anywhere from four to seven

times a year, our Earth, Moon and

Sun line up just right to create

the cosmic-scale shadow show

known as an eclipse. The Moon's

orbit around Earth is tilted

relative to Earth's orbit around

the Sun. This tilt is the reason

why we have occasional eclipses

instead of eclipses every month.

There are two types of eclipses:

lunar and solar. During a lunar

eclipse, Earth’s shadow obscures

the Moon. During a solar eclipse,

the Moon blocks the Sun from

view.
Lunar Eclipses
Lunar eclipses occur at the full

moon phase. When Earth is

positioned precisely between the

Moon and Sun, Earth’s shadow

falls upon the surface of the

Moon, dimming it and sometimes

turning the lunar surface a

striking red over the course of a

few hours. Each lunar eclipse is

visible from half of Earth.

There are three different

types of lunar eclipses:

Total lunar eclipse

The Moon moves into the inner

part of Earth’s shadow, or the

umbra. Some of the sunlight

passing through Earth’s

atmosphere reaches the

Moon’s surface, lighting it

dimly. Colors with shorter

wavelengths ― the blues and

violets ― scatter more easily

than colors with longer

wavelengths, like red and

orange. Because these longer

wavelengths make it through

Earth’s atmosphere, and the

shorter wavelengths have

scattered away, the Moon

appears orangish or reddish

during a lunar eclipse. The

more dust or clouds in Earth’s

atmosphere during the

eclipse, the redder the Moon

appears.
Partial lunar eclipse
An imperfect alignment of Sun,

Earth and Moon results in the

Moon passing through only

part of Earth's umbra. The

shadow grows and then

 recedes without ever entirely

covering the Moon.

Penumbral eclipse
If you don’t know this one is

happening, you might miss it.

The Moon travels through

 Earth’s penumbra, or the faint

outer part of its shadow. The

Moon dims so slightly that it

can be difficult to notice.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the

Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that
the Moon passes into Earth’s
shadow. The Moon becomes darker
and may even turn red. Credit:
NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center. Download Video

Upcoming lunar eclipses:

Date Ecli Geographic
 pse Region of
Type Visibility

Novem Tota Americas,

ber 8, l Pacific, Asia,
2022 Australia

May 5, Pen Africa, Asia,

2023 umb Australia
ral

Octobe Parti Europe, Africa,

r 28, al Asia, Australia
2023

March Pen Americas

25, umb
2024 ral
Septem Parti Americas,
ber 18, al Europe, Africa
2024

March Tota Pacific,

14, l Americas,
2025 Western Europe,
Western Africa

View data source

Solar Eclipses
Solar eclipses happen only at the

new moon phase, when the Moon

is between Earth and the Sun.

During a solar eclipse, the Moon

casts a shadow on Earth, and

blocks or partially blocks our

view of the Sun. Though solar

eclipses happen as often as lunar

eclipses, they are visible from

such a small area of Earth each

time that it’s much rarer to

encounter one.

In this animation, the umbra

portion of the Moon’s shadow
barely reaches the Earth as it
traces a path across North
America. Credit: NASA's Scientific
Visualization Studio.

During a solar eclipse, the

Moon's shadow on Earth’s

surface is only about 300 miles

(480 km) wide. The shadow

consists of two parts, the umbra,

where the Sun is completely

blocked, and the penumbra,

where the Sun is partially

obscured. People in the umbra

will see a total eclipse, while

people in the penumbra will see a

partial eclipse. Though the

shadow is narrow and the total

eclipse lasts for only minutes,

our planet rotates fast enough to

bring the shadow a third of the

way around Earth's surface

before the Moon moves out of

alignment with the Sun.

That we often get such

impressive solar eclipses on

Earth is a lucky chance of nature.

The Sun is vastly larger than the

Moon ― it’s diameter is about

400 times the Moon’s. But the

Moon is roughly 400 times closer

to Earth. This makes it possible

for the Moon to almost perfectly

block out the Sun when

everything aligns.
 What Happens
During a Solar
Eclipse?
This state of affairs won’t last

forever. The Moon started its

existence much closer to Earth,

and has been slowly drifting

outward at the rate of about 1.5

inches (3.8 cm) per year. Once it

makes it past 14,600 miles

(23,500 km), it’ll appear too small

from Earth to cover the Sun. But

don’t panic if you haven’t seen an

eclipse yet ― you’ve got another

600-million-plus years before that

border is breached. In the

meantime, you can get a preview

during an annular eclipse, when

the Sun, Moon and Earth align

but the Moon’s orbit places it too

far away from Earth to entirely

block the disk of the Sun. During

an annular eclipse, the sky takes

on a twilight cast, but some of

the Sun still shows.

Lunar eclipse
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For other uses, see Lunar eclipse

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Latter phases of the partial lunar

eclipse on 17 July 2019 taken from
Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

A lunar eclipse is an astronomical

event that occurs when the Moon
moves into the Earth's shadow,

causing the moon to be darkened.[1]

Such alignment occurs during an
eclipse season, approximately every
six months, during the full moon
phase, when the Moon's orbital plane
is closest to the plane of the Earth's
orbit.

This can occur only when the Sun,

Earth, and Moon are exactly or very
closely aligned (in syzygy) with Earth
between the other two, which can
happen only on the night of a full
moon when the Moon is near either
lunar node. The type and length of a
lunar eclipse depend on the Moon's

proximity to the lunar node.[citation

needed]

When the moon is totally eclipsed by

the Earth, it takes on a reddish color
that is caused by the planet when it
completely blocks direct sunlight
from reaching the Moon surface, as
only the light reflected from the lunar
surface has been refracted by Earth's
atmosphere. This light appears
reddish due to the Rayleigh
scattering of blue light, the same
reason sunrise and sunsets are more
orange than during the day.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only

be viewed from a relatively small area
of the world, a lunar eclipse may be
viewed from anywhere on the night
side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse
can last up to nearly 2 hours, while a
total solar eclipse lasts only up to a
few minutes at any given place,
because the Moon's shadow is
smaller. Also unlike solar eclipses,
lunar eclipses are safe to view
without any eye protection or special
precautions.

The symbol for a lunar eclipse (or

indeed any body in the shadow of
another) is (U+1F776 🝶).

Types of lunar eclipse

 A schematic diagram of the shadow
cast by Earth. Within the umbra, the
central region, the planet totally
shields direct sunlight. In contrast,
within the penumbra, the outer
portion, the sunlight is only partially
blocked. (Neither the Sun, Moon, and
Earth sizes nor the distances between
the bodies are to scale.)

Earth's shadow can be divided into

two distinctive parts: the umbra and

penumbra.[2] Earth totally occludes

direct solar radiation within the
umbra, the central region of the
shadow. However, since the Sun's
diameter appears about one-quarter
of Earth's in the lunar sky, the planet
only partially blocks direct sunlight
within the penumbra, the outer
portion of the shadow.

Penumbral lunar eclipse

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs

when the Moon passes only into the

Earth's penumbra.[3] The penumbra

causes a subtle dimming of the lunar
surface, which is only visible to the
naked eye when about 70% of the
Moon's diameter has immersed into

Earth's penumbra.[4] A special type of

penumbral eclipse is a total
penumbral lunar eclipse, during
which the Moon lies exclusively
within Earth's penumbra. Total
penumbral eclipses are rare, and
when these occur, the portion of the
Moon closest to the umbra may
appear slightly darker than the rest of
the lunar disk.

Partial lunar eclipse

When the Moon penetrates partially
into the Earth's umbra, it is known as

a partial lunar eclipse,[3] while a total

lunar eclipse occurs when the entire
Moon enters the planet's umbra. The
Moon's average orbital speed is
about 1.03 km/s (2,300 mph), or a
little more than its diameter per hour,
so totality may last up to nearly 107
minutes. Nevertheless, the total time
between the first and the last
contacts of the Moon's limb with
Earth's shadow is much longer and

could last up to 236 minutes.[5]

Total lunar eclipse

Timelapse of a total lunar eclipse

If the Moon entirely passes into the

Earth's umbra, a total lunar eclipse

occurs.[3] Just prior to complete

entry, the brightness of the lunar limb
—the curved edge of the Moon still
being hit by direct sunlight—will
cause the rest of the Moon to appear
comparatively dim. The moment the
Moon enters a complete eclipse, the
entire surface will become more or
less uniformly bright. Later, as the
Moon's opposite limb is struck by
sunlight, the overall disk will again
become obscured. This is because as
viewed from the Earth, the brightness
of a lunar limb is generally greater
than that of the rest of the surface
due to reflections from the many
surface irregularities within the limb:
sunlight striking these irregularities
is always reflected back in greater
quantities than that striking more
central parts, and is why the edges of
full moons generally appear brighter
than the rest of the lunar surface.
This is similar to the effect of velvet
fabric over a convex curved surface
which to an observer will appear
darkest at the center of the curve. It
will be true of any planetary body
with little or no atmosphere and an
irregular cratered surface (e.g.,
Mercury) when viewed opposite the

Sun.[6]

Central lunar eclipse

Central lunar eclipse is a total lunar

eclipse during which the Moon
passes through the centre of Earth's
shadow, contacting the antisolar

point.[7] This type of lunar eclipse is

relatively rare.

The relative distance of the Moon

from Earth at the time of an eclipse
can affect the eclipse's duration. In
particular, when the Moon is near
apogee, the farthest point from Earth
in its orbit, its orbital speed is the
slowest. The diameter of Earth's
umbra does not decrease appreciably
within the changes in the Moon's
orbital distance. Thus, the
concurrence of a totally eclipsed
Moon near apogee will lengthen the
duration of totality.

Selenelion
A selenelion or selenehelion, also
called a horizontal eclipse, occurs
where and when both the Sun and an
eclipsed Moon can be observed at
the same time. The event can only be
observed just before sunset or just
after sunrise, when both bodies will
appear just above opposite horizons
at nearly opposite points in the sky.
A selenelion occurs during every
total lunar eclipse—it is an
experience of the observer, not a
planetary event separate from the
lunar eclipse itself. Typically,
observers on Earth located on high
mountain ridges undergoing false
sunrise or false sunset at the same
moment of a total lunar eclipse will
be able to experience it. Although
during selenelion the Moon is
completely within the Earth's umbra,
both it and the Sun can be observed
in the sky because atmospheric
refraction causes each body to
appear higher (i.e., more central) in
the sky than its true geometric

planetary position.[8]

Timing

Contact points relative to the Earth's

umbral and penumbral shadows, here
with the Moon near is descending
node

The timing of total lunar eclipses is

determined by what are known as its
"contacts" (moments of contact with

Earth's shadow):[9]

●P1 (First contact): Beginning of

the penumbral eclipse. Earth's
penumbra touches the Moon's
outer limb.
●U1 (Second contact): Beginning
of the partial eclipse. Earth's
umbra touches the Moon's outer
limb.
●U2 (Third contact): Beginning of
the total eclipse. The Moon's
surface is entirely within Earth's
umbra.
●Greatest eclipse: The peak stage
of the total eclipse. The Moon is
at its closest to the center of
Earth's umbra.
 ●U3 (Fourth contact): End of the
total eclipse. The Moon's outer
limb exits Earth's umbra.
●U4 (Fifth contact): End of the
partial eclipse. Earth's umbra
leaves the Moon's surface.
●P4 (Sixth contact): End of the
penumbral eclipse. Earth's
penumbra no longer makes
contact with the Moon.

Danjon scale

The Moon does not completely darken

as it passes through the umbra
 because Earth's atmosphere refracts
sunlight into the shadow cone.

The following scale (the Danjon

scale) was devised by André Danjon
for rating the overall darkness of

lunar eclipses:[10]

●L = 0: Very dark eclipse. Moon

almost invisible, especially at
mid-totality.
●L = 1: Dark eclipse, gray or
brownish in coloration. Details
distinguishable only with
difficulty.
●L = 2: Deep red or rust-colored
eclipse. Very dark central
shadow, while outer edge of
umbra is relatively bright.
 ●L = 3: Brick-red eclipse. Umbral
shadow usually has a bright or
yellow rim.
●L = 4: Very bright copper-red or
orange eclipse. Umbral shadow
is bluish and has a very bright
rim.

Lunar versus solar eclipse

In a lunar eclipse, the Moon often

passes through two regions of Earth's
shadow: an outer penumbra, where
direct sunlight is dimmed, and an
inner umbra, where indirect and much
dimmer sunlight refracted by Earth's
 atmosphere shines on the Moon,
leaving a reddish color. This can be
seen in different exposures of a partial
lunar eclipse, for example here with
exposures of 1/80, 2/5, and 2 seconds.

