WASHINGTON: The US aviation regulator issued a renewed warning on Tuesday to civilian aircraft operating in Venezuelan airspace, citing the dangers of military activity.
The Federal Aviation Administration urged aircraft to “exercise caution” due to the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela” — the same wording used in a previous warning issued last month.
The new warning came days after a pilot for JetBlue said his aircraft came close to colliding with a US Air Force refueling plane near Venezuela — an incident the airline said it had reported to American authorities.
The United States has amassed a huge flotilla of warships in the Caribbean and has repeatedly flown military aircraft along Venezuela’s coast as Washington seeks to pressure leftist leader Nicolas Maduro to leave power.
Washington accuses Maduro of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns,” which it declared a “narco-terrorist” organization last month, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
US forces have also carried out a series of strikes targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific — a months-long campaign that has left at least 95 people dead and sent regional tensions soaring.
US again warns air traffic over military activity around Venezuela
https://arab.news/5qcrm
US again warns air traffic over military activity around Venezuela
- The new warning came days after a pilot for JetBlue said his aircraft came close to colliding with a US Air Force refueling plane near Venezuela
A total lunar eclipse will turn the moon blood red on Tuesday across several continents
- The eclipses tend to follow each other, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the celestial bodies’ orbits
NEW YORK: A blood-red moon will soon grace the skies for a total lunar eclipse — and there won’t be another until late 2028.
The spectacle will be visible Tuesday morning from North America, Central America and the western part of South America. Australia and eastern Asia can catch it Tuesday night. Partial stages of the eclipse with small bites taken out of the moon can be seen from Central Asia and much of South America. Africa and Europe will be shut out.
Solar and lunar eclipses happen due to a precise alignment of the sun, moon and Earth. There are between four and seven a year, according to NASA.
The eclipses tend to follow each other, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the celestial bodies’ orbits. Tuesday’s total eclipse of the moon comes two weeks after a ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse that dazzled people and penguins in Antarctica.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth is between the sun and full moon, casting a shadow that covers the moon. The so-called blood moon looks red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere.
The show unfolds over several hours, with totality lasting about an hour.
Compared to a solar eclipse, “the lunar eclipse is a little more of a relaxed pace,” said Catherine Miller at Middlebury College’s Mittelman Observatory.
For those in the path, there’s no need for any special equipment to observe — just a clear, cloudless view of the sky.
Use a forecasting app or any online celestial calendar to look up the exact timing for your area. Venture outside a few times to see Earth’s shadow darken the moon, eventually revealing the reddish-orange orb.
“You don’t have to be out there the whole time to see the shadows moving,” said astronomer Bennett Maruca with the University of Delaware.
There’s a partial lunar eclipse on the docket for August, visible across the Americas, Europe, Africa and west Asia.
