During the morning of this Tuesday, April 15, a total lunar eclipse will take place that will inaugurate the period popularly known as ‘four blood moons’, an event that had not occurred for 10 years .
The total lunar eclipse will not be visible from Europe , although it can be partially seen from the Canary Islands. The best area to see the eclipse will undoubtedly be the American continent and the Atlantic Ocean. The event will last 3 hours and 34 minutes: it will begin at 06:53 in the morning , peninsular time.
It is a rather particular lunar eclipse, since with it a very unusual phenomenon will begin, a tetrad of total eclipses that will take place every six months and that will not occur again until the year 2032 . The fact that the Moon also acquires a reddish hue, which is why this event is known as the “red moon or blood moon”, makes this event a phenomenon worthy of observation.
What causes the moon to turn reddish (and not disappear from our view) is nothing but the Earth’s atmosphere, which acts like a lens, deflecting the sunlight and absorbing the blue colors of the sun’s rays, so it only lets through red light that is reflected by the Moon, giving it that glow that in the past caused great fear because it was related to the advent of catastrophes or disasters .
For all those who are outside the viewing areas of the total lunar eclipse, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), a participant in the Gloria Project , will broadcast the event through the internet, from Machu Picchu (Peru).
Until September 28, 2015, there will be three more eclipses, and only the last one can be seen in Europe clearly . In fact, it will be visible to the entire planet except Australia and the Far East.
