A total lunar eclipse, in which the entire moon will gradually be covered by the shadow of the earth, will be visible all over Japan on the night of the 8th if the weather is clear.
In this total lunar eclipse, in many areas, Uranus eclipses behind the Moon during a "total eclipse" where the Moon is completely covered by the shadow of the Earth. is noticed as
A total lunar eclipse is when the moon is gradually covered by the shadow of the earth, the sun, earth and moon are aligned, and the entire moon is completely covered by the shadow of the earth.
The complete eclipse is called a "total eclipse", during which the moon is not invisible, but rather red light from sunlight is slightly refracted by the earth's atmosphere and illuminates the moon, giving it a reddish-black color. is characterized by
According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the total lunar eclipse will begin to be partially eclipsed from around 6:09 p.m. It will return to a bright full moon around 9:49.
Also, during the total lunar eclipse this time, most of the region except for the Ogasawara Islands will see a Uranus eclipse in which the 7th planet of the solar system, Uranus, will move behind the Moon at the same time.
The time and appearance of this varies depending on the region. Uranus begins to move behind the Moon in the middle of a total eclipse from western Japan to the Tokyo area, and after a total eclipse in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, when the moon is partially eclipsed. It is expected.
Uranus is barely bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, but during a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears dark, so it is possible to observe it well with a telescope.
According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, this is the first time in 442 years since 1580, during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, when warlord Nobunaga Oda was active, that a Uranus-like planetary eclipse was seen during a total eclipse in Japan.
The next time a similar phenomenon will be seen in Japan is expected to be 322 years later in 2344, and it is also attracting attention as an extremely rare astronomical show.
Hitoshi Yamaoka, head of public relations at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, said, "It's very rare for a planetary eclipse and a total eclipse to be observed at the same time, and it's a phenomenon that will never happen again in our lifetimes. This total lunar eclipse is easy to see. A total lunar eclipse won't be visible in Japan for about three years, so I hope you don't miss this chance to see it."