We can prepare for a total lunar eclipse over the Netherlands. A totally darkened moon will be low on the horizon for almost an hour and a half. But how well we can see this above Drenthe is still the question.
High clouds plays a role in this, says RTV Drenthe weatherman Hans Nienhuis. That high clouds is today during the day on this summer day and it will also be present tonight.
“The lunar eclipse is immediately there when the sun sets and the moon comes up,” says Nienhuis. “You then have to look at the east and then you can see it coming up. If that high clouds stays really well present, then it is just where the moon is exactly. Then it is a matter of waiting for a while until the moon is a bit higher above the horizon before you can see it better.”
But the RTV Drenthe Weerman is hopeful. “The moon may be less clear, but I think it will be possible to see the lunar eclipse over Drenthe.”
The eclipse starts at 5.27 pm and ends at 10.57 pm. The highlight is at 8.12 pm, just after the rise of the moon. Because the sun is undergoing around 8.15 pm, the moon is only clear from around 8.25 pm, is the expectation.
A lunar eclipse arises when the earth stands exactly between the sun and the moon, causing the moon to end up in the shade of the earth. It is called a blackout, but the moon does not disappear completely from view. Because sunlight is scattered and deflected in the earth’s atmosphere, part of it still reaches the moon. This provides the characteristic reddish color, which is also known as a blood moon.