There is often confusion between a

solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse.
While both involve interactions
between the Sun, Earth, and the
Moon, they are very different in their
interactions.

The Moon does not completely

darken as it passes through the
umbra because of the refraction of
sunlight by Earth's atmosphere into
the shadow cone; if Earth had no
atmosphere, the Moon would be

completely dark during the eclipse.[11]

The reddish coloration arises
because sunlight reaching the Moon
must pass through a long and dense
layer of Earth's atmosphere, where it
is scattered. Shorter wavelengths are
more likely to be scattered by the air
molecules and small particles; thus,
the longer wavelengths predominate
by the time the light rays have
penetrated the atmosphere. Human
vision perceives this resulting light
as red. This is the same effect that
causes sunsets and sunrises to turn
the sky a reddish color. An
alternative way of conceiving this
scenario is to realize that, as viewed
from the Moon, the Sun would appear
to be setting (or rising) behind Earth.

The amount of refracted light

depends on the amount of dust or
clouds in the atmosphere; this also
controls how much light is scattered.
In general, the dustier the
atmosphere, the more that other
wavelengths of light will be removed
(compared to red light), leaving the
resulting light a deeper red color.
This causes the resulting coppery-
red hue of the Moon to vary from one
eclipse to the next. Volcanoes are
notable for expelling large quantities
of dust into the atmosphere, and a
large eruption shortly before an
eclipse can have a large effect on the
resulting color.
 Christopher Columbus predicting a
lunar eclipse.

Lunar eclipse in culture

Several cultures have myths related
to lunar eclipses or allude to the
lunar eclipse as being a good or bad
omen. The Egyptians saw the eclipse
as a sow swallowing the Moon for a
short time; other cultures view the
eclipse as the Moon being swallowed
by other animals, such as a jaguar in
Mayan tradition, or a mythical three-
legged toad known as Chan Chu in

China.[citation needed] Some societies

thought it was a demon swallowing
the Moon, and that they could chase
it away by throwing stones and

curses at it.[12] The Ancient Greeks

correctly believed the Earth was
round and used the shadow from the

lunar eclipse as evidence.[13] Some

Hindus believe in the importance of
bathing in the Ganges River following
an eclipse because it will help to

achieve salvation.[14]

Inca

Similarly to the Mayans, the Incans

believed that lunar eclipses occurred
when a jaguar ate the Moon, which is
why a blood moon looks red. The
Incans also believed that once the
jaguar finished eating the Moon, it
could come down and devour all the
animals on Earth, so they would take
spears and shout at the Moon to keep

it away.[15]

Mesopotamians

The ancient Mesopotamians believed

that a lunar eclipse was when the
Moon was being attacked by seven
demons. This attack was more than
just one on the Moon, however, for
the Mesopotamians linked what
happened in the sky with what
happened on the land, and because
the king of Mesopotamia represented
the land, the seven demons were
thought to be also attacking the king.
In order to prevent this attack on the
king, the Mesopotamians made
someone pretend to be the king so
they would be attacked instead of the
true king. After the lunar eclipse was
over, the substitute king was made to

disappear (possibly by poisoning).[15]

Chinese

In some Chinese cultures, people

would ring bells to prevent a dragon
or other wild animals from biting the

Moon.[16] In the 19th century, during a

lunar eclipse, the Chinese navy fired

its artillery because of this belief.[17]

During the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–
256 BC) in the Book of Songs, the
sight of a Red Moon engulfed in
darkness was believed to foreshadow

famine or disease.[18]

Blood moon
See also: Blood moon prophecy

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sectio
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viewpo
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Please
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 (May
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Totality during the lunar eclipse of 15

May 2022. Direct sunlight is being
blocked by the Earth, and the only
light reaching it is sunlight refracted
by Earth's atmosphere, producing a
reddish color.

Certain lunar eclipses have been

referred to as "blood moons" in
popular articles but this is not a

scientifically recognized term.[19] This

term has been given two separate,
but overlapping, meanings.

The first, and simpler, meaning

relates to the reddish color a totally
eclipsed Moon takes on to observers

on Earth.[20] As sunlight penetrates

the atmosphere of Earth, the gaseous
layer filters and refracts the rays in
such a way that the green to violet
wavelengths on the visible spectrum
scatter more strongly than the red,
thus giving the Moon a reddish cast.
[21]
This is possible because the rays
from the sun are able to wrap around

the earth and refract off the Moon.[22]

The second meaning of "blood

moon" has been derived from this
apparent coloration by two
fundamentalist Christian pastors,

Mark Blitz and John Hagee.[19][23] They

claimed that the 2014–15 "lunar
tetrad" of four lunar eclipses
coinciding with the feasts of
Passover and Tabernacles matched
the "moon turning to blood"
described in the Book of Joel of the

Hebrew Bible.[23] This tetrad was

claimed to herald the Second Coming
of Christ and the Rapture as
described in the Book of Revelation
on the date of the first of the eclipses

in this sequence on April 15, 2014.[24]

Occurrence
See also: Saros (astronomy) and
Eclipse cycle
 As the Earth revolves around the Sun,
approximate axial parallelism of the
Moon's orbital plane (tilted five
degrees to the Earth's orbital plane)
results in the revolution of the lunar
nodes relative to the Earth. This
causes an eclipse season
approximately every six months, in
which a solar eclipse can occur at the
new moon phase and a lunar eclipse
can occur at the full moon phase.

At least two lunar eclipses and as

many as five occur every year,
although total lunar eclipses are
significantly less common. If the date
and time of an eclipse is known, the
occurrences of upcoming eclipses
are predictable using an eclipse
cycle, like the saros. Eclipses occur
only during an eclipse season, when
the Sun appears to pass near either
node of the Moon's orbit.

See also
●Lists of lunar eclipses and List of
21st-century lunar eclipses
●Lunar occultation
●Moon illusion
 ●Orbit of the Moon
●Solar eclipse

References
● ^ McClure, Bruce (27 July 2018).
"Century's Longest Lunar Eclipse
July 27". EarthSky. Retrieved 1
August 2018.
● ^ Link 1969, p. 1.
● ^
● Jump up to:
a b c
● Link 1969, p. 2.
● ^ H. Mucke, J. Meeus (1992).
Canon of Lunar Eclipses -2002 to
+2526 (3rd ed.). Astronomisches
Büro Wien. p. V.
● ^ Karttunen, Hannu (2007).
Fundamental Astronomy.
Springer. p. 139. ISBN
9783540341444.
● ^ "Lunar Limb Magic".
Astronomy.com. 27 November
2018.
● ^ Westfall, John; Sheehan,
William (2014). Celestial
Shadows: Eclipses, Transits, and
Occultations. Springer. p. 50.
ISBN 978-1493915354.
● ^ Kelly Beatty (26 June 2010). "In
Search of Selenelion". Sky &
Telescope. Archived from the
original on 20 December 2011.
Retrieved 8 December 2011.
● ^ Clarke, Kevin. "On the nature of
eclipses". Inconstant Moon.
Cyclopedia Selenica. Retrieved 19
December 2010.
● ^ Deans, Paul; MacRobert, Alan
M. (16 July 2006). "Observing and
Photographing Lunar Eclipses".
Sky & Telescope. F+W. Archived
 from the original on 20 May 2007.
Retrieved 7 January 2007.
● ^ Espenak, Fred; Meeus, Jean.
"Visual Appearance of Lunar
Eclipses". NASA. The troposphere
and stratosphere act together as a
ring-shaped lens that refracts
heavily reddened sunlight into
Earth's umbral shadow.
● ^ Littmann, Mark; Espenak, Fred;
Willcox, Ken (2008). "Chapter 4:
Eclipses in Mythology". Totality
Eclipses of the Sun (3rd ed.). New
York: Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0-19-953209-4.
● ^ Pollack, Rebecca. "Ancient
Myths Revised with Lunar
Eclipse". University of Maryland.
Retrieved 2 October 2014.
● ^ Ani. "Hindus take a dip in the
Ganges during Lunar Eclipse".
 Yahoo News. Retrieved 2 October
2014.
● ^
● Jump up to:
a b
● Lee, Jane (14 April 2014).
"Lunar Eclipse Myths From
Around the World". National
Geographic. Retrieved 9 October
2014.
● ^ Quilas, Ma Evelyn. "Interesting
Facts and Myths about Lunar
Eclipse". LA Times. Retrieved 2
October 2014.
● ^ "Mythology of the Lunar
Eclipse". LifeAsMyth.com.
● ^ Kaul, Gayatri (15 June 2011).
"What Lunar Eclipse Means in
Different Parts of the World".
India.com. Retrieved 6 October
2014.
● ^
● Jump up to:
 a b
● Sappenfield, Mark (13 April
2014). "Blood Moon to arrive
Monday night. What is a Blood
Moon?". The Christian Science
Monitor. Retrieved 8 February
2018.
● ^ Nigro, Nicholas (2010). Knack
Night Sky: Decoding the Solar
System, from Constellations to
Black Holes. Globe Pequot. pp.
214–5. ISBN 978-0-7627-6604-8.
● ^ "All you need to know about the
'blood moon'". theguardian. 28
September 2015.
● ^ Jeanna, Bryner (13 May 2022).
"Why does the moon turn red
during a total lunar eclipse?".
Space.com. Retrieved 5 January
2023.
● ^
● Jump up to:
 a b
● "What is a Blood Moon?".
Earth & Sky. 24 April 2014.
Retrieved 30 May 2014.
● ^ Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (15 April
2014). "'Blood moon' sets off
apocalyptic debate among some
Christians". The Washington
Post. Religion News Service.
Retrieved 8 February 2018.

Works cited

● Link, F. (1969). "Lunar Eclipses".

Eclipse Phenomena in Astronomy.
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
pp. 1–121. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-
86475-9. ISBN 978-3-642-86475-9.
LCCN 68-56208. Retrieved 3
January 2023.

Further reading
 ●Bao-Lin Liu, Canon of Lunar
Eclipses 1500 B.C.-A.D. 3000.
Willmann-Bell, Richmond VA,
1992
●Jean Meeus and Hermann Mucke
Canon of Lunar Eclipses -2002 to
+2526 (3rd edition).
Astronomisches Büro, Vienna,
1992
●Espenak, F., Fifty Year Canon of
Lunar Eclipses: 1986–2035.
NASA Reference Publication
1216, 1989
●Espenak, F. Thousand Year
Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1501 to
2500, Astropixels Publishing,
Portal AZ, 2014

Lunar eclipse
111 languages
 Article
Talk
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Lunar eclipse

(disambiguation).

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Latter phases of the partial lunar

eclipse on 17 July 2019 taken from
Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
A lunar eclipse is an astronomical
event that occurs when the Moon
moves into the Earth's shadow,

causing the moon to be darkened.[1]

Such alignment occurs during an
eclipse season, approximately every
six months, during the full moon
phase, when the Moon's orbital plane
is closest to the plane of the Earth's
orbit.

This can occur only when the Sun,

Earth, and Moon are exactly or very
closely aligned (in syzygy) with Earth
between the other two, which can
happen only on the night of a full
moon when the Moon is near either
lunar node. The type and length of a
lunar eclipse depend on the Moon's

proximity to the lunar node.[citation

needed]

When the moon is totally eclipsed by

the Earth, it takes on a reddish color
that is caused by the planet when it
completely blocks direct sunlight
from reaching the Moon surface, as
only the light reflected from the lunar
surface has been refracted by Earth's
atmosphere. This light appears
reddish due to the Rayleigh
scattering of blue light, the same
reason sunrise and sunsets are more
orange than during the day.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only

be viewed from a relatively small area
of the world, a lunar eclipse may be
viewed from anywhere on the night
side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse
can last up to nearly 2 hours, while a
total solar eclipse lasts only up to a
few minutes at any given place,
because the Moon's shadow is
smaller. Also unlike solar eclipses,
lunar eclipses are safe to view
without any eye protection or special
precautions.

The symbol for a lunar eclipse (or

indeed any body in the shadow of
another) is (U+1F776 🝶).

Types of lunar eclipse

 A schematic diagram of the shadow
cast by Earth. Within the umbra, the
central region, the planet totally
shields direct sunlight. In contrast,
within the penumbra, the outer
portion, the sunlight is only partially
blocked. (Neither the Sun, Moon, and
Earth sizes nor the distances between
the bodies are to scale.)

