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Athens' Acropolis Witnesses ‘Majestic Moment’ Under Moonlight

People observe a rising full snow moon rises as they visit the Areios Pagos hill at the archaeological site of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
People observe a rising full snow moon rises as they visit the Areios Pagos hill at the archaeological site of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
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Athens' Acropolis Witnesses ‘Majestic Moment’ Under Moonlight

People observe a rising full snow moon rises as they visit the Areios Pagos hill at the archaeological site of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
People observe a rising full snow moon rises as they visit the Areios Pagos hill at the archaeological site of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Under the light of the full moon, Athens' Acropolis looked ethereal as people crowded on Sunday to enjoy this "majestic moment." The Acropolis was among 120 other landmarks and museums in Greece that opened their doors for visitors to watch the last full moon event for this summer.

From the museum's balcony that was exceptionally opened for free until midnight, the Parthenon looked fabulous standing on a hill overlooking the capital. Near 9:00 pm (local time), the massive yellow circle rose from between the hills surrounding Athens, and the full moon scene started. "It's a majestic moment," Yonissis, a Greek who lives in Switzerland told AFP.

While Spiros, 22, was gazing at the illuminated Parthenon, he regretted "the huge crowd," but also said that "all those people who came to explore the ancient history of Greece made him feel proud."

Time passed nine, and the queue of people waiting to enter the museum in the front yard was still long, extending to the pedestrian lane that surrounds the Acropolis.

Visitors were eager to benefit from the free entrance and the extension of work hours. Sophie, a French tourist, noticed that "all Athens was here like if it was a fashion week event," noting that "the night ambiance in museums is always special."

The activities and events celebrating the last full moon for this season were held across the country. Islands in the Cyclades Archipelago, Ionian Sea, and Aegean Sea like Crete saw concerts, plays, dancing performances, poetry readings and star gazing circles.

Greeks and tourists alike, anywhere in the country, had the chance to explore all the historic and cultural landmarks under moonlight. Among these sites are Kassope in Epirus (northwest Greece), Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes (southeast), in addition to the archeological sites in the Olympia, Mistras, Corinth, and Nemea in the Peloponnese peninsula (southwest), Thebes (center), and Corfu (west).

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Study: Earth's Satellites at Risk if Asteroid Smashes into Moon

A huge asteroid threatens the Moon (European Space Agency)
A huge asteroid threatens the Moon (European Space Agency)
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Study: Earth's Satellites at Risk if Asteroid Smashes into Moon

A huge asteroid threatens the Moon (European Space Agency)
A huge asteroid threatens the Moon (European Space Agency)

If a huge asteroid smashes into the Moon in 2032, the gigantic explosion would send debris streaming towards Earth that would threaten satellites and create a spectacular meteor shower, according to researchers.

Earlier this year there were briefly fears that the 60-meter-wide (200-foot-wide) asteroid called 2024 YR4, which is big enough to level a city, would strike Earth on December 22, 2032, according to AFP.

Subsequent observations from telescopes definitively ruled out a direct hit on Earth.

However, the odds that it will crash into the Moon have risen to 4.3%, according to data from the James Webb space telescope in May.

A new preprint study, which has not been peer-reviewed, is the first to estimate how such a collision could affect Earth.

It would be the largest asteroid to hit the Moon in around 5,000 years, lead study author Paul Wiegert of Canada's University of Western Ontario told AFP.

The impact would be “comparable to a large nuclear explosion in terms of the amount of energy released,” he added.

Up to 100 million kilograms of material would shoot out from the Moon's surface, according to a series of simulations run by the researchers.

If the asteroid hit the side of the Moon facing Earth -- which is roughly a 50% chance -- up to 10% of this debris could be pulled in by Earth's gravity over the following days, they said.

“A centimeter-sized rock travelling at tens of thousands of meters per second is a lot like a bullet,” Wiegert said.

In the days after the impact, there could be more than 1,000 times the normal number of meteors threatening Earth's satellites, he added.

Meanwhile, those of us on the ground would be treated to a “spectacular” meteor shower lighting up the night sky, the study said.