VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam and many countries in the world will be able to witness one of the longest total lunar eclipses of the century in the early morning of June 16.

Dang Tuan Duy, head of the HCMC City Amateur Astronomy Club, said that the Earth’s dark shadow will eclipse the full moon tonight for a whopping 100 minutes, creating the one of the longest total lunar eclipses of the 21st century (2001-2100).

In fact, the event will be only 3 minutes shorter than the century’s longest total lunar eclipse, on July 27, 2018.

In Vietnam, the eclipse will begin at 0:22 a.m., but viewers are advised to witness it from 1:22a.m as the moon will have entered the Earth’s shadow and be partially eclipsed, Tuan said said.

When the moon eclipse comes to totality at 2:22a.m, it will turn reddish and then coppery-red at 3:12a.m when it is totally eclipsed, he added.

Vietnam will be able to witness two lunar eclipses this year, astronomers said.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, there is always a full moon the night of a lunar eclipse.

The total lunar eclipse on June 16 will be visible almost everywhere in the world except North America, said astronomers.

According to scientists, a total of 85 total lunar eclipses, will be taking place this century of which the longest total lunar eclipse will occur on July 27, 2018. The June 15 eclipse will be just three minutes shorter to it.

With the day and night difference, people in the world would see the eclipse at different times. In Europe and Africa, the eclipse will be seen sometime between sunset and midnight on June 15, just before the people in the Middle East.

People in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand will see it after midnight and sunrise on June 16.

There will be another partial solar eclipse on July 1, followed by yet another partial solar eclipse on November 25.

PV