Earth's shadow can be divided into

two distinctive parts: the umbra and
penumbra.[2] Earth totally occludes
direct solar radiation within the
umbra, the central region of the
shadow. However, since the Sun's
diameter appears about one-quarter
of Earth's in the lunar sky, the planet
only partially blocks direct sunlight
within the penumbra, the outer
portion of the shadow.

Penumbral lunar eclipse

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs

when the Moon passes only into the
Earth's penumbra.[3] The penumbra
causes a subtle dimming of the lunar
surface, which is only visible to the
naked eye when about 70% of the
Moon's diameter has immersed into

Earth's penumbra.[4] A special type of

penumbral eclipse is a total
penumbral lunar eclipse, during
which the Moon lies exclusively
within Earth's penumbra. Total
penumbral eclipses are rare, and
when these occur, the portion of the
Moon closest to the umbra may
appear slightly darker than the rest of
the lunar disk.

Partial lunar eclipse

When the Moon penetrates partially

into the Earth's umbra, it is known as

a partial lunar eclipse,[3] while a total

lunar eclipse occurs when the entire
Moon enters the planet's umbra. The
Moon's average orbital speed is
about 1.03 km/s (2,300 mph), or a
little more than its diameter per hour,
so totality may last up to nearly 107
minutes. Nevertheless, the total time
between the first and the last
contacts of the Moon's limb with
Earth's shadow is much longer and

could last up to 236 minutes.[5]

Total lunar eclipse

Timelapse of a total lunar eclipse

If the Moon entirely passes into the

Earth's umbra, a total lunar eclipse
occurs.[3] Just prior to complete
entry, the brightness of the lunar limb
—the curved edge of the Moon still
being hit by direct sunlight—will
cause the rest of the Moon to appear
comparatively dim. The moment the
Moon enters a complete eclipse, the
entire surface will become more or
less uniformly bright. Later, as the
Moon's opposite limb is struck by
sunlight, the overall disk will again
become obscured. This is because as
viewed from the Earth, the brightness
of a lunar limb is generally greater
than that of the rest of the surface
due to reflections from the many
surface irregularities within the limb:
sunlight striking these irregularities
is always reflected back in greater
quantities than that striking more
central parts, and is why the edges of
full moons generally appear brighter
than the rest of the lunar surface.
This is similar to the effect of velvet
fabric over a convex curved surface
which to an observer will appear
darkest at the center of the curve. It
will be true of any planetary body
with little or no atmosphere and an
irregular cratered surface (e.g.,
Mercury) when viewed opposite the

Sun.[6]

Central lunar eclipse

Central lunar eclipse is a total lunar

eclipse during which the Moon
passes through the centre of Earth's
shadow, contacting the antisolar
point.[7] This type of lunar eclipse is
relatively rare.

The relative distance of the Moon

from Earth at the time of an eclipse
can affect the eclipse's duration. In
particular, when the Moon is near
apogee, the farthest point from Earth
in its orbit, its orbital speed is the
slowest. The diameter of Earth's
umbra does not decrease appreciably
within the changes in the Moon's
orbital distance. Thus, the
concurrence of a totally eclipsed
Moon near apogee will lengthen the
duration of totality.

Selenelion

A selenelion or selenehelion, also

called a horizontal eclipse, occurs
where and when both the Sun and an
eclipsed Moon can be observed at
the same time. The event can only be
observed just before sunset or just
after sunrise, when both bodies will
appear just above opposite horizons
at nearly opposite points in the sky.
A selenelion occurs during every
total lunar eclipse—it is an
experience of the observer, not a
planetary event separate from the
lunar eclipse itself. Typically,
observers on Earth located on high
mountain ridges undergoing false
sunrise or false sunset at the same
moment of a total lunar eclipse will
be able to experience it. Although
during selenelion the Moon is
completely within the Earth's umbra,
both it and the Sun can be observed
in the sky because atmospheric
refraction causes each body to
appear higher (i.e., more central) in
the sky than its true geometric

planetary position.[8]

Timing

Contact points relative to the Earth's

umbral and penumbral shadows, here
with the Moon near is descending
node
The timing of total lunar eclipses is
determined by what are known as its
"contacts" (moments of contact with

Earth's shadow):[9]

●P1 (First contact): Beginning of

the penumbral eclipse. Earth's
penumbra touches the Moon's
outer limb.
●U1 (Second contact): Beginning
of the partial eclipse. Earth's
umbra touches the Moon's outer
limb.
●U2 (Third contact): Beginning of
the total eclipse. The Moon's
surface is entirely within Earth's
umbra.
●Greatest eclipse: The peak stage
of the total eclipse. The Moon is
 at its closest to the center of
Earth's umbra.
●U3 (Fourth contact): End of the
total eclipse. The Moon's outer
limb exits Earth's umbra.
●U4 (Fifth contact): End of the
partial eclipse. Earth's umbra
leaves the Moon's surface.
●P4 (Sixth contact): End of the
penumbral eclipse. Earth's
penumbra no longer makes
contact with the Moon.

Danjon scale
 The Moon does not completely darken
as it passes through the umbra
because Earth's atmosphere refracts
sunlight into the shadow cone.

The following scale (the Danjon

scale) was devised by André Danjon
for rating the overall darkness of

lunar eclipses:[10]

●L = 0: Very dark eclipse. Moon

almost invisible, especially at
mid-totality.
●L = 1: Dark eclipse, gray or
brownish in coloration. Details
distinguishable only with
difficulty.
 ●L = 2: Deep red or rust-colored
eclipse. Very dark central
shadow, while outer edge of
umbra is relatively bright.
●L = 3: Brick-red eclipse. Umbral
shadow usually has a bright or
yellow rim.
●L = 4: Very bright copper-red or
orange eclipse. Umbral shadow
is bluish and has a very bright
rim.

Lunar versus solar eclipse

In a lunar eclipse, the Moon often

passes through two regions of Earth's
shadow: an outer penumbra, where
 direct sunlight is dimmed, and an
inner umbra, where indirect and much
dimmer sunlight refracted by Earth's
atmosphere shines on the Moon,
leaving a reddish color. This can be
seen in different exposures of a partial
lunar eclipse, for example here with
exposures of 1/80, 2/5, and 2 seconds.

There is often confusion between a

solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse.
While both involve interactions
between the Sun, Earth, and the
Moon, they are very different in their
interactions.
The Moon does not completely
darken as it passes through the
umbra because of the refraction of
sunlight by Earth's atmosphere into
the shadow cone; if Earth had no
atmosphere, the Moon would be

completely dark during the eclipse.[11]

The reddish coloration arises
because sunlight reaching the Moon
must pass through a long and dense
layer of Earth's atmosphere, where it
is scattered. Shorter wavelengths are
more likely to be scattered by the air
molecules and small particles; thus,
the longer wavelengths predominate
by the time the light rays have
penetrated the atmosphere. Human
vision perceives this resulting light
as red. This is the same effect that
causes sunsets and sunrises to turn
the sky a reddish color. An
alternative way of conceiving this
scenario is to realize that, as viewed
from the Moon, the Sun would appear
to be setting (or rising) behind Earth.
The amount of refracted light
depends on the amount of dust or
clouds in the atmosphere; this also
controls how much light is scattered.
In general, the dustier the
atmosphere, the more that other
wavelengths of light will be removed
(compared to red light), leaving the
resulting light a deeper red color.
This causes the resulting coppery-
red hue of the Moon to vary from one
eclipse to the next. Volcanoes are
notable for expelling large quantities
of dust into the atmosphere, and a
large eruption shortly before an
eclipse can have a large effect on the
resulting color.

Christopher Columbus predicting a

lunar eclipse.

Lunar eclipse in culture

Several cultures have myths related
to lunar eclipses or allude to the
lunar eclipse as being a good or bad
omen. The Egyptians saw the eclipse
as a sow swallowing the Moon for a
short time; other cultures view the
eclipse as the Moon being swallowed
by other animals, such as a jaguar in
Mayan tradition, or a mythical three-
legged toad known as Chan Chu in

China.[citation needed] Some societies

thought it was a demon swallowing
the Moon, and that they could chase
it away by throwing stones and

curses at it.[12] The Ancient Greeks

correctly believed the Earth was
round and used the shadow from the

lunar eclipse as evidence.[13] Some

Hindus believe in the importance of
bathing in the Ganges River following
an eclipse because it will help to

achieve salvation.[14]

Inca

Similarly to the Mayans, the Incans

believed that lunar eclipses occurred
when a jaguar ate the Moon, which is
why a blood moon looks red. The
Incans also believed that once the
jaguar finished eating the Moon, it
could come down and devour all the
animals on Earth, so they would take
spears and shout at the Moon to keep

it away.[15]

Mesopotamians

The ancient Mesopotamians believed

that a lunar eclipse was when the
Moon was being attacked by seven
demons. This attack was more than
just one on the Moon, however, for
the Mesopotamians linked what
happened in the sky with what
happened on the land, and because
the king of Mesopotamia represented
the land, the seven demons were
thought to be also attacking the king.
In order to prevent this attack on the
king, the Mesopotamians made
someone pretend to be the king so
they would be attacked instead of the
true king. After the lunar eclipse was
over, the substitute king was made to

disappear (possibly by poisoning).[15]

Chinese

In some Chinese cultures, people

would ring bells to prevent a dragon
or other wild animals from biting the

Moon.[16] In the 19th century, during a

lunar eclipse, the Chinese navy fired

its artillery because of this belief.[17]

During the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–
256 BC) in the Book of Songs, the
sight of a Red Moon engulfed in
darkness was believed to foreshadow

famine or disease.[18]
Blood moon
See also: Blood moon prophecy

This
sectio
n may
be
unbala
nced
toward
s
certain
viewpo
ints.
Please
improv
e the
article
or
discus
 s the
issue
on the
talk
page.
(May
2022)

Totality during the lunar eclipse of 15

May 2022. Direct sunlight is being
blocked by the Earth, and the only
light reaching it is sunlight refracted
 by Earth's atmosphere, producing a
reddish color.

Certain lunar eclipses have been

referred to as "blood moons" in
popular articles but this is not a

scientifically recognized term.[19] This

term has been given two separate,
but overlapping, meanings.

The first, and simpler, meaning

relates to the reddish color a totally
eclipsed Moon takes on to observers

on Earth.[20] As sunlight penetrates

the atmosphere of Earth, the gaseous
layer filters and refracts the rays in
such a way that the green to violet
wavelengths on the visible spectrum
scatter more strongly than the red,
thus giving the Moon a reddish cast.
[21]
This is possible because the rays
from the sun are able to wrap around

the earth and refract off the Moon.[22]

The second meaning of "blood

moon" has been derived from this
apparent coloration by two
fundamentalist Christian pastors,

Mark Blitz and John Hagee.[19][23] They

claimed that the 2014–15 "lunar
tetrad" of four lunar eclipses
coinciding with the feasts of
Passover and Tabernacles matched
the "moon turning to blood"
described in the Book of Joel of the

Hebrew Bible.[23] This tetrad was

claimed to herald the Second Coming
of Christ and the Rapture as
described in the Book of Revelation
on the date of the first of the eclipses

in this sequence on April 15, 2014.[24]

Occurrence
See also: Saros (astronomy) and
Eclipse cycle

As the Earth revolves around the Sun,

approximate axial parallelism of the
Moon's orbital plane (tilted five
degrees to the Earth's orbital plane)
results in the revolution of the lunar
nodes relative to the Earth. This
causes an eclipse season
approximately every six months, in
which a solar eclipse can occur at the
 new moon phase and a lunar eclipse
can occur at the full moon phase.

