Sky watchers have been making the most of a chance to see a total lunar eclipse with a difference. The phenomenon could be seen in North and South America, and across the Atlantic in western and northern Europe.
Image: Reuters/M. Blake
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In 2018 "Mondfinsternis," or lunar eclipse, was the top term among Google searches in German-speaking countries. According to Google trends, the Earth satellite was also at the top of the list. The question most people asked was: "Where is the moon?"
The reason for this enormous interest was the "Super Blood Moon", which thousands could marvel at on a warm July 2018 evening in the southeastern sky.
Half a year later, on January 21, there was a chance to see the natural spectacle again. The best views were to be seen from Europe, North and South America and West Africa. Central and East Africa as well as Asia experienced only a partial lunar eclipse.
An optical trick: The closer the moon is to the horizon, the bigger it appearsImage: picture-alliance/AA/A. Coskun
Into the shadow
In Germany the eclipse could be seen early, at around half past five in the morning local time. At 04:34 a.m., the moon entered the innermost part of the Earth's shadow, the umbra. The complete eclipse (lasting about an hour), began at 5:41 a.m., with the maximum eclipse at 06:12 a.m.
The moon had only risen 16 degrees above the horizon by the time of the total eclipse.
As with the last eclipse, in July 2018, there's good reason to see the phenomenon with the moon so low. Sunlight is refracted in the Earth's atmosphere and the short-wave blue light components are scattered in such a way that they do not reach the moon. Only the long-wave red rays can penetrate the atmosphere and indirectly illuminate the moon with red light.
Seen from Earth, the moon does not shine silver as usual, but copper red. That's why it's called "blood moon." The color intensity depends mainly on how much moisture, dust or other fine particles will be in the Earth's atmosphere.
The moon also appears larger than usual. This optical illusion is due to the fact that the moon is closer to Earth than usual - "only" 357,340 kilometers away. Another factor: Since the moon will hang relatively low over the horizon, it appears larger to us observers because of atmospheric refraction.
It wasn't just the first lunar landing 50 years ago that sparked people's imaginations about the Moon. We explore how the moon has profoundly influenced art and culture for thousands of years.
Image: Imago
Blockbuster of the century
With the historic moon landing on July 20, 1969, the moon could well have lost some of its mythical luster. Suddenly humans were exploring its mysteries first-hand — and even taking photographs. Science, it seemed, had finally conquered the Earth's enigmatic satellite — even its dark side.
Image: Getty Images/Nasa
Fly me to the moon
On July 27, 2018 a rare dual celestial phenomenon occurred: a relatively long lunar eclipse or "blood moon" due to the moon's change in color while shadowed by earth, and the nearest approach of planet Mars in 15 years. The very rare cosmic coincidence had sky gazers out in force. Since the beginning of time, however, the moon has been revered for its magic, mystery and cultural significance.
Image: picture-alliance/Imaginechina/S. Yipeng
Religious symbolism and astrology
People have worshipped the moon since the beginning of time, structuring their lives around its patterns and revering its perceived forces. Sometimes time was counted in moons rather than days or months. The bronze Nebra sky disc, found in Saxony-Anhalt in 1999, represents the duality of early astronomy and spirituality. The disc is estimated to be 3700-4100 years old.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The meaning of…
In the visual arts, the moon has been used to symbolize a variety of themes: innocence, the Virgin Mary, female sexuality. However, the overwhelming association has always been one of romance. Artists frequently looked to the moon for its magic, as displayed here in Caspar David Friedrich's "Two Men Contemplating the Moon" from 1820.
Image: picture alliance/Heritage Images/Fine Art Images
Immortal muse of the poets
The moon has played a pivotal role in literature since time immemorial. In poetry, it's often used to express melancholy and longing — or often solace, as in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem "To the Moon." The opening verse of the poem reads: "Bush and vale thou fill'st again / With thy misty ray / And my spirit's heavy chain / Castest far away."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Edelmann/Städel Museum/ARTOTHEK/The British Museum(Ausschnitt)
Howl at the moon
The moon may inspire owls and wolves to sing, but humans have also made a habit of howling at it. Famous examples include Matthias Claudius' beloved German lullaby "Gently the Moon has Risen," Elvis Presley's version of Rodgers and Hart's "Blue Moon" and Pink Floyd's seminal 1973 album "The Dark Side of the Moon."
Image: picture alliance/AP Images
Horror and romance
Mark Twain once said "Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody." Since ancient times, legends have abounded about people who turn into wolves at the full moon. The werewolf has been a perennial cinema favorite — as in "The Wolf Man" of 1941, pictured. But the moon has played a role in every genre, including romantic comedies like the 1987 romcom "Moonstruck."
Image: picture alliance/United Archives/IFTN
Eternal mystery
But the magic of the moon wasn't destroyed by its human conquest. Indeed, it still continues to inspire, and in 2013 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and his Danish collaborator Ólafur Elíasson launched their "Moon" project. At www.moonmoonmoonmoon.com people can immortalize their own drawings of the moon. "Leave your fingerprint and see the shared moon grow as others reach out too," implores the website.
Image: www.moonmoonmoonmoon.com
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How often can a lunar eclipse be seen?
The moon touches the shadow of the Earth, and thus "creates" a lunar eclipse, two-and-a-half times a year on average. But there isn't always a total lunar eclipse. That only comes about when a full moon completely falls into the umbra.
In Germany a partial lunar eclipse can be observed on July 16 during the first half of the night.
There will also be a total solar eclipse on July 2, but it can only be observed in South America. Then, a ring-shaped solar eclipse will be seen over Asia on December 26.
The next total lunar eclipse over Germany will be in May 2022. But the moon will set just when the total eclipse would occur and will therefore not be visible from Europe. The next total lunar eclipse that you can see from Germany will only be on December 31, 2028.
For the 60th anniversary of the creation of NASA, DW brings you a selection of moments that left their mark on the famed space agency.
Image: AP/DW
Explorer 1 — older than NASA
The Soviet Union launched its Sputnik satellite in 1957, beating US to the punch and prompting fears of Soviet dominance in space. In January of the next year, the US army responded by sending up the Explorer 1 satellite (pictured above). And on July 29, 1958, the US Congress approved the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, or NASA. The agency opened its doors on October 1.
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Men on the moon
NASA managed to land humans on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, just 11 years after the association's foundation. The feat was accomplished using less computing power than that possessed by the modern-day smartphone. The photo shows Neil Armstrong and Erwin Aldrin planting the US flag on the lunar surface.
On April 14, 1970, an oxygen tank on the Apollo 13 spacecraft exploded, prompting astronaut James Lovell (center) to report back to NASA base in Texas: "Houston, we've had a problem." The crew made it back to Earth after a risky repair operation. Lovell's phrase, slightly misquoted, was made famous by a 1995 movie, Apollo 13.
The Challenger Space Shuttle was not as fortunate as Apollo 13. It exploded, killing all seven people on board, just minutes after takeoff on January 28, 1986. Famed physicist Richard Feynman eventually determined that the crash was caused by a rubber seal ring that failed in unusually cold temperatures.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/B. Weaver
Burying the hatchet
The Cold War rivalries between Russian and American scientists were finally buried on December 14, 1998, when the US-built Unity module and the Russian-made Zarya module docked in space. The two modules form the basis of what we now know as the International Space Station (ISS).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/NASA
NASA's Curiosity is scouting ahead for us
On August 6, 2012, NASA landed the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars. The mobile laboratory is still sending scientific findings, selfies and even tweets from Mars, albeit with a little help from its Earth-based handlers. Curiosity's data is crucial for NASA's next mission: landing humans on Mars some time in the 2030s.
