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2026 is a special year for astronomy enthusiasts and the general public around the world

        By :- Amal Udawatta     This total lunar eclipse will be clearly visible from the Pacific Ocean, Australia, and western North America. The sky will be pitch black when the eclipse is complete, and the bright red moon against that dark background will be a stunning sight to the naked eye. On March 3, 2026, the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon will line up to form a "Total lunar eclipse." Unlike previous total lunar eclipses, the moon will appear dark red or copper instead of black. The phenomenon that causes this is called Rayleigh Scattering. This is when the Earth's atmosphere scatters the blue light from the sun, scattering only the red light back onto the moon. This process causes the moon to appear bright red, hence the name Blood Moon. The total lunar eclipse on April 3 will have a Saros number of 133. The penumbra will have a magnitude of 2.369, and the umbra will have a magnitude of 1.368. This lunar eclipse will be visible in all three form...
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A rare planetary alignment

         From :- Star Walk          Edited by: Amal Udawatta Look for a large planetary alignment around February 28, 2026! In the evening, about an hour after sunset, six planets —  Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, and Mercury  — will align in the sky. Four of them (Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury) will be  easily visible to the naked eye . For Uranus and Neptune, get a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. The  Moon , about 90% illuminated, will also be in the sky, appearing very close to Jupiter. This will create a particularly beautiful view. Nearby will be brilliant  Venus  (mag -3.9). It will make a close approach to Mercury on  February 27 , passing within  4°30 ′  from it. Venus will be in the neighboring constellation  Aquarius , also near the western horizon. It will be the brightest dot in that direction — and in the entire sky. Clench your hand into a f...

Japanese artist Hokusai inspires new work by Scottish Opera

  From :- BBC World News   By :-  Pauline McLean   -  Scotland arts correspondent  Edited by:-  Amal Udawatta   Mihaela Bodlovic Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai has inspired Scottish Opera's latest work Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai created more than 30,000 artworks during an extraordinary nine-decade career. One image in particular from two centuries ago - the picture The Great Wave off Kanagawa - has inspired countless works ranging from animations to T-shirts. The latest example of this is a new work for Scottish Opera by Japanese composer Dai Fujikura and Scottish librettist Harry Ross. The pair had collaborated on three operas together when Dai and his family were invited to an exhibition of Hokusai's work in London in 2017. "We didn't know anything about Hokusai," says Dai, who was born in Osaka but moved to London when he was 15. "We'd seen that picture, the image of The Great Wave, but that was it. "So we went and we were real...