At least two lunar eclipses and as

many as five occur every year,
although total lunar eclipses are
significantly less common. If the date
and time of an eclipse is known, the
occurrences of upcoming eclipses
are predictable using an eclipse
cycle, like the saros. Eclipses occur
only during an eclipse season, when
the Sun appears to pass near either
node of the Moon's orbit.
See also
●Lists of lunar eclipses and List of
21st-century lunar eclipses
●Lunar occultation
●Moon illusion
●Orbit of the Moon
●Solar eclipse

References
● ^ McClure, Bruce (27 July 2018).
"Century's Longest Lunar Eclipse
July 27". EarthSky. Retrieved 1
August 2018.
● ^ Link 1969, p. 1.
● ^
● Jump up to:
a b c
● Link 1969, p. 2.
● ^ H. Mucke, J. Meeus (1992).
Canon of Lunar Eclipses -2002 to
 +2526 (3rd ed.). Astronomisches
Büro Wien. p. V.
● ^ Karttunen, Hannu (2007).
Fundamental Astronomy.
Springer. p. 139. ISBN
9783540341444.
● ^ "Lunar Limb Magic".
Astronomy.com. 27 November
2018.
● ^ Westfall, John; Sheehan,
William (2014). Celestial
Shadows: Eclipses, Transits, and
Occultations. Springer. p. 50.
ISBN 978-1493915354.
● ^ Kelly Beatty (26 June 2010). "In
Search of Selenelion". Sky &
Telescope. Archived from the
original on 20 December 2011.
Retrieved 8 December 2011.
● ^ Clarke, Kevin. "On the nature of
eclipses". Inconstant Moon.
 Cyclopedia Selenica. Retrieved 19
December 2010.
● ^ Deans, Paul; MacRobert, Alan
M. (16 July 2006). "Observing and
Photographing Lunar Eclipses".
Sky & Telescope. F+W. Archived
from the original on 20 May 2007.
Retrieved 7 January 2007.
● ^ Espenak, Fred; Meeus, Jean.
"Visual Appearance of Lunar
Eclipses". NASA. The troposphere
and stratosphere act together as a
ring-shaped lens that refracts
heavily reddened sunlight into
Earth's umbral shadow.
● ^ Littmann, Mark; Espenak, Fred;
Willcox, Ken (2008). "Chapter 4:
Eclipses in Mythology". Totality
Eclipses of the Sun (3rd ed.). New
York: Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0-19-953209-4.
● ^ Pollack, Rebecca. "Ancient
Myths Revised with Lunar
Eclipse". University of Maryland.
Retrieved 2 October 2014.
● ^ Ani. "Hindus take a dip in the
Ganges during Lunar Eclipse".
Yahoo News. Retrieved 2 October
2014.
● ^
● Jump up to:
a b
● Lee, Jane (14 April 2014).
"Lunar Eclipse Myths From
Around the World". National
Geographic. Retrieved 9 October
2014.
● ^ Quilas, Ma Evelyn. "Interesting
Facts and Myths about Lunar
Eclipse". LA Times. Retrieved 2
October 2014.
● ^ "Mythology of the Lunar
Eclipse". LifeAsMyth.com.
● ^ Kaul, Gayatri (15 June 2011).
"What Lunar Eclipse Means in
Different Parts of the World".
India.com. Retrieved 6 October
2014.
● ^
● Jump up to:
a b
● Sappenfield, Mark (13 April
2014). "Blood Moon to arrive
Monday night. What is a Blood
Moon?". The Christian Science
Monitor. Retrieved 8 February
2018.
● ^ Nigro, Nicholas (2010). Knack
Night Sky: Decoding the Solar
System, from Constellations to
Black Holes. Globe Pequot. pp.
214–5. ISBN 978-0-7627-6604-8.
● ^ "All you need to know about the
'blood moon'". theguardian. 28
September 2015.
 ● ^ Jeanna, Bryner (13 May 2022).
"Why does the moon turn red
during a total lunar eclipse?".
Space.com. Retrieved 5 January
2023.
● ^
● Jump up to:
a b
● "What is a Blood Moon?".
Earth & Sky. 24 April 2014.
Retrieved 30 May 2014.
● ^ Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (15 April
2014). "'Blood moon' sets off
apocalyptic debate among some
Christians". The Washington
Post. Religion News Service.
Retrieved 8 February 2018.

Works cited

● Link, F. (1969). "Lunar Eclipses".

Eclipse Phenomena in Astronomy.
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
 pp. 1–121. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-
86475-9. ISBN 978-3-642-86475-9.
LCCN 68-56208. Retrieved 3
January 2023.

Further reading
●Bao-Lin Liu, Canon of Lunar
Eclipses 1500 B.C.-A.D. 3000.
Willmann-Bell, Richmond VA,
1992
●Jean Meeus and Hermann Mucke
Canon of Lunar Eclipses -2002 to
+2526 (3rd edition).
Astronomisches Büro, Vienna,
1992
●Espenak, F., Fifty Year Canon of
Lunar Eclipses: 1986–2035.
NASA Reference Publication
1216, 1989
 ●Espenak, F. Thousand Year
Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1501 to
2500, Astropixels Publishing,
Portal AZ, 2014

What Is a Total Lunar

Eclipse?
By Vigdis Hocken and Aparna Kher

A total lunar eclipse takes place

when the Earth comes between the
Sun and the Moon and its shadow
covers the Moon. Eclipse watchers
can see the Moon turn red when the
eclipse reaches totality.
×

Next Total Lunar Eclipse: Fri, 14 Mar

2025 … See animation

Next Eclipse: Annular Solar Eclipse

– Sat, 14 Oct 2023 … See animation

Earth casting its shadow on the

Moon.
timeanddate.com
Paired Together
Total eclipses of the Moon happen
at Full Moon when the Sun, Earth,
and Moon are aligned to form a line.
The astronomical term for this type
of alignment is syzygy, which
comes from the Greek word for
being paired together.

Earth Blocks the Sunlight

The Moon does not have its own
light but shines because its surface
reflects the Sun's rays. During a
total lunar eclipse, the Earth comes
between the Sun and the Moon and
blocks any direct sunlight from
reaching the Moon. The Sun casts
the Earth's shadow on the Moon's
surface.

Types of eclipses

Earth's Three Shadows

Earth's shadow can be divided into
three parts:

● Umbra - the darker, central part.

● Penumbra - the outer part.
● Antumbra - the partly shaded
area beyond the umbra.
Why are there three shadows?

During a total lunar eclipse, Earth's

umbra completely covers the Moon.

Sun, Earth, and Moon

Aligned
For a lunar eclipse to occur, the
Sun, Earth, and Moon must be
roughly aligned in a line. Otherwise,
the Earth cannot cast a shadow on
the Moon's surface and an eclipse
cannot take place.
When the Sun, Earth, and Moon
come together in a straight line, a
total lunar eclipse takes place.
When the three bodies are aligned
in a way that the Moon is partly
covered by the Earth's umbra, a
partial lunar eclipse is the result. On
the other hand, if only the outer part
of Earth's shadow covers the Moon,
a penumbral lunar eclipse takes
place.

Earth's umbra extends into space

far beyond the orbit of the moon.
This means that Earth's antumbra
plays no role in lunar eclipses.

Only at Full Moon

Lunar nodes are the locations where

the Moon crosses the Earth's orbital
plane.

Total lunar eclipses happen only

when:
 ● It is Full Moon.
● At the same time, the Moon is at
(or very near) a lunar node, so
the Sun, the Moon, and the
Earth are aligned in a straight
(or nearly straight) line.

Phases of the Moon

Why don't we see a lunar eclipse

every month if a Full Moon is
needed for a total lunar eclipse?

This is because the plane of the

Moon's orbital path around Earth is
inclined at an angle of 5° to Earth's
orbital plane around the Sun, also
known as the ecliptic. The points
where the two orbital planes meet
are called lunar nodes. Lunar
eclipses occur when a Full Moon
happens near a lunar node.

How to see a lunar eclipse?

The Moon Looks Red

Even though Earth blocks sunlight
from directly reaching the surface
of the Moon during a total lunar
eclipse, the Moon is still visible to
the naked eye. This is because
Earth's atmosphere bends sunlight
and indirectly lights up the Moon's
surface.

When sunlight passes through the

Earth's atmosphere, it gets
refracted towards the Earth's
surface, and part of it—the colors
with shorter wavelengths—gets
scattered and filtered out, while the
rest, colors with longer wavelengths
like orange and red, passes through
the atmosphere. This light is once
again refracted towards the surface
of the fully eclipsed Moon, thus
illuminating it in a reddish-orange
glow. Because of this, a total lunar
eclipse is sometimes colloquially
called a Blood Moon.

Why does the Moon look red?

Different Colored Eclipses

A lunar eclipse can also be yellow,
orange, or brown in color. This is
because different types of dust
particles and clouds in Earth's
atmosphere allow different
wavelengths to reach the surface of
the Moon.

Tetrads and Blood Moons

A series of four consecutive total
lunar eclipses with no partial or
penumbral lunar eclipses in
between is called a lunar tetrad. In
recent years, eclipses in a lunar
tetrad have also been popularly
called Blood Moons. This usage of
the term has no technical or
astronomical basis and it is thought
that it has Biblical origins.
7 Stages of the Eclipse
A total lunar eclipse usually
happens within a few hours. Totality
can range anywhere from a few
seconds to about 100 minutes. The
July 26, 1953 total lunar eclipse had
one of the longest periods of totality
in the 20th century—100 minutes
and 43 seconds.

There are 7 stages of a total lunar

eclipse:

● Penumbral eclipse begins: This

begins when the penumbral
 part of Earth's shadow starts
moving over the Moon. This
phase is not easily seen by the
naked eye.
● Partial eclipse begins: Earth's
umbra starts covering the
Moon, making the eclipse more
visible.
● Total eclipse begins: Earth's
umbra completely covers the
Moon and the Moon is red,
brown, or yellow in color.
● Maximum eclipse: This is the
middle of the total eclipse.
 ● Total eclipse ends: At this
stage, Earth's umbra starts
moving away from the Moon's
surface.
● Partial eclipse ends: Earth's
umbra completely leaves the
Moon's surface.
● Penumbral eclipse ends: At this
point, the eclipse ends and
Earth's shadow completely
moves away from the Moon.

The Moon's orientation in the sky

depends on the observer's latitude.
This means the eclipse will appear
to play out in different directions
depending on your location.

Where Can I See a Total

Lunar Eclipse?
Almost everyone on the night side
of Earth can see a total eclipse of
the Moon. Because of this, most
people have higher chances of
seeing a total lunar eclipse than a
total solar eclipse, even though
both occur at similar intervals.

What is earthshine?
No Special Equipment Needed
Unlike solar eclipses, observing a
total lunar eclipse does not require
any special equipment. Lunar
eclipses are safe to see with the
naked and unaided eye.

How Often Do They Happen?

About 29% of all lunar eclipses are
total lunar eclipses. On average, a
total lunar eclipse can be seen from
any given location every 2.5 years.
What are lunar eclipses
and how do they occur?
By Daisy DobrijevicContributions
from Robert Roy Britt last updated
March 31, 2023

Lunar eclipses are a popular

event for skywatchers

worldwide.

Comments (0)
Lunar eclipses are one of the most
popular events for skywatchers
worldwide. (Image credit: Kevin Lau
Photography via Getty Images)

Jump to:
What are lunar eclipses?
What happens during a lunar
eclipse?
Red moon
Frequency and duration
 How to see a lunar eclipse
Lunar eclipse FAQs answered by an
expert
Additional resources
Lunar eclipses happen when
Earth positions itself between the
sun and the moon, casting a
shadow across the lunar surface.

They can only occur during a full

moon and are a popular event for
skywatchers worldwide as they
do not require any specialist
equipment to enjoy (unlike solar
eclipses).
In 2023, Earth will experience two
lunar eclipses. The first lunar
eclipse of 2023 was a penumbral
lunar eclipse on May 5 and was
visible across parts of Africa,
Asia and Australia. The second
and final lunar eclipse of 2023
will be a partial lunar eclipse on
October 28 and will be visible
across parts of E. Americas,
Europe, Africa, Asia and
Australia To find out when, where
and how to see this year's lunar
 eclipses, check out our lunar
eclipses 2023 guide.

WHAT ARE LUNAR ECLIPSES?

A lunar eclipse is caused by Earth

blocking sunlight from reaching the
moon and creating a shadow across
the lunar surface.

The sun-blocking Earth casts two

shadows that fall on the moon
during a lunar eclipse: The umbra is
a full, dark shadow, and the
penumbra is a partial outer shadow.

There are three types of lunar

eclipses depending on how the sun,
Earth and moon are aligned at the
time of the event.

1. Total lunar eclipse: Earth's

shadow is cast across the entire
lunar surface.
2. Partial lunar eclipse: During a
partial lunar eclipse, only part of
the moon enters Earth's shadow,
 which may look like it is taking a
"bite" out of the lunar surface.
Earth's shadow will appear dark
on the side of the moon facing
Earth. How much of a "bite" we
see depends on how the sun,
Earth and moon align, according
to NASA.
3. Penumbral lunar eclipse: The
faint outer part of Earth's shadow
is cast across the lunar surface.
This type of eclipse is not as
dramatic as the other two and
can be difficult to see.
During a lunar eclipse the sun, Earth and
moon align so that Earth blocks sunlight
from reaching the moon and casts a
shadow across the lunar surface.
Whether the moon sits in the penumbra
or umbra will dictate the type of lunar
eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse, the
umbra completely covers the lunar
surface. In this diagram, the moon is
located in the penumbral shadow so it is
experiencing a penumbral eclipse.
(Image credit: Future)
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A LUNAR
ECLIPSE?

