Night sky spectacular
A lunar eclipse will be visible across the whole of Africa and much of Europe on late on Saturday night (March 3).
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into the earth’s shadow.
The clear night skies in Tenerife, where there are a number of observatories, make the island an ideal spot from which to appreciate the full majesty of what it is expected to be one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky for some time.
The total eclipse, the first in nearly three years, will be at its greatest at around 11.30pm, when the moon should appear a deep coppery red in colour.
Signs of the eclipse will start to become apparent at around 8.30pm and the event will be all over by 2.30am in the early hours of Sunday morning.
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon remains visible but changes colour due to sunlight being refracted by the earth’s atmosphere.
This time, the moon will be deep within the earth’s shadow and should be deeper and more vivid in colour than in previous eclipses. The eclipse can be safely observed without the need for any optical aids.
