Raj Hardia in Indore, India caught this photo of the November 28, 2012
penumbral lunar eclipse soon after it began. The shadow on the moon is
coming from the left in this photo. It’s very, very subtle.
The full moon on Friday night and into Saturday morning – the night of October 18-19, 2013 – will undergo a subtle lunar eclipse. It’ll be the last lunar eclipse of 2013. This is a special moon for us anyway, in the Northern Hemisphere: it’s the Hunter’s Moon. This penumbral lunar eclipse is not as striking as a total, or even partial, eclipse of the moon. But very observant people, and/or photographers, might be able to see or capture it.
Be forewarned. The moon will not dip into the Earth’s dark umbral shadow during this eclipse. At no time will it appear as if a dark bite has been taken from the moon. At best, the penumbral eclipse may be seen as a shading of the moon’s southern limb. This is a relatively deep penumbral eclipse, however, with 76% of the moon shaded by the Earth’s penumbral shadow at mid-eclipse.
Date of Eclipse: October 18-19, 2013
Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 21:51 UTC
Greatest Eclipse: 23:50 UTC
Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 01:50 UTC
Read more HERE
Why does the moon look so big on the horizon? It’s called the moon illusion
We’ve all seen a full moon looming large shortly after it rises, when it’s still hugging the horizon. Scientists say that large moon is an illusion, a trick your brain is playing. It’s called the moon illusion. Its causes aren’t precisely known, but the video below, from AsapSCIENCE, offers some explanation.
Read more HERE
What is a penumbral eclipse of the moon?
An eclipse of the moon can only happen at full moon, when the sun, Earth and moon line up in space, with Earth in the middle. At such times, Earth’s shadow falls on the moon, creating a lunar eclipse. When this happens – and it happens two to four times every year – everyone on Earth’s night side can see the eclipse. There are three kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral.
In a total eclipse of the moon, the inner part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, falls on the moon’s face. At mid-eclipse, the entire moon is in shadow, which may appear blood red.
In a partial lunar eclipse, the umbra takes a bite out of only a fraction of the moon. The dark bite grows larger, and then recedes, never reaching the total phase.
In a penumbral lunar eclipse, only the more diffuse outer shadow of Earth falls on the moon’s face. This third kind of lunar eclipse is much more subtle, and much more difficult to observe, than either a total or partial eclipse of the moon. There is never a dark bite taken out of the moon, as in a partial eclipse. The eclipse never progresses to reach the dramatic minutes of totality. At best, at mid-eclipse, very observant people will notice a dark shading on the moon’s face. Others will look and notice nothing at all.
See the penumbral eclipse of the Hunter’s Moon on October 18-19
- EarthSky
