The Cayman Islands Astronomical Society is reminding early birds (or very late night owls) that on Tuesday, 8 Nov., there will be a celestial event worth witnessing.
A total lunar ‘blood moon’ eclipse will be visible in the night sky, not long before the sun rises.
“Tuesday… around [4am], you’ll see the full moon in the west start to get a little nick out of its corner of darkness, and that’s the shadow of the Earth,” said Tiyen Miller of the CIAS. “And that shadow is going to grow across the moon until the moon is totally covered… ”
The ‘blood moon’ will hopefully start to become apparent about an hour after the eclipse begins.
“The full moon will be fully covered by our shadow by about 5:15am, and at that point, it may take on a reddish tinge as it’s illuminated by the light coming around the edge of the Earth; the sunsets all around the planet,” Miller added.
Cayman should have excellent viewing conditions for the event, and as the eclipse is at its greatest around 6am, so light will start coming up from the east as the sun is rising.
“By 6:30am, the moon will have set and the sun will be up, and you’ll have a neat experience to share,” Miller said.
There was a total lunar eclipse earlier this year on 15 May, but residents will have to wait a long time to see another after 8 Nov. The next total lunar eclipse visible in Cayman will be on 13 March, 2025.
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