Blood Moon 2018: How to watch longest lunar eclipse

Come July, the world will witness a rare astronomical spectacle event. Blood moon will appear on the intermediary night of July 27-28.

The total lunar eclipse will be the longest one in the 21st century, lasting one hour and 43 minutes.

The astronomical event marks the second total lunar eclipse and Blood Moon of the year.

They formed the Super Blue Blood Moon, on January 31. Now, six months later, another lunar spectacle - a Blood Moon - will be seen on the late night/early morning of July 27-28.

Why it is called a blood moon?

The reddish glow that appears on the moon during the eclipse, due to the way the Earth's atmosphere scatters light, gives it the name "blood moon".

When can you see the total lunar eclipse

The eclipse will begin at 7.30 pm UTC (12 am IST) and end at 9.13 pm UTC (1.43 am IST). The last lunar eclipse, which took place on January 31, lasted for an hour and 17 minutes.

The eclipse will be visible only from the Eastern hemisphere - Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.The last longest eclipse took place on July 16, 2000, and lasted for one hour and 46.4 minutes.

Unfortunately, most residents of North America will have to settle for a high-definition video of the eclipse as it occurs, while those in the European Union and neighboring areas may have a bit more luck to view the extremely rare astronomical event with the naked eye.

How long will the July Blood Moon last?

The eclipse, which will create a "blood moon", will last for about one hour and 43 minutes. This also outstrips the Super Blue Blood Moon combination that occurred in January of this year by nearly three-quarters of an hour.

Why is the lunar eclipse so long?

In July 2018, the full moon and lunar apogee fall on the exact same date of July 27.

Lunar apogee is the moon's farthest orbital point from Earth making it appear particularly small and distant.