The leader of Astronomy and Astrophysics Group in the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Augustine Ubachukwu, has said that Nigeria will experience a spectacular total lunar eclipse on Friday night.
Ubachukwu disclosed this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said, “Nigeria is set to experience a very spectacular total lunar eclipse on Friday, July 27. It will be visible from 9:30.p.m. and last till 11: 20 p.m.’’
“This total lunar eclipse will be primarily visible from the world’s Eastern Hemisphere, which are Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
“Part of South America will be able to watch the final stages of the eclipse just after sunset on July 27.
“New Zealand will catch the beginning stages of the eclipse before sunrise on July 28.
“It will be the century’s longest total lunar eclipse with a whopping one hour and 43 minutes in totality.
“It starts with a partial eclipse at 7:24 p.m. The total eclipse begins at 8.30 p.m., and ends at 10.13 p.m. The peak of the eclipse will occur at 9.22 p.m. The partial eclipse ends at 11.19 p.m.”
The Professor stated that a lunar eclipse could occur only on the night of a full moon.
According to him, ‘’during a total lunar eclipse, the earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon, while the only light reflected from the lunar surface would be refracted by earth’s atmosphere.
‘Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any eye protection or special precautions as they appear dimmer than the full moon.’’
The professor also revealed that the next total lunar eclipse that would be visible in Nigeria would occur on January 21, 2019.