WHY DOES THE MOON TURN RED

DURING AN ECLIPSE?

During a total lunar eclipse, the

lunar surface turns a rusty red
color, earning the nickname "blood
moon". The eerie red appearance is
caused by sunlight interacting with
Earth's atmosphere.

When sunlight reaches Earth, our

atmosphere scatters and filters
different wavelengths. Shorter
wavelengths such as blue light are
scattered outward, while longer
wavelengths like red are bent — or
refracted — into Earth's umbra,
according to the Natural History
Museum. When the moon passes
through Earth's umbra during a
total lunar eclipse, the red light
reflects off the lunar surface, giving
the moon its blood-red appearance.

"How gold, orange, or red the moon

appears during a total lunar eclipse
depends on how much dust, water,
and other particles are in Earth's
atmosphere" according to NASA
scientists. Other atmospheric
factors such as temperature and
humidity also affect the moon's
appearance during a lunar eclipse.

Click here for more Space.com

videos...

Why The Moon Turns 'Blood'

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HOW OFTEN DO LUNAR ECLIPSES

HAPPEN AND HOW LONG DO THEY
LAST?

In astronomical terms, a lunar

eclipse is a relatively common
phenomenon, with about three lunar
eclipses occurring every year,
according to the National History
Museum. Approximately 29% of
lunar eclipses are total lunar
eclipses, according to
TimeandDate.com.

DID YOU KNOW?

A solar eclipse always occurs about

two weeks before or after a lunar
eclipse.
A total eclipse can be seen from any
given location — on average —
once every 2.5 years.

A lunar eclipse usually lasts a few

hours according to the National
Weather Service with totality (the
duration of total obscuration of the
moon) ranging between 30 minutes
to over an hour.

Lunar eclipses are more easily

observed than solar eclipses, as
they can be viewed with the unaided
eye by any observer situated where
the moon is above the horizon.

(Reminder: Never look directly at

the sun, even during a total solar
eclipse, without protection such as
verified eclipse glasses; serious
and permanent eye damage can
result.)

HOW TO SEE A LUNAR ECLIPSE

This montage of images taken by
skywatcher Keith Burns shows the Dec.
20, 2010 total lunar eclipse. The photos
won a NASA contest to become an
official NASA/JPL wallpaper for the
public. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-via
Kieth Burns)

TOP TELESCOPE PICK!

(Image credit: Celestron)

Looking for a telescope for a lunar

eclipse? We recommend the
Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top
pick in our best beginner's telescope
guide.
Lunar eclipses are among the
easiest skywatching events to
observe.

To watch one, you simply go out,

look up and enjoy. You don't need a
telescope or any other special
equipment. However, binoculars or
a small telescope will bring out
details on the lunar surface —
moonwatching is as interesting
during an eclipse as it is at any
other time. If the eclipse occurs
during winter, bundle up if you plan
to be out for the duration — an
eclipse can take a couple of hours
to unfold. Bring warm drinks and
blankets or chairs for comfort.

The Earth blocks the sun during a total

lunar eclipse, as seen from the moon.
(Image credit: NASA)
Scientists like to watch lunar
eclipses, too.

"We can get really good science out

of what happens to the surface of
the moon during total lunar
eclipses, but again, the cool thing is
that the moon changes color," Noah
Petro, a research scientist at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center in Maryland, told Space.com.
"It's something fun to see — it's
benign, but it's a change. And
anytime we see [a] change in the
skies, it's always kind of exciting."

If you hope to snap a photo of a

lunar eclipse, here's our guide on
How to photograph a lunar eclipse
with a camera. And if you need
imaging equipment, our best
cameras for astrophotography and
best lenses for astrophotography
have recommendations to make
sure you're ready for the next
eclipse.
LUNAR ECLIPSE FAQS ANSWERED
BY AN EXPERT

We asked meteorologist Joe Rao, a

few commonly asked questions
about lunar eclipses.

Joe Rao

Meteorologist
Joe Rao is Space.com's
skywatching columnist, as well as a
veteran meteorologist and eclipse
chaser who also serves as an
instructor and guest lecturer at New
York's Hayden Planetarium.

What is a total lunar eclipse?

When the moon moves completely

into the Earth's dark shadow cone
(called the "umbra") we call that a
total lunar eclipse. At the moon's
average distance from Earth of
239,000 miles [383,000 km], the
umbra measures roughly 5,800
miles [9,334 km] in diameter. The
moon is about 2,200 miles [3,540
km] in diameter. So there's no
problem in getting the moon
completely immersed in the umbra;
there's plenty of room.

Why do lunar eclipses occur?

Lunar eclipses can only happen

when the moon is directly opposite
to the sun in our Earthly sky at the
time of the full moon. But we don't
get a lunar eclipse every month —
that is, at every full moon. The
reason for this is simple: the
moon's orbit is inclined to the
Earth's orbit by just over 5 degrees.
So more often than not, the full
moon will pass either above or
below the Earth's shadow. However,
there are times when the sun, Earth
and moon are aligned in such a way
that the moon will pass either
partially or totally into Earth's
shadow, producing a lunar eclipse.

What's the difference

between a lunar eclipse and a
solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the

moon crosses in front of the sun (at
new moon). A lunar eclipse is
something quite different. It occurs
when the full moon passes into the
Earth's shadow.
 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about lunar phases and

eclipses with NASA Science.
Explore Hanwell Community
Observatory's fact sheet for more
lunar eclipse information. Discover
why we don't have a lunar eclipse
every month with the Rice Space
Institute at Rice University.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
NASA. Blood Red Moon: Total
Lunar Eclipse. NASA. Retrieved May
10, 2022,

O'Callaghan, J. (2019, July 16).

Lunar eclipse guide: What they are,
when to see them and where.
Natural History Museum. Retrieved
May 10, 2022.

NASA. (2017, May 3). What is an

Eclipse? NASA. Retrieved May 10,
2022.
Hocken, V., Kher, A. Total Lunar
Eclipse. timeanddate.com.
Retrieved May 10, 2022.

Join our Space Forums to keep

talking space on the latest
missions, night sky and more! And
if you have a news tip, correction or
comment, let us know at:
community@space.com.

Lunar eclipses 2023:

When, where & how to
see them
By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated 14
days ago

2023 features two lunar

eclipses.

Comments (1)
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon
appears to turn red while passing
through Earth's shadow. This year
features two spectacular total lunar
eclipses. (Image credit: Anantha Jois
via Getty Images)

Jump to:
Penumbral lunar eclipse May 5
Partial lunar eclipse October 28
How to see a lunar eclipse
Upcoming lunar eclipses
 Lunar eclipse FAQs answered by an
expert
Additional resources
The next lunar eclipse of 2023
will be a partial lunar eclipse on
October 28.

It will be visible over parts of

Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa,
North America, North/East South
America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian
Ocean, Arctic and Antarctica.

Lunar eclipses occur when Earth

is positioned between the sun
 and the moon and casts a
shadow across the surface of the
moon. They can only occur
during a full moon and make for
an interesting skywatching
target.

The last total lunar eclipse that

occurred on November 8, 2022,
thrilled skywatchers worldwide, the
next total lunar eclipse — also
known as a blood moon lunar
eclipse — won't happen until March
13/14, 2025.
There are three types of lunar
eclipses depending on how the sun,
Earth and moon are aligned at the
time of the event.

1. Total lunar eclipse: Earth's

shadow is cast across the entire
lunar surface.
2. Partial lunar eclipse: During a
partial lunar eclipse, only part of
the moon enters Earth's shadow,
which may look like it is taking a
"bite" out of the lunar surface.
Earth's shadow will appear dark
 on the side of the moon facing
Earth. How much of a "bite" we
see depends on how the sun,
Earth and moon align, according
to NASA.
3. Penumbral lunar eclipse: The
faint outer part of Earth's shadow
is cast across the lunar surface.
This type of eclipse is not as
dramatic as the other two and
can be difficult to see.

PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE MAY

5
The first lunar eclipse of 2023
occurred on May. 5, 2023.

Exactly when the lunar eclipse was

visible depends on where you are
located but Time and Date says the
penumbral eclipse began on May. 5
at 10:11 a.m. EST (1511 GMT), the
maximum eclipse was reached at
12:22 p.m. EST (1722 GMT) and the
penumbral eclipse ended at 14:31
p.m. EST (1931 GMT). The overall
duration of the eclipse was 4 hours
and 18 minutes.
According to TimeandDate.com, at
least some parts of the lunar eclipse
was visible in South/East Europe,
Much of Asia, Australia, Africa,
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean and
Antarctica.

If you missed the lunar eclipse you

can view the first lunar eclipse of
2023 in our photo roundup story.

PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

OCTOBER 28

RELATED STORIES:
 — How to photograph the moon
using a camera: techniques, kit, and
settings

— Full moon names for 2022

— What is a blood moon?

The next lunar eclipse of 2023 will

be a partial lunar eclipse on October
28.

Exactly when the lunar eclipse will

be visible depends on where you
are located but Time and Date says
the partial eclipse begins at 14:35
p.m. (1935 GMT), the maximum
eclipse occurs at 15:14 p.m. EST
(2014 GMT) and the partial eclipse
will end at 15:52 p.m. EST (2052
GMT). The faint penumbral lunar
eclipse is visible for an hour or so
either side of the partial lunar
eclipse. The overall duration of the
lunar eclipse will be 4 hours and 25
minutes.

According to Time and Date, at least

some parts of the partial lunar
eclipse should be visible over
Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa,
North America, North/East South
America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian
Ocean, Arctic and Antarctica.

To find out if the partial lunar

eclipse on Oct. 28 is visible from
your location check out this
interactive map from
TimeandDate.com.

If you're clouded out or unable to

see the event in person, we will
show you how to watch the event
online via webcasts. Details on how
to watch the October partial lunar
eclipse will be released on
Space.com closer to the time.

HOW TO SEE A LUNAR ECLIPSE

Lunar eclipses are among the

easiest skywatching events to
observe.

TOP TELESCOPE PICK!

(Image credit: Celestron)

 Looking for a telescope for the lunar
eclipse? We recommend the
Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top
pick in our best beginner's telescope
guide.

To watch one, you simply go out,

look up and enjoy. You don't need a
telescope or any other special
equipment. However, binoculars or
a small telescope will bring out
details on the lunar surface —
moonwatching is as interesting
during an eclipse as it is at any
other time. If the eclipse occurs
during winter, bundle up if you plan
to be out for the duration — an
eclipse can take a couple of hours
to unfold. Bring warm drinks and
blankets or chairs for comfort.

If you hope to snap a photo of a

lunar eclipse, here's our guide on
How to photograph a lunar eclipse
with a camera. And if you need
imaging equipment, our best
cameras for astrophotography and
best lenses for astrophotography
have recommendations to make
sure you're ready for the next
eclipse.

Fancy taking a more in-depth

moonlit tour of our rocky
companion? Our ultimate guide to
observing the moon will help you
plan your next skywatching venture
whether it be exploring the lunar
seas, mountainous terrain, or the
many craters that blanket the
landscape. You can also see where
astronauts, rovers and landers have
ventured with our Apollo landing
sites observing guide.

November 8, 2022, total lunar eclipse

beside the Empire State Building, New
York. (Image credit: Gary
Hershorn/Getty Images)

UPCOMING LUNAR ECLIPSES

We will not experience another total
lunar eclipse until March 14, 2025.
There will however be partial and
penumbral lunar eclipses to keep us
occupied in the meantime.

Upcoming lunar eclipses according

to NASA:

Type Visible
Year Date of location
eclipse s

2023 May. 5 Penu Africa,

mbral Asia,
Australi
 a

E.
America
s,
Oct. Europe,
2023 Partial
28 Africa,
Asia,
Australi
a

Mar. Penu America

2024
25 mbral s

2024 Sept. Partial America

18 s,
Europe,
 Africa

Pacific,
America
Mar. s, W.
2025 Total
13/14 Europe,
W.
Africa

Europe,
Africa,
Sept.
2025 Total Asia,
7
Australi
a

2026 Mar. 3 Total E. Asia,

Australi
a,
 Pacific,
America
s

E.
Pacific,
Aug. America
2026 Partial
28 s
Europe,
Africa

LUNAR ECLIPSE FAQS ANSWERED

BY AN EXPERT

We asked meteorologist Joe Rao, a

few commonly asked questions
about lunar eclipses.
Joe Rao
Meteorologist

Joe Rao is Space.com's

skywatching columnist, as well as a
veteran meteorologist and eclipse
chaser who also serves as an
instructor and guest lecturer at New
York's Hayden Planetarium.

