SKYWATCHERS around the world on Friday (27) night witnessed the longest "blood moon" eclipse of the 21st century. Part of the eclipse was visible from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and most of Asia and South America.
The total eclipse lasted one hour and 43 minutes, with the entire event lasting closer to four hours.
The moon turned red because "atmospheric scattering causes red light to pass through the atmosphere and the composition of the atmosphere can change if volcanic eruptions or forest fires occur,” Tom Kerss, an astronomer with the Royal Observatory Greenwich, was quoted as saying by News.com.au.
“And the density of dust increasing in the atmosphere can cause the moon to appear particularly deep red, and indeed it has the same effect on our sunsets and sunrises.”
