January 28, 2018
The universe has spent billions of years making things that shine. On your birthday, we celebrate one of its quieter masterpieces.
A Total Lunar Eclipse Over Tajikistan
Birthday · January 28, 2018
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APOD published January 28, 2018 · Video still. Credit: Jean-Luc Dauvergne (Ciel et Espace); Music: Val�re Leroy & Sophie Huet (Space-Music). A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
If the full Moon suddenly faded, what would you see? The answer during the total lunar eclipse in 2011 was recorded in a dramatic time lapse video from Tajikistan. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the Moon and the Sun, causing the moon to fade dramatically. The Moon never gets completely dark, though, since the Earth's atmosphere refracts some light. As the featured video begins, the scene may appear to be daytime and sunlit, but actually it is a nighttime and lit by the glow of the full Moon. As the Moon becomes eclipsed and fades, the wind dies down and background stars can be seen reflected in foreground lake. Most spectacularly, the sky surrounding the eclipsed moon suddenly appears to be full of stars and highlighted by the busy plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. The sequence repeats with a closer view, and the final image shows the placement of the eclipsed Moon near the Eagle, Swan, Trifid, and Lagoon nebulas. Nearly two hours after the eclipse started, the moon emerges from the Earth's shadow and its bright full glare again dominates the sky. This Wednesday another total lunar eclipse will take place -- but this one will be during a rare Super Blue Blood Moon.
Image credit: Jean-Luc Dauvergne (Ciel et Espace); Music: Val�re Leroy & Sophie Huet (Space-Music)