Full Lunar Eclipse Brings Rare ‘Super Blood Moon’

A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)
A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)
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Full Lunar Eclipse Brings Rare ‘Super Blood Moon’

A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)
A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)

One of our planet's most stunning sights came to the skies - a super blood Moon, reported BBC.

In the year's only full lunar eclipse, Earth came between the Sun and the Moon.

Falling fully into Earth's shadow, the Moon slowly darkened before turning dusky red.

It was visible with the naked eye before dawn on Monday in most of Europe. The Americas got a great view on Sunday evening.

The Moon appeared larger than usual because it was at its closest point to Earth of its orbit, giving it the name super Moon.

It was also called a super flower blood Moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, a full moon in May is often called a flower Moon because it coincides with the Spring flowers.

The only sunlight reaching the Moon during the full eclipse passed through the Earth's atmosphere.

This light was blood red, from all Earth's sunrises and sunsets reflected on to the Moon's surface, explains Dr. Gregory Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

"You'll actually be seeing every sunrise and every sunset occurring around the Earth at once. All that light will be projected on to the Moon," he told BBC News before the eclipse.

On Monday, western parts of Europe got a good but short view as the Moon sets during the eclipse. Between 02:30 and 04:30 BST, people saw the moon falling into shadow before glowing red; it was visible in Africa too.

In the UK, watching from a high vantage point like a hill or tall building was essential because of the Moon's very low position in the sky.

The UK got a better view of the earlier part of the eclipse, Dr. Brown explained.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.