Moroccan Photo of the Day - Moon Over Tangier

This full moon last night was the closest and brightest "supermoon" of 2016 but also the largest since 1948. The full moon won't come this close to Earth again until Nov. 25, 2034.

See more in our series Photo of the Day 

The View from Fez welcomes contributions to our Photo of the Day Series

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Total Lunar Eclipse Visible in Fez

Early Monday morning a total lunar eclipse will be fully visible in Fez.  The total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a blood moon, as the moon turns red. What should make this eclipse spectacular is that the moon is at the nearest point to earth for this year

Phases and local times of this eclipse in Morocco

Start of the partial eclipse will be around 02:07
The maximum eclipse will be around 03:47
The end of the partial eclipse will be at 05:27

The total time of the eclipse is 5 hours and 11 minutes.

Earlier tonight  - and the forecast is for clear skies and good visibility

UPDATE:  Sadly the sky in Fez clouded over and although The View From Fez team were up to watch the eclipse - there was nothing to see.

The eclipse as seen from the UK

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Moroccan Mars Meteorite to Go Under the Hammer

A meteorite that landed in the Moroccan desert last summer was ejected from the surface of Mars 700,000 years ago, a new study reports. The meteorite is composed of an abundance of black glass, with noble gases trapped inside. On Sunday a piece of it will be offered at an auction in New York.

The meteorite ( fragment pictured above), named Tissint, after a nearby village, is only the fifth Martian meteorite that people have witnessed falling to Earth. There are about 60 known meteorites thought to be from Mars. But Tissint is unique because it fell into the desert and suffered little damage from Earth’s environment.  According to  Dr Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane, an astronomer at the Hassan II University in Casablanca, it is in perfect condition. “We had no rain between the moment it fell and the moment it was collected,” Dr. Aoudjehane  said. “It was fresh, and it is very exciting to be able to analyse this. Based on the noble gas measurements, we could calculate the ejection age of the meteorite”.

The meteorite may have been knocked loose from Mars by an asteroid or some other large body that hit the planet, the researchers believe. The impact may have also caused some melting, creating the black glass and preserving a Mars “signature” inside the glass.

When Dr Aoudjehane first heard news of the fireball that lit up the sky she traveled 700 miles from Casablanca, over the Sahara, to find the "strewn field" — where pieces spread across the sand. She was not the first one there. "The first thing that I see is hundreds of people in the middle of nowhere. And this is something that I will never forget." Men, women and children were camped out, hunting for the pieces. Meteorites are often found in North Africa — unusual rocks stand out in the desert — and they bring a good price.

A piece of the Tissint meteorite will be offered at a meteorite auction in Manhattan that is billed as the biggest ever, and the fragment on auction starts at $230,000.

It is believed that the fragment on auction fits exactly with the piece (pictured above) at the Natural History Museum in London. Hopefully someone will be generous enough to reunite them.

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Mars Rocks Morocco

Even if you were in Morocco last July, you could be excused for not noticing an extraordinary event - Martian rocks falling to earth. Yet, that did indeed happen and scientists have now confirmed that the extraterrestrial visitors did originate on Mars. 

The chances of being hit by a meteorite are astronomically small, but even if you were hit by one of the recent chunks of Mars, the chances are you wouldn't know a thing about it. The size of the rock fragments were big enough to kill someone instantly. The largest  of the 6.5 kilogrammes (15 pounds) of fragments weighed in at a kilo. At the very least you would have a nasty headache.

The scientists say this is only the fifth time experts have chemically confirmed fresh Martian rocks fell to Earth. The last time was in 1962. Scientists believe the most recent meteorite fell last July outside of the town of Foumzgit, saying there were sightings of an unidentified object falling from the sky at that time. A special committee of meteorite experts, which includes some NASA scientists, confirmed the test results today.

Astronomers think the fragments were discarded by the Red Planet millions of years ago, after a large object crashed into the planet and sent fragments hurtling through the solar system. Occasionally, they believe, some of those rocks fall to Earth.

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New Radio Telescope for Morocco

Moroccan university Al Akhawayn and Carnegie Mellon of Pittsburgh, PA are planning to build a cylindrical radio telescope of 2000 m2, whose first phase will require a budget of $ 20 million. The telescope will be installed in the Eastern Moroccan province of Figuig. It will map the sky ten times faster than any other telescope on Earth.

Moroccan, Canadian, Australian and French Researchers are affiliated with this project. It will address one of the most topical issues of modern science; "What constitutes the universe."

The unprecedented volume of new data from the telescope will allow a search of the sky for new exotic objects like rapidly spinning stars, as well as stars that explode in a flash of radio waves.

Astronomers and physicists from around the world will use the Morocco data. Morocco can carry out this program because the geography of the country allows the potential to provide radio-quiet sites.

The Atlas Mountains offer a natural shield, isolating the interior desert areas from the radio noise of the cities. Morocco offers these quiet sites but also has the technology infrastructure to support construction and operation of the telescope.

Thanks to its central positioning, and its accessibility for astronomers from Europe and North America, Morocco offers an important technological infrastructure to back the construction and the running of the telescope.

It is due to give an impetus to technology and education of young people in Morocco and will foster Morocco’s collaboration with scientific researchers from around the world who are working on the fundamental understanding of our Universe.


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Star gazing in Morocco

The stars above the Draa (click to enlarge)

Star gazing is not one of the things that immediately springs to mind when one thinks of Morocco. However, it is an ideal destination because although most of us live in areas with high population density and light pollution which obstruct the natural starry sky, there are areas in Morocco where there are no city lights.

Recently The View from Fez discovered an observatory located at the end of the Draa Valley near the small town of Tamegroute (Zagora) on the edge of the Moroccan Sahara. The observatory, situated on the roof of the Kasbah Hotel SaharaSky is the first private astronomical observatory in North Africa. Their optical equipment is impressive, including Schmidt-Cassegrain and Ritchey Chretien telescopes with up to 16 inches (400mm) aperture.

The owner, Fritz Gerd Koring, is serious about astronomy and knows exactly what people need to maximise the potential of his equipment. The observation deck is 400m² providing a full panoramic 360° view. Lights in the hotel can be turned off while viewing and laptops and your own equipment can all be catered for.

In case you do not have experience with telescopes, the proficient staff will gladly assist your star trek through sections of the crystal-clear sky above with countless stars, galaxies, nebula, and, of course, the solar system objects.

From the southerly vantage of +30° latitude you will be able to see constellations of the southern hemisphere which are out of range in central or northern Europe. The View from Fez intends to visit again soon and hopefully bring you more about this unusual Moroccan destination.

For more information visit the hotel website: Kasbah Hotel SaharaSky

The website is available in French, Spanish, German and English.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news