Partial lunar eclipse visible across Argentina August 27-28

Stargazers in Argentina can anticipate a partial lunar eclipse occurring on the night of Thursday, August 27, extending into the early hours of Friday, August 28. The celestial event unfolds when Earth positions itself directly between the Sun and the Moon, projecting its shadow onto the lunar surface.

Adrián González, a physics and astronomy professor and scientific communicator at the Galileo Galilei Planetarium, explained that the eclipse involves the progression of Earth's shadow across the Moon. He noted that for this to happen, the Sun, Earth, and Moon must align in a straight line. The shadow's advance will reach its peak at 1:18 AM on Friday, August 28.

A unique aspect of this eclipse, visible throughout Argentina, will be a subtle reddish hue on the Moon's surface. González attributed this to atmospheric dispersion, a phenomenon similar to how rainbows form. Light passing through Earth's atmosphere scatters, with the amount and density of the atmosphere influencing the color. This scattering causes the light reaching the Moon to appear reddish.

This lunar eclipse marks the final one observable in Argentina for the current year. The next similar event is not anticipated until June 2029. For optimal viewing, González advised seeking locations away from city lights and light pollution, provided the weather cooperates. The visible portion of the eclipse, where the Moon takes on reddish tones within Earth's umbra, is expected to last about three hours, from 11:30 PM on Thursday to 2:50 AM on Friday.