On Friday, July 27, the moon will colour red in the Netherlands, as the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century occurs. If the summer weather cooperates, the eclipse will be visible from the Netherlands.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon, earth and sun align, with the moon behind the earth, in its shadow. The earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon. The moon thus colours red as it reflects the light refracted from the earth’s atmosphere.
This time around, the eclipse will occur when the moon is furthest from the earth, making it a micro-moon and thus a blood micro moon eclipse. This eclipse will also be the longest eclipse we have had this century!
If the sky stays clear on the evening / night of the 27th, the eclipse should be visible in the Netherlands and will start at around 9.30pm, around the time when the moon comes up. At this time, it may still be too light to see the eclipse well, but during the peak of the eclipse at 10.22pm, it should be dark enough to spot the blood moon.
The lunar eclipse will end at 11.14pm, with a total duration of one hour and 42 minutes. It will take almost two hours before the moon returns to normal. During the eclipse, weather permitting; you may also be able to see four other planets in the sky. Underneath the moon to the right, Mars will be visible to the naked eye. In the south, you can spot Jupiter and Saturn, and in the west, Venus can be seen.
The last total eclipse that could be seen from the Netherlands occurred in September 2015. At the start of this year, there was a super blue blood moon; however, the lunar eclipse was not visible in the Netherlands.
The next total lunar eclipse will take place on January 21, 2019, early in the morning. After this, we’ll have to wait until September 2025 to see another one.