A part of the planet will be able to witness a total lunar eclipse from Sunday to Monday, a rare phenomenon during which the satellite's brightness decreases and progressively takes on a copper color. The Moon's occultation by the Earth's shadow can be observed in South and Central America and in the eastern part of North America. It will also be perceived from regions of Europe and Africa.
A total lunar eclipse usually occurs twice a year when the Sun, Earth and Moon are perfectly aligned and the Moon is full. As it sinks into the Earth's shadow, the Moon loses its whiteness.
But it is still visible because the sun's rays, deflected by the Earth, continue to reach it through "atmospheric refraction", explains Florent Deleflie, from the Paris-PSL Observatory, to AFP.
"During an eclipse, only the Earth can illuminate the Moon through this re-sent of the red rays," adds the astronomer. The phenomenon can be seen with the naked eye and with clear skies it is extremely photogenic.
The eclipse will last about five hours and in its total phase - when the star will be completely covered by the Earth's shadow -, just over an hour.
The next total lunar eclipse will take place in November, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
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