On July 27, 2018 in the sky we can witness the total eclipse of the Moon longer than the century and also the brightest.

In fact the night between July 27th and July 28th we will be able to see the Moon that will hide from the light of the Sun inside the shadow of our Earth and this phenomenon will last a full 103 minutes and in order to overcome this record we will have to wait beyond 2100.

In this event we will be able to witness a total eclipse of the Moon which means seeing the Moon in its flood phase which is obscured by the shadow of the Earth thanks to the contemporary alienation of Sun, Earth and Moon. Thus the Earth stands between the Sun and the Moon creating a cone of shadow in which the Moon enters and what we call an eclipse happens.

When this alignment occurs, in addition to being obscured, the Moon is tinged with red due to the position of the planets present and the reflected rays of the Sun.

The red tints of the moon will appear right at the moment of maximum obscuration and this phenomenon is also known as "blood moon" or the blood moon.

"Miniluna": when the moon is near its apogee

The Moon, in this eclipse, will also be close to the apogee which is a particular position that occurs when the Moon is in the position of maximum distance from the Earth.

In this position it is also called "mini moon" precisely because being at the maximum distance from the Earth we see it in its smallest dimension precisely because it is so far away.

The great opposition

Furthermore Mars will be visible in opposition along with this total eclipse of the Moon . This is another truly unique phenomenon given that since 2003 we could not see Mars so clearly. "The great opposition" is added to this eclipse and we can therefore witness a unique celestial phenomenon.

In fact, Mars, the red planet, will be near its minimum distance from the Sun known as perihelion and therefore we will be able to see it with the naked eye simultaneously in the sky with this total eclipse of the Moon.

When to look at the sky: the times of the eclipse

The Moon will begin to enter the shadows on July 27 at 7:13 pm Italian time and will reach the shadow phase at 8.24 pm.

The total eclipse will start at 9.30pm with the highest peak at 22:21. He will come out of the shadow phase at 11.13 pm and later also from the penumbra to 02.19 on 28th July 2018.

Where to see the eclipse

The astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, head of the Virtual Telescope Project and NASA itself, report this particular event so mark the date and prepare your evening to admire the sky.

Many astronomical observatories will organize events just to be able to admire this spectacular moment of total eclipse of the Moon, so search in your area and book an evening different from the usual.

Moreover, this event has no need for telescopes or other instruments because it will be completely visible to the naked eye from Italy. Obviously a telescope will help to see the phenomenon even better and above all it will serve to see more the great opposition with Mars.

In all areas of Italy you will be able to completely see this total eclipse of the Moon and the opposition of Mars. Also in other parts of the world it will be visible and in fact the eastern hemisphere of the Earth will be the first to be able to see this phenomenon of total eclipse.

In Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand it will be visible while in South America they will be able to observe only the final part of the eclipse only after sunset on 27 July. On the other side of the world instead in New Zealand it will be visible before dawn on 28 July.

Some areas of the planet will not be able to see this eclipse like North America, the Pacific Ocean area and the Arctic area.