The Philippine Astronomical Society offered prizes to astronomy enthusiasts who can capture the best blood moon photo on November 8.
The moon emits a reddish or blood-like color when it passes through the Earth’s shadow, called the “umbra”, and the sun.
This phenomenon is also called a total lunar eclipse. This event happens once every 2.5 years on average.
Lunar eclipses, especially the total lunar eclipse, are normally visible in many parts of the world without the use of an equipment.
Local astronomers previously listed the places where the totality of the eclipse can be best viewed.
READ: Blood moon rises: Where to watch total lunar eclipse this November 8
To pump up the excitement of the public for this event, the PAS announced a photo-taking contest that is open for all residents of the National Capital Region and nearby provinces (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal).
“Today is finally the day to witness the Total Lunar Eclipse. Capture the lunar eclipse in any of its phases tonight and share it with us using any of your devices, it can be any mobile phone or camera,” it said.
“This contest will be open for all, but residents in the NCR Plus regions (Metro Manila including Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal) will be considered for the Top 3 prizes.,” it added.
The non-government organization also quoted a line from Taylor Swift’s 2008 hit track “Fearless.”
“In this moment now capture it, remember it,” the line reads.
The contest mechanics and criteria for judging are provided in the post.
The PAS also advised those who are in Rizal Park can borrow lenses from JT Photoworld representatives to get a better shot of the eclipse.
“For the participants who will be attending in Rizal Park tonight with their DSLRs, you may approach the representatives from JT Photoworld to borrow and test their Sigma lenses to take photos of the moon,” it said.
Here are the following prizes that the top three winners will receive:
- First place prize: Lunar Meteorite, personalized Star Map Lamp, and prizes from JT Photoworld;
- Second place prize: Meteorite Necklace, A5 Star Map of the Total Lunar Eclipse event and prizes from JT Photoworld;
- Third place prize: Bottle of meteorite and prizes from JT Photoworld
To those who cannot personally go to the observation sites, the entire total lunar eclipse can be streamed live via the Facebook page of PAS.