How often does a lunar

eclipse happen?
This depends on what type of lunar
eclipse you are referring to. There
are two shadows cast into space by
the Earth. A faint outer shadow
called the penumbra and a much
darker central shadow called the
umbra. Penumbral lunar eclipses
happen at least twice each year.
However, in many cases, the
penumbra is so faint that, more
often than not, most people
completely miss out on noticing it
when it happens. Umbral eclipses
occur about every 2 or 3 years —
sometimes twice in a single year.
Since the umbra is dark and well-
defined people notice it when the
moon moves either partially or
completely within it.

How long do lunar eclipses

last?
It depends on how deeply the moon
penetrates into the Earth's umbra
and how far away the moon is from
the Earth. When the moon is near
its closest point to Earth (perigee) it
is moving much faster in its orbit as
compared to when it's near its
farthest point from Earth (apogee).
Generally speaking, in the case of a
total eclipse, it can last about three
hours: one hour for the moon to
move completely into the umbra,
one hour for the moon to be
completely immersed in the umbra
and one hour for the moon to move
out of the umbra. Totality can vary
from just a few minutes to as long
as 107 minutes. In the latter case,
the moon moves directly through
the center of the Earth's shadow
while moving at its slowest in its
orbit (apogee).

What's the difference

between a lunar eclipse and a
solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when the
moon crosses in front of the sun (at
new moon). A lunar eclipse is
something quite different. It occurs
when the full moon passes into the
Earth's shadow.
Editor's note: If you capture an
amazing photo of a lunar eclipse
and would like to share it with
Space.com for a story or gallery,
send images and comments to
managing editor Tariq Malik at
spacephotos@space.com.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Want more information on the lunar

eclipses of 2023? NASA's total lunar
eclipse of May 5 guide and the Oct.
28 guide has further details on
eclipse durations and viewing
opportunities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Espenak, F. Full Moon at Perigee

(Full Supermoon): 2001 to 2100.
Astro Pixels. Retrieved May 9, 2022.

NASA. Lunar Eclipse Page. NASA.

Retrieved May 9, 2022.

May 5, 2023. Penumbral lunar

eclipse. Time and Date. Retrieved
Nov. 9, 2023.
October 28, 2023. Partial lunar
eclipse. Time and Date. Retrieved
Nov. 9, 2023.

Join our Space Forums to keep

talking space on the latest
missions, night sky and more! And
if you have a news tip, correction or
comment, let us know at:
community@space.com.
Lunar
eclipse
guide: what
they are,
when to see
them and
where
By Jonathan O'Callaghan
110
When Earth casts its shadow on
the Moon it can cause quite a
spectacle. Find out how often these
events occur, and where you can
view them from over the next ten
years.
You might be familiar with the
idea of a solar eclipse: when the
Moon passes in front of the Sun
from our point of view on Earth,
blocking it out and turning day to
night for a few minutes on the
surface of our planet. But what
happens during a lunar eclipse,
when will the next one occur and
how can you see one?
What is a lunar
eclipse?
A lunar eclipse is what happens
when, if you were standing on the
Moon, you would see Earth block
out the Sun. It involves the Moon
passing directly into Earth's
shadow as all three bodies align -
just as part of Earth passes into
the Moon's shadow during a solar
eclipse - and, in so doing, it
causes some odd changes in
appearance.

This total lunar eclipse was seen

on 21 January 2019 from Italy ©
Giuseppe Donatiello via
Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
Is it safe to look at
a lunar eclipse?
The good thing about all types of
lunar eclipse is that, unlike a solar
eclipse, they are safe to view with
the naked eye. This is because
lunar eclipses only reflect
sunlight - they don't get any
brighter than a full Moon, which
you've probably safely observed
many times before.
How to get the
best view of a
lunar eclipse
To get the best view you'll need to
be on the night side of Earth when
one occurs, and you'll need a
clear sky that's free of clouds. No
specialist equipment is needed.
Try to minimise the light in your
vicinity and, ideally, watch from a
spot where your line of sight
won't be obstructed by tall
buildings or trees.

A lunar eclipse can last several

hours, but the period of totality -
when the Moon is completely in
Earth's shadow - usually only
lasts an hour or so.

Why isn't there a

lunar eclipse
every month?
A lunar eclipse only occurs during
a full Moon, when the Sun, Earth
and Moon are all aligned. But
despite the Moon only taking 29.5
days to orbit Earth and complete a
cycle from full Moon to full Moon,
there are only on average about
three lunar eclipses every year.

This is because the Moon's orbit

around Earth is not in a flat plane
- it's angled at about five degrees,
which means that the Moon often
goes above or below Earth's
shadow as it orbits around. As a
result, lunar eclipses tend to
come in batches when the Moon
is at a similar inclination. There
were three total lunar eclipses in
2018, for example.
A lunar eclipse lasts several
hours. The period of totality in a
total lunar eclipse, when the Moon
turns red, lasts about an hour. ©
Laura Ngo via Flickr (CC BY-NC-
ND 2.0)

What are the

different types of
lunar eclipse?
There are three types of lunar
eclipse: a total lunar eclipse, a
penumbral lunar eclipse and a
partial lunar eclipse.

To understand the difference

between them, we first need to
understand how Earth's shadow
works. As our planet blocks out
the Sun's light, it actually casts
two different shadows. One is a
larger shadow that extends away
from Earth at an angle, known as
the penumbra. Directly behind
Earth, however, is a darker and
narrower shadow, called the
umbra.

What is a total
lunar eclipse?
This is when the Moon passes
into Earth's umbral shadow,
which can result in the Moon
turning red. This is sometimes
called a 'blood Moon', although
astronomers aren't super keen on
that term, which has more roots in
astrology.

National Geographic
share their guide to a
lunar eclipse:
Lunar Eclipse 101
What is a blood
Moon?
The Moon turns red during an
eclipse because of how the Sun's
light interacts with Earth's
atmosphere. As it hits the
atmosphere, shorter wavelengths
of light such as the colour blue
are scattered outwards. Longer
wavelengths like red, however,
are bent or refracted into Earth's
umbra. When these strike the
surface of the Moon, they can
make it appear red - a similar
process to how the sky appears
red during a sunrise or sunset.
What is a
penumbral lunar
eclipse?
When the Moon passes into the
outer shadow, we call this a
penumbral lunar eclipse. There
aren't many noticeable effects
during a penumbral eclipse. The
Moon only gets very slightly
darker, and it is normally difficult
to notice, even with a telescope.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the
Moon passes into Earth's shadow
© NASA

What is a partial
lunar eclipse?
As its name might imply, a partial
lunar eclipse occurs when the
Sun, Earth and Moon aren't
exactly aligned, so only part of the
Moon passes into Earth's umbral
shadow and thus only part of it
appears red.

What is a super
blood wolf Moon?
Some people have different terms
for a total lunar eclipse depending
on when it occurs. The distance
from Earth to the Moon changes
from about 360,000 kilometres to
400,000 kilometres over the
course of the Moon's orbit. When
the Moon is at its closest, it is
slightly larger and brighter in our
sky, earning it the moniker of
'supermoon'.

A total lunar eclipse during this

time is therefore sometimes called
a 'super blood Moon'. On 21
January 2019, however, a total
lunar eclipse occurred, unusually,
on the first full Moon of the year.
As this is known as a 'wolf Moon',
that total lunar eclipse earned
itself the nickname 'super blood
wolf Moon'.
It can be difficult to notice a
change on the Moon during a
penumbral lunar eclipse © O'Dea
via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-
SA 4.0)

When to see the

next total lunar
eclipses in the UK
Over the next few years there will
be quite a few lunar eclipses to
look forward to, including partial
lunar eclipses on 28 October 2023
and 18 September 2024. But it's
the total lunar eclipses you'll
really want to look out for, on
these dates:

14 March 2025: UK, Europe,

Africa, Americas, east Asia,
Australia

7 September 2025: UK, Europe,

Asia, Australia
31 December 2028: UK, Europe,
Asia, Australia, western United
States and Canada

Note: the dates shown are when

the eclipses will occur in the UK.

Total lunar
eclipses viewable
elsewhere in the
world over the
next few years
Other parts of the world will also
have a chance to see additional
total lunar eclipses in the coming
years. Here's what to look forward
to:

3 March 2026: Americas, Asia,

Australia
There will be a
lunar eclipse in
Dubai tonight
It will also be a Flower Moon
By Sara-Aisha KentMay 5, 2023
If stargazing is one of your hobbies
then make sure to keep your eyes
peeled this evening (Friday May 5) as
a penumbral lunar eclipse is set to
take place.

During the eclipse, you may be able to

see the Moon darken but not
completely disappear from 6.15pm.
You might also like: 106 fantastic
things to do in Dubai

The eclipse is expected to peak at

around 8.24pm, before ending around
10.32pm.

The lunar event happens when the

Moon passes into the lighter outer
region of the Earth’s shadow, which is
called the penumbra.

When the Moon is within the

penumbra, it receives less light from
the Sun and is dimmed but still
remains partially illuminated.

A penumbral lunar eclipse is usually

tricky to see and it’s best to use
equipment such as a telescope if you
don’t want to miss it.

However, the Moon is expected to be

bright tonight as it will be a full Flower
Moon, a May Full Moon that gets its
name as it usually coincided with
flowers blooming across the globe.

Exciting times for stargazers.

 Lunar Eclipses for
Beginners
©2020 by Fred Espenak
Introduction

What is an eclipse of the Moon?

What causes eclipses and why?
How often do eclipses happen
and when is the next eclipse of
the Moon? You'll learn the
answers to these questions and
more in MrEclipse's primer on
lunar eclipses.

The Moon is a cold, rocky body

about 2,160 miles (3,476 km)
in diameter. It has no light of
its own but shines by sunlight
reflected from its surface. The
Moon orbits Earth about once
every 29 and a half days. As it
circles our planet, the changing
position of the Moon with
respect to the Sun causes our
natural satellite to cycle
through a series of phases:

● New Moon > New Crescent >

First Quarter > Waxing
Gibbous> Full Moon >
Waning Gibbous > Last
Quarter > Old Crescent >
New Moon (again)

Phases of the Moon.

The phase known as New Moon
can not actually be seen
because the illuminated side of
the Moon is then pointed away
from Earth. The rest of the
phases are familiar to all of us
as the Moon cycles through
them month after month. Did
you realize that the word
month is derived from the
Moon's 29.5 day period?

Many early civilizations used

the Moon's monthly cycle to
measure the passage of time.
In fact, some calendars are
synchronized to the phases of
the Moon. The Hebrew, Muslim
and Chinese calendars are all
lunar calendars. The New Moon
phase is uniquely recognized as
the beginning of each calendar
month just as it is the
beginning on the Moon's
monthly cycle. In comparison,
the Full Moon phase occurs
mid-way through the lunar
month.

The Full Moon is popularly

known as the phase of love and
romance. When the Moon is
Full, it rises at sunset and is
visible all night long. At the end
of the night, the Full Moon sets
just as the Sun rises. None of
the Moon's other phases have
this unique characteristic. It
happens because the Moon is
directly opposite the Sun in the
sky when the Moon is Full. Full
Moon also has special
significance with regard to
eclipses.

Geometry of the Sun, Earth and

Moon During an Eclipse of the
Moon
Earth's two shadows are the
penumbra and the umbra.
(Sizes and distances not to
scale)
Types of Lunar Eclipses

An eclipse of the Moon (or

lunar eclipse) can only occur at
Full Moon, and only if the Moon
passes through some portion of
Earth's shadow. That shadow is
actually composed of two cone-
shaped components, one
nested inside the other. The
outer or penumbral shadow is a
zone where the Earth blocks
part but not all of the Sun's
rays from reaching the Moon.
In contrast, the inner or umbral
shadow is a region where the
Earth blocks all direct sunlight
from reaching the Moon.
Astronomers recognize three
basic types of lunar eclipses:

● 1. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

○ The Moon passes through

Earth's penumbral
shadow.
○ These events are of only

academic interest because

they are subtle and hard
to observe.
● (click for photo example)
2. Partial Lunar Eclipse
○ A portion of the Moon

passes through Earth's

umbral shadow.
○ These events are easy to

see, even with the unaided

eye.
 ● (click for photo example)
3. Total Lunar Eclipse
○ The entire Moon passes

through Earth's umbral

shadow.
○ These events are quite

striking due to the Moon's

vibrant red color during
the total phase (totality).

