Next on celestial stage – lunar eclipse in July
The next big celestial event to look forward to is a lunar eclipse that can be seen from Thailand early in the morning of July 28, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT).
Mark the date on your calendar and the best viewing time – 2.30 to 4.13am.
NARIT, part of the Science and Technology Ministry, announced on Thursday that the eclipse will coincide with a “micro full moon” – so called because the Moon will be at its apogee (furthest from Earth than at any other time in 2018, at 406,086 kilometres) and would thus appear smaller than usual.
NARIT noted the future event as it released telephoto views of Wednesday night’s “Super Blue Blood Moon” taken from Central Festival Chiang Mai Plaza, where it had set up one of four observation points for the public.
The celestial trifecta – the second full moon of the month (a “blue” moon), appearing large because of its close proximity to Earth, and reddening as the Earth’s shadow passed over it – had not been seen in 150 years.
On Wednesday, the phenomenon could be observed starting at about 6.30pm. Eclipse was total from 7.51 to 9.07 and ended at 11.08pm.
NARIT said the evening’s clear sky meant the triple lunar event could be seen from Chiang Mai to Yala.
It also set up skygazing locales for the public Nakhon Ratchasima and Chachoengsao observatories and on Songkhla’s Samila Beach.