People all over the archipelago enthusiastically observed the total lunar eclipse on Wednesday (31/1/2018) night.
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Kompas/Agus Susanto
The triple lunar event of a supermoon and blue moon, or super blue blood moon, and total lunar eclipse is captured at 9:09 p.m. on Wednesday (31/1) at the National Monument Park in Central Jakarta.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Despite the atmosphere not being as festive as during the total solar eclipse on March 9, 2016, people all over the archipelago enthusiastically observed the total lunar eclipse on Wednesday (31/1/2018) night. Due to the eclipse’s rarity, namely its concurrent occurrence with a super moon and a blue moon – lending it the unique name of the Super Blue Blood Moon – the phenomenon has helped popularize astronomy.
In Jakarta, some 7,000 people gathered at the observation spot set up in Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) cultural center in Cikini. The Jakarta Amateur Astronomy Association and Planetarium Jakarta provided 16 telescopes, 12 of which were to be used by visitors and the other four to obtain photographic data of the total lunar eclipse.
People also gathered at the Science Exhibition Center (PP IPTEK) at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) cultural park to observe the eclipse.
Eclipse observation events were also held in coastal areas such as Ancol, North Jakarta, and in high places such as skyscrapers. People in Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Malang, Ambon and other major cities also held events to witness the unique phenomenon.
As predicted, the total lunar eclipse took place from 7:51 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB) to 9:07 p.m. WIB. A partial lunar eclipse was first sighted at 5:51 p.m. WB and ended at 11:08 p.m. WIB. However, in a number of places, the eclipse observation was hindered by clouds.
In Jakarta, the Moon was shrouded by clouds for around one hour, starting from 7:30 p.m. In Bandung and Sumedang, West Java, locals were unable to see the entire lunar eclipse as skies had been cloudy since the afternoon. Nevertheless, the people who had gathered in Bandung’s Sabuga Building were entertained by science games provided in the building’s science gallery.
People in Yogyakarta also had difficulties observing the total lunar eclipse as heavy clouds shrouded the skies. Heavy rain had fallen in the city since 5:30 p.m. WIB. “I’m a little disappointed as the Moon does not show up. I am curious what this rare phenomenon will look like,” said Yogyakarta resident Ahmad Mustaqim.
Blood moon
In Pasuruan, East Java, the total lunar eclipse could be seen clearly and was unhindered by clouds. In the city, the Moon looked redder than in other cities. However, this red hue was observable only through telescopes.
National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) observation using Lunt Engineering portable telescope showed a red-colored lunar eclipse with partial dark shadows. Lapan observation in Garut, West Java, also showed a bright red-colored moon.
“The red hue on the Moon is the result of the refraction of scattered sunlight on the Moon’s surface. The process is similar to how sunlight is scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere and resulting in the sky’s blue color,” Lapan head and astrophysics research professor Thomas Djamaluddin said in Jakarta.
Separately, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) astronomer Moedji Raharto said that he alleged the total lunar eclipse looked redder in Pasuruan than in other cities as the city has a higher level of water vapor than other cities. “The vapor is produced by trees, resulting in more humid air. This high humidity scatters the water vapor, resulting in a redder moon,” he said.
Learning astronomy
At Bandung’s Sasana Budaya Ganesha building, people observed the lunar eclipse and Muslims gathered for an eclipse prayer and a sermon by ITB astronomy lecturer Irfan Hakim. Eclipse prayers were also held in mosques all over Indonesia.
Meanwhile, other than showing a live streaming of the total lunar eclipse on a projector screen, PP Iptek officers at TMII also provided short explanations to answer visitors’ questions on the eclipse.
“We are glad that the people have better understanding on this natural phenomenon,” PP Iptek director M Syachrial Annas said.
There are several opinions regarding this rare phenomenon of Super Blue Blood Moon. Some experts said that this rare phenomenon last occurred 152 years ago.
However, others said that the Super Blue Blood Moon 152 years ago, or on March 31, 1866, was only observable in the Americas. Furthermore the name Super Blue Blood Moon was improper here as, at the time, only lunar eclipse and a blue moon occurred – not a super moon.
A Super Blue Blood Moon is not a recurring phenomenon with a fixed frequency. The next Super Blue Blood Moon will be observable in Indonesia on January 31, 2037. “The last Super Blue Blood Moon was observable in Indonesia on December 30, 1982,” Langit selatan astronomy community manager and astronomy popularizer Avivah Yamani said (Kompas, January 30, 2018).
Expert Moedji Raharto and Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) head Dwikorita Karnawati have a different opinion. A lunar eclipse occurring concurrently with a super moon and a blue moon like in 2018 last occurred 152 years ago but it was not observable in Indonesia. “Our records show that there has never been a phenomenon like this that was observable in Indonesia,” Dwikorita said.
Thomas Djamaluddin in his press statement said that three separate moon-related phenomenon occurring at the same time, namely a super moon, a blue moon and a lunar eclipse, was rare. Such a phenomenon occurred the last time on March 31, 1866, or 152 years ago.
However, Moedji, who served as Bosscha Observatory head from 1999 to 2004, said that further confirmation would be needed to ensure that three moon-related phenomena occurred at the same time and was observable in Indonesia on December 30, 1982. The phenomenon 152 years ago also needs to be confirmed.
