sun, Moon, etc.) line up in one line does a lunar eclipse occur.
4. Where do you see the eclipse? This eclipse will be seen in Asia, parts of Europe and Africa and of course Israel.
5. When does the eclipse happen in Israel? A full lunar eclipse on May 4 starting at 20:50 p.m., when the Earth's shadow will begin to creep across the surface of the moon, until the moon "disappears" completely. The eclipse will be visible until midnight, when the moon will emerge from the shadow.
6. How do you watch? The event is very easy to see even with simple means (even with the unaided eye) and from almost anywhere. At the beginning of the evening, the moon will appear high above the horizon in the eastern direction and will be approximately in the middle of the sky during the eclipse, so it will be almost impossible to miss it if there are tall buildings in the area.
7. How can I better understand the eclipse through visualization? Take a flashlight or any other light source and put a tennis ball or an apple in front of it. In front of the apple put a smaller ball and rotate the golf ball around the tennis ball in the common plane of the three bodies. Pay attention to the shadow that will be on the small body. When you change the path of the golf ball a little you will see that sometimes it goes behind the tennis but no shadow or partial shadow is created. (partial eclipse)
8. Where can I watch the phenomenon through telescopes and get more explanations? It is highly recommended to go to the activity centers organized by the Israel Space Association where there will be at least one telescope and another assistant who is familiar with the phenomenon and will be able to answer questions. You can contact the Space Association and find out about places in Israel where observations are held - info@space.org.il
Observation updates throughout the country
The Israeli Astronomical Society opens the observatory in Givatayim for lectures and observation starting at six in the evening.
The Space Society holds several observations throughout the country. Here are some of them:
Jerusalem - the observation will start around 9 and will last until about 11 at night. Guy will place his telescope at the observatory. A final location for the observation has not yet been determined.
Ramat-Gan - an observation that will take place in the Merom-Neva shopping center (corner of Rehovot Rimlet/Terza) by a member of the Benene Astronomy Forum Guy Ronan.
In the settlement of Reot (near Modi'in) - an observation carried out by the team of the "Barkat" observatory using the observatory's telescopes and guides and with the assistance of Space Association member Roni Cohen. The observation will take place between 9-11 a.m. near the water tower of the Reut settlement.
In Moshav Kornit in the Lower Galilee - an observation held by forum member Aden Orion. Apparently the observation (which will take place at Kornit Center) will continue for the entire duration of the eclipse. Eden is stable instead of a telescope with a diameter of 8 inches that he built with his own hands.
In Ramat Aviv - an observation held by the Astronomical Club of Tel Aviv University. The observation will continue for the duration of the eclipse. The activity at the place will start at 7 pm with a lecture by club member Eran Ofek entitled: "From the formation of the moon to the eclipse". The observation will take place using several telescopes with a diameter of 8, 10 and 12.5 inches.
Rehovot - an observation to be made by Tal Inbar, vice president of the Space Association, in the Weizmann Institute's ZMD plaza.
For news on Yahoo's news site
to the Israel Space Association website
to the website of the Israeli Astronomical Society, which will also broadcast the eclipse live on the website