Islanders and persons in the Territory had their eyes glued to the sky on Sunday 27 September. Mobile phones and cameras were aimed at the spectacular phenomenon that was the rare extra-large Moon eclipse. From around 8:11p.m, persons began looking for the lunar event, which was the first of its kind since 1982.
Fair weather created an enjoyable setting for the many sky-gazers who were determined to watch every phase of the ‘Super Blood Moon’, as the eclipse was referred. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). This can occur only when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can occur only the night of a full moon
According to NASA these phenomena have only occurred five times in the 1900s – in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982. It is anticipated that after the 28 September 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse, a Supermoon eclipse will not happen again for another 18 years, until 8 October 2033.
A 95-year-old resident told The Island Sun that he looked at every phase of the stunning eclipse “just in case in 2033 there might be a cloudy sky”. However, the BVI remains one the top five spots on earth from where one can have truly spectacular views of such a celestial sensation.