(click for photo example)

Now you might be wondering

"If the Moon orbits Earth every
29.5 days and lunar eclipses
only occur at Full Moon, then
why don't we have an eclipse
once a month during Full
Moon?". I'm glad you asked!
You see, the Moon's orbit
around Earth is actually tipped
about 5 degrees to Earth's orbit
around the Sun. This means
that the Moon spends most of
the time either above or below
the plane of Earth's orbit. And
the plane of Earth's orbit
around the Sun is important
because Earth's shadows lie
exactly in the same plane.
During Full Moon, our natural
satellite usually passes above
or below Earth's shadows and
misses them entirely. No
eclipse takes place. But two to
four times each year, the Moon
passes through some portion of
the Earth's penumbral or
umbral shadows and one of the
above three types of eclipses
occurs.

When an eclipse of the Moon

takes place, everyone on the
night side of Earth can see it.
About 35% of all eclipses are of
the penumbral type which are
very difficult to detect, even
with a telescope. Another 30%
are partial eclipses which are
easy to see with the unaided
eye. The final 35% or so are
total eclipses, and these are
quite extrordinary events to
behold.

What is the difference between

a lunar eclipse and a solar
eclipse? A solar eclipse is an
eclipse of the Sun. It happens
when the Moon passes between
the Earth and the Sun. This is
only possible when the Moon is
in the New Moon phase. For
more information, see Solar
Eclipses for Beginners.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2004 Oct

27-28
Beginning (right), middle
 (center) and end (left) of
totality
(click to see photo gallery)

Why is the Moon Red During a

Total Lunar Eclipse?

During a total lunar eclipse, the

Earth blocks the Sun's light
from reaching the Moon.
Astronauts on the Moon would
then see the Earth completely
eclipse the Sun. (They would
see a bright red ring around the
Earth as they watched all the
sunrises and sunsets
happening simultaneousely
around the world!) While the
Moon remains completely
within Earth's umbral shadow,
indirect sunlight still manages
to reach and illuminate it.
However, this sunlight must
first pass deep through the
Earth's atmosphere which
filters out most of the blue
colored light. The remaining
light is a deep red or orange in
color and is much dimmer than
pure white sunlight. Earth's
atmosphere also bends or
refracts some of this light so
that a small fraction of it can
reach and illuminate the Moon.

The total phase of a lunar

eclipse is so interesting and
beautiful precisely because of
the filtering and refracting
effect of Earth's atmosphere. If
the Earth had no atmosphere,
then the Moon would be
completely black during a total
eclipse. Instead, the Moon can
take on a range of colors from
dark brown and red to bright
orange and yellow. The exact
appearance depends on how
much dust and clouds are
present in Earth's atmosphere.
Total eclipses tend to be very
dark after major volcanic
eruptions since these events
dump large amounts of volcanic
ash into Earth's atmosphere.
During the total lunar eclipse of
December 1992, dust from
Mount Pinatubo rendered the
Moon nearly invisible.
All total eclipses start with a
penumbral followed by a partial
eclipse, and end with a partial
followed by a penumbral
eclipse (the total eclipse is
sandwiched in the middle). The
penumbral phases of the
eclipse are quite difficult to
see, even with a telescope.
However, partial and total
eclipses are easy to observe,
even with the naked eye.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2000 Jan

 20-21
Beginning (right), middle
(center) and end (left) of
totality
(click to see more photos)

Observing Lunar Eclipses

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar

eclipses are completely safe to
watch. You don't need any kind
of protective filters. It isn't
even necessary to use a
telescope. You can watch the
lunar eclipse with nothing more
than your own two eyes. If you
have a pair of binoculars, they
will help magnify the view and
will make the red coloration
brighter and easier to see. A
standard pair of 7x35 or 7x50
binoculars work fine.
Remember to dress warmly and
enjoy the spectacle!

Amateur astronomers can

actually make some useful
observations during total
eclipses. It's impossible to
predict exactly how dark the
Moon will appear during
totality. The color can also vary
from dark gray or brown,
through a range of shades of
red and bright orange. The
color and brightness depend on
the amount of dust in Earth's
atmosphere during the eclipse.
Using the Danjon Brightness
Scale for lunar eclipses,
amateurs can categorize the
Moon's color and brightness
during totality.

Another useful amateur activity

requires a telescope. Using a
standard list lunar craters, one
can careful measure the exact
time when each crater enters
and leaves the umbral shadow.
These crater timings can be
used to estimate the
enlargement of Earth's
atmosphere due to airborne
dust and volcanic ash.

Of course, an eclipse of the

Moon also presents a tempting
target to photograph.
Fortunately, lunar eclipse
photography is easy provided
that you have the right
equipment and use it correctly.
See MrEclipse's Picks for
camera, lens and tripod
recommendations. For more
photographs taken during
previous lunar eclipses, be sure
to visit Lunar Eclipse Photo
Gallery.

Lunar Eclipse Frequency and

Future Eclipses

Penumbral eclipses are of little

interest because they are hard
to see. If we consider only
partial and total lunar eclipses,
how often do they occur?
During the five thousand year
period from 2000 BCE through
3000 CE, there are 7,718
eclipses of the Moon (partial
and total). This averages out to
about one and a half eclipses
each year. Actually, the number
of lunar eclipses in a single
year can range from 0 to 3. The
last time that 3 total lunar
eclipses occurred in one
calendar year was in 1982.
Partial eclipses slightly
outnumber total eclipses by 7
to 6.

The table below lists every

lunar eclipse from 2018
through 2024. Click on the
eclipse Date to see a diagram
of the eclipse and a world map
showing where it is visible
from. Although penumbral
lunar eclipses are included in
this list, they are usually hard
to see because they are faint.

The Umbral Magnitude is the

fraction on the Moon's diameter
immersed in the umbra at
maximum eclipse. For values
greater than 1.0, it is a total
eclipse. For negative values, it
is a penumbral eclipse. The
Eclipse Duration column lists
the length of the partial eclipse
in hours and minutes. If it is a
total eclipse, two values are
given. The first is the amount
of time between the start and
end of the partial phases while
the second (in bold) is the
length of the total eclipse.

Eclipses of the Moon:

2020 - 2024

Date Ecli Um Ecli Geo

pse bral pse grap
Typ Mag Du hic
e nitu rati Regi
de on on
of
Ecli
pse
Visi
bilit
y
2020 Pen - - Euro
Jan um 0.1 pe,
10 bral 16 Afri
ca,
Asia
,
Aus.

2020 Pen - - Euro

Jun um 0.4 pe,
05 bral 05 Afri
ca,
Asia
,
Aus.

2020 Pen - - Ame

Jul um 0.6 rica
05 bral 44 s,
 sw
Euro
pe,
Afri
ca

2020 Pen - - Asia

Nov um 0.2 ,
30 bral 62 Aus.
,
Paci
fic,
Ame
rica
s

2021 Tot 1.0 03 e

May al 09 h0 Asia
,
 26 7m Aust
ralia
00 ,
h1 Paci
5m fic,
Ame
rica
s

2021 Part 0.9 03 Ame

Nov ial 74 h2 rica
19 8m s, n
Euro
pe,
e
Asia
,
Aust
ralia
 ,
Paci
fic

2022 Tot 1.4 03 Ame

May al 14 h2 rica
16 7m s,
Euro
01 pe,
h2 Afri
5m ca

2022 Tot 1.3 03 Asia

Nov al 59 h4 ,
08 0m Aust
ralia
01 ,
h2 Paci
 5m fic,
Ame
rica
s

2023 Pen - - Afri

May um 0.0 ca,
05 bral 46 Asia
,
Aust
ralia

2023 Part 0.1 01 e

Oct ial 22 h1 Ame
28 7m rica
s,
Euro
pe,
Afri
 ca,
Asia
,
Aust
ralia

2024 Pen - - Ame

Mar um 0.1 rica
25 bral 32 s

2024 Part 0.0 01 Ame

Sep ial 85 h0 rica
18 3m s,
Euro
pe,
Afri
ca
Geographic abreviations (used
above): n = north, s = south, e
= east, w = west, c = central

For an extended version of this

table, see: Lunar Eclipse
Preview: 2015-2035.

Upcoming lunar eclipses visible

from the U.S.A. include:

● May 26, 2021

● May 16, 2022
● Nov. 08,2022

Lunar eclipses
What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse happens when the
Moon and Earth line up so that the
Earth’s shadow falls over the Moon
and darkens it. Conversely, a solar
eclipse happens when the Moon and
Sun line up so that the Moon’s
shadow falls on the Earth.

What is a total lunar eclipse?

During a total lunar eclipse the Moon
is completely covered by the darkest
portion of Earth’s shadow, known as
the umbra. This is different from a
partial lunar eclipse, during which the
Moon does not entirely cross through
the umbra.

LUNAR ECLIPSE BLOOD MOON

During a total lunar eclipse, some
sunlight still reaches the Moon's
surface after bouncing through the
edges of Earth’s atmosphere.
Because our atmosphere scatters
blue light, the light that reaches the
Moon takes on a reddish hue.Image:
NASA
What is a blood moon?
During a total lunar eclipse, the
darkest portion of Earth’s shadow
completely covers the Moon. You
might assume that the Moon would
be dark during this time but that’s not
the case. Some sunlight still reaches
the Moon’s surface after bouncing
through the edges of Earth’s
atmosphere.

Our atmosphere scatters blue light,

which is why the sky looks blue
during the day. At sunrise and sunset
when the Sun is low on the horizon,
the sunlight reaching you has passed
through even more atmosphere. This
scatters away most of the blue light,
creating red-tinged skies and
beautiful sunsets.

The same thing happens during a

lunar eclipse. Although the Moon is
in shadow, the edges of Earth’s
atmosphere still scatter some red
light onto the Moon’s surface. The
actual term blood Moon dates back to
at least biblical times and has been
tied to the apocalypse. But there’s no
need to panic — a red-tinged Moon is
simply the result of an infinite cosmic
ballet.

THE RED HUE OF A LUNAR ECLIPSE

During a total lunar eclipse some
sunlight still reaches the Moon after
bouncing through the edges of
Earth’s atmosphere. Our atmosphere
scatters blue light, giving the light
that reaches the Moon a distinctly red
hue.Image: The Planetary Society
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon happens when the full
Moon falls near the point where the
Moon is closest in its orbit to Earth.
This happens roughly once a year,
and when it does a supermoon
usually recurs for a couple full
Moons in a row.

The Moon’s 27-day orbit around the

Earth is not perfectly circular. Its
distance to Earth varies between
363,300 and 405,500 kilometers
(226,000 and 253,000 miles). When
the Moon is at its closest point to
Earth, it appears up to 14 percent
bigger and 30 percent brighter to
observers on Earth.
THE MOON'S CHANGING SIZE The
Moon's 27-day orbit around the Earth
is not perfectly circular, so its
apparent size in the night sky varies.
NASA's LandSat 8 spacecraft
captured the left image in December
2013 when the Moon was near its
closest point to Earth. LandSat 8
captured the right image in July 2014
when the Moon was near its farthest
point from Earth.Image: NASA /
USGS
Why does the Moon look bigger
sometimes?
Sometimes when you see a full or
nearly full Moon low on the horizon, it
looks extra large, regardless of
whether or not it is near the closest
point in its orbit to Earth. This is a
trick of the brain called the Moon
illusion — in reality the Moon’s size
doesn’t change as it travels across
the sky.

Scientists aren’t sure exactly what

causes the Moon illusion, but one
common explanation is that you’re
used to seeing the Moon high in the
sky all by itself. When you happen to
see it low on the horizon next to
familiar foreground shapes like trees
and buildings, your brain perceives it
as being larger than normal.

Why don’t we have a lunar or solar

eclipse every month?
The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is
tilted by about 5 degrees. The orbit
wobbles like a hula hoop spinning
around a person’s waist, ensuring
that the Moon doesn’t line up
perfectly with the Earth and Sun on
every 27-day orbit.
On average, we get two lunar
eclipses and between two and five
solar eclipses each year.

