Eclipse total de Luna

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En la tarde-noche del día 9 de enero se producirá el primer eclipse total de Luna del siglo XXI, y será visible desde Canarias y la Península. El fenómeno no volverá a repetirse hasta mayo de 2003, en que, además, volverá a ser visible desde España y Europa.

Un eclipse total de Luna se produce cuando la Tierra se interpone entre el Sol y la Luna. La sombra terrestre hace entonces que la Luna llena desaparezca durante aproximadamente 1 hora. A diferencia de los eclipses totales de Sol, los eclipses de Luna se observan desde todo el hemisferio nocturno terrestre. Debido a la refracción de los rayos solares en la atmósfera terrestre, la Luna no suele desaparecer por completo durante la fase de totalidad del eclipse. Este efecto hace que algunos de los rayos de luz solar se curven, pudiendo iluminar la superficie lunar.

Otra diferencia entre los eclipses de Luna y los de Sol es la tonalidad: dependiendo de la mayor o menor transparencia de la atmósfera terrestre, la Luna puede adoptar distintas tonalidades, como sucedió después de la erupción del volcán Pinatubo (junio de 1991, Filipinas), en que la Luna mostró colores rojizos intensos durante los eclipses totales debido al alto contenido de polvo de la atmósfera terrestre.

Los datos para el eclipse total de Luna del 9 de enero de 2001 para Canarias son los siguientes (para las horas oficiales peninsulares sumar una hora):

FenómenoHora
[UT, hora local canaria]		Acimut Luna
[grados]		Altura Luna
[grados]
Empieza la parcialidad18:42674
Empieza la totalidad19:497417
Finaliza la totalidad20:518030
Finaliza la parcialidad22:008644
News type
Press release

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