THE MOON'S ORBITAL TILT Because

the Moon's orbit around the Earth is
tilted by about 5 degrees, the Moon
does not fall within Earth's shadow
every month to create a lunar eclipse.
This NASA visualization shows the
Moon missing Earth's shadow for
several months before finally passing
through it, creating a lunar eclipse.
Credit: NASA's Scientific
Visualization StudioVideo: NASA's
Scientific Visualization Studio

Total Lunar Eclipse

Dec 17, 2010
By Shelley Witte is an
astronomy educator at the
National Air and Space
Museum.
Home /Total Lunar Eclipse
The Moon is one of the most easily
recognized celestial objects and
arguably the easiest one to
observe. It is simple to view the
changing phases from day to day,
with your naked eyes. Binoculars
or a telescope will reveal
countless craters, ancient lava
flows, and other intriguing lunar
features. Of the handful of thrilling
astronomical events a person can
witness in their lifetime, such as
meteor showers, planetary transits
and oppositions and auroras, solar
and lunar eclipses are a must-see.
During the waning hours of
December 20th and into the early
hours of December 21st, people in
North America will have the
chance to witness a total lunar
eclipse. A total lunar eclipse
occurs when the Sun, Earth, and
Moon are precisely aligned and the
Moon passes into the shadow of
the Earth. In other words, the Earth
is preventing sunlight from
reaching the Moon. Although an
eclipsed Moon is always full, a
lunar eclipse will not occur every
time there is a full Moon since the
Moon’s orbit is slightly tilted
compared to the plane in which
Earth orbits the Sun. When the
Moon reaches one of the two
points in its orbit where it lines up
exactly with the Sun and the Earth,
either a solar or lunar eclipse will
occur.
This shows the geometry of a
lunar eclipse. When the Sun,
Earth, and Moon, are precisely
aligned, a lunar eclipse will occur.
During an eclipse the Earth blocks
sunlight from reaching the Moon.
Earth creates two shadows: the
outer, pale shadow called the
penumbra, and the dark, inner
shadow called the umbra. The
eclipse is noticeable once the
Moon enters the umbra.
A lunar eclipse is much easier to
observe than a solar eclipse. To
view a solar eclipse, one has to
travel to a very specific location on
Earth. For a lunar eclipse, anyone
located on the night side of the
Earth has the opportunity to
observe it. North America will have
the best seat in the house for this
total lunar eclipse. Provided they
have clear skies, viewers should
be able to see the entire eclipse
from start to finish. Observers in
East Asia, Australia, and New
Zealand will see the Moon rising
during the eclipse while those in
Europe, West Africa, and South
America will see the Moon set
during the eclipse. To watch a
lunar eclipse you don’t need to
use a telescope or any special
equipment; simply go outside and
enjoy the view. The duration of
this total lunar eclipse is
approximately four and half hours.
If you don’t want to be extremely
tired at work or school on Tuesday
by staying up for the entire event,
you can still see different stages of
the eclipse in just over an hours’
time. On the east coast of the
United States, the lunar eclipse
officially begins around 1 am on
the morning of December 21st.
However, the exciting part of the
eclipse won’t begin until a half
hour later.
This is sequence of images taken
and arranged by an amateur
astronomer. During a total lunar
eclipse, viewers will see the
shadow of the Earth slowly move
across the surface of the Moon,
covering it. Totality occurs when
the Moon is fully covered. After
totality, the Moon slowly moves
out of Earth's shadow.
A total lunar eclipse begins when
the Moon enters the pale, outer
portion of the Earth’s shadow,
known as the penumbra. This
causes a very subtle darkening of
the Moon which is almost
undetectable. The umbra is Earth’s
dark, inner shadow where no
direct sunlight reaches. When the
Moon moves into the umbra, the
partial eclipse begins, and you will
begin to see a dark, curved
shadow creep across the lunar
surface. Partial eclipse begins at
1:33 a.m. on December 21st for
east coast viewers. Totality begins
at 2:41 a.m. EST when the umbra
has completely engulfed the Moon.

During totality, the Moon is still

visible. Sunlight passing through
Earth's atmosphere projects itself
onto the lunar surface and casts it
in an orange or reddish glow.
Despite not receiving any direct
sunlight, the Moon will still be
visible during totality, cast in an
orange or reddish glow. This is
due to scattered sunlight passing
through Earth’s atmosphere and
projecting onto the Moon. You
have most likely seen this type of
scattering of sunlight during
brilliantly colored sunrises and
sunsets. The color of the Moon
during totality will depend on the
clarity of the atmosphere during
the time of the eclipse. If it’s clear,
the Moon will have an orange tint.
However, if there’s enough dust in
the atmosphere (like from a
volcanic eruption), the Moon might
appear dark red, grey, or a reddish
black.
This diagram shows the
progression of the total lunar
eclipse on December 20th and
December 21st, 2010. Each
number corresponds with the
beginning of a specific stage in
the eclipse. 1) Partial eclipse
begins 2) Total eclipse beings 3)
Mid-eclipse 4) Total eclipse ends
5) Partial eclipse ends Moon
images courtesy of Nathan S.
Barrow.
(Diagram created by Shelley Witte)
Totality will last 72 minutes and
then the Moon will start to
reemerge from the umbra --
replaying the eclipse events in
reverse. If you don’t have enough
time or energy to watch the eclipse
in its entirety, I recommend
watching from partial eclipse until
totality or vice versa. Check the
chart below/above to find the
times the lunar eclipse is visible
from your neck of the woods.
If the skies are favorable during
the night of the total lunar eclipse,
take the opportunity to witness a
fascinating celestial phenomenon;
if you live in North America you
won’t get to watch another one like
this until April of 2014! Planning
on photographing the total lunar
eclipse? We’d love to see the
results! Upload your images to the
Public Observatory Project’s
group page on Flickr. To see more
eclipse imagery from Fred
Espenak, please visit
MrEclipse.com.

Lunar eclipse on May 5

will be a subtle show
of astronomical
wonder. An
astronomer explains.
Shannon Schmoll, Special to USA
TODAYThe Conversation

On May 5, 2023, people around

the world will witness a a lunar
eclipse when the Earth gets
between the Sun and the Moon
and casts part of its shadow on
the Moon.

The eclipse will be visible in

Africa, Asia, Australia and large
portions of Europe, though not
in the U.S. this time around.
This eclipse is not what some
call a “blood moon,” as it will
not turn red. Instead, the Moon
will dim slightly as it passes
through a lighter part of the
Earth’s shadow – called the
penumbra.

I am the director of the Abrams

Planetarium at Michigan State
University and it is part of my
job to get people outside and
looking up, and eclipses are
some of the easiest to see.
While the upcoming event will
not be the most stunning
celestial display, it is just the
first of a number of eclipses
occurring over the next year,
and they all work in similar
ways.

More:May's full moon is

coming soon: When to see the
'flower' moon

How do eclipses work?

Both lunar and solar eclipses
depend on particular
orientations of the Earth, Sun
and Moon. A lunar eclipse
occurs when the Earth’s
shadow covers all or part of the
Moon. This can only happen
when the Moon is directly on
the opposite side of the Earth
from Sun, which is also when
full moons occur.

Like the Earth, half of the Moon

is illuminated by the Sun at any
one time. When the Moon and
the Sun are perfectly opposite
each other, people on Earth can
see the entire lit-up side, which
looks like a round disc in the
night sky.
If the Moon had a totally flat
orbit, every full moon would be
a lunar eclipse. But the Moon’s
orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees
relative to Earth’s orbit of the
Sun. Because of this small tilt,
most of the time a full moon
ends up a little above or below
the shadow cast by the Earth.

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Delivery: Daily
Your Email
But twice in each monthlong
lunar orbit, the Moon crosses
through the same horizontal
plane as the Earth and the Sun.
If this happens during a full
moon, the Sun, Earth and Moon
will form a straight line and the
Moon will pass through the
Earth’s shadow, resulting in a
lunar eclipse.

The Earth’s shadow

As the Sun shines light on
Earth, Earth casts a shadow
behind itself. But the darkness
of shadows are not always
uniform, and the shadow cast
by the Earth is no exception.

The rays of light coming from a

wide, or extended, light source
– such as the Sun or a flashlight
– don’t all come from the exact
same location. Since the Sun is
large, there can be quite a
distance between the origin of
rays of light heading toward
Earth.

This difference in location

means that when Earth blocks
the light coming from one part
of the Sun, it might not block
out light coming from another
location on the Sun. This
results in parts of Earth’s
shadow that are darker – the
darkest part is where all light is
blocked, while the lighter parts
are because some light still
makes it past the Earth.

A total lunar eclipse is when the

Moon passes entirely through
the darkest part, or umbra, of
the Earth’s shadow. A partial
lunar eclipse is when the umbra
covers part of the Moon. The
eclipse on May 5, 2023, is the
last kind of eclipse where only
the lighter part of the shadow
will cover the Moon, which is
why it is known as a penumbral
lunar eclipse.

How can you see the lunar

eclipse?
As long as you are on the night
side of the Earth when a lunar
eclipse happens, you can see it.
The May 5 penumbral eclipse
will be visible in most of Europe
and Africa at moonrise, Asia
and Australia will be able to see
the entirety of the event in the
middle of the night, and
locations throughout the
Pacific Ocean will be able to see
it at moonset.

Lunar eclipses are relatively

short, only lasting a few hours
from start to finish. Totality,
the part of the eclipse that is
darkest, lasts about 30 to 60
minutes depending on how
close to the center of the
shadow you are.

For people in North and South

America where the eclipse
won’t be visible, there will be
plenty more in the next few
years. The next lunar eclipse
will be Oct. 28, 2023, and will
be a partial eclipse visible
primarily in Africa, Europe and
Asia. But the Americas will
have their own penumbral
eclipse on March 25, 2024,
followed by a partial lunar
eclipse on Sep. 18, 2024.

For those hoping to catch the

next total lunar eclipse, they
will have to wait until March 14,
2025, when a total lunar eclipse
will be visible from the
Americas, western Europe and
western Africa.

The Conversation is a
nonprofit, independent news
organization that partners
with colleges and universities
to publish articles written by
academic experts.

How to see a lunar

eclipse
Find out what lunar eclipses are and
when you can catch the next lunar
eclipse in the UK
Visit the Royal Observatory
What is a lunar eclipse?
An eclipse of the Moon occurs when
the Earth lies directly between the
Sun and the Moon and the Moon lies
in the shadow of the Earth.
What are the different types of
lunar eclipse?
For a total lunar eclipse to happen, all
three bodies – the Sun, the Earth and
the Moon – lie in a straight line. This
means that the Moon passes through
the darkest part of the Earth’s
shadow - the umbra.
But a lunar eclipse isn't always 'total'.
There are actually three different
types of lunar eclipse.
Total lunar eclipse
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon
usually turns a deep, dark red
because it is illuminated by light that
has passed through the Earth's
atmosphere and has been bent back
towards the Moon by refraction.
Impact of a Meteoroid During the
Total Lunar Eclipse by Rafael Ruiz,
Astronomy Photographer of the Year
2019

Partial lunar eclipse

During the partial phase of the
eclipse, part of the Moon travels
through the Earth's full 'umbral'
shadow.
However, on this occasion only a
very small section of the Moon will be
covered by the umbra at maximum
eclipse, though the whole northern
half of the Moon will be darkened by
the penumbral shadow.
Jon Culshaw is a judge for the
Astronomy Photographer of the Year
competition
Penumbral lunar eclipse
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs
when the Moon travels only through
the outer, fainter part of the Earth's
shadow, or 'penumbra'. This happens
when the Earth moves between the
Sun and Moon but the three do not
form a perfectly straight line.
The Penumbral Lunar Eclipse and the
New Born Rime by Hailong Qiu,
Astronomy Photographer of the Year
2020
The penumbra causes only a slight
darkening of the Moon's surface, with
the Moon still exposed to some direct
sunlight, so this type of eclipse is
easy to miss.
Dubai lunar eclipse on
Friday: Everything you
need to know
The phenomenon will be the
first lunar eclipse of 2023
On Friday, May 5, a penumbral lunar
eclipse will take place, the
phenomenon will be the first lunar
eclipse of 2023. This occurs when the
moon passes through the outer
shadow of the earth.

During the eclipse, lunar enthusiasts

will be able to see the moon darken
but not completely disappear.

The phenomenon will begin from 7:15

PM GST and will be visible to any
country where the moon is over the
horizon. The eclipse is expected to
peak at 9:24 PM and will conclude at
11:32 PM.

There there are three kinds of lunar

eclipses: total, partial and penumbral.

What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?

During a penumbral eclipse, the Moon

travels through the Earth’s outer
shadow known as the penumbra.

The penumbra is the outer region of

the Earth’s shadow where it appears
that the Earth is partially blocking the
Sun’s disk, but not completely.

How often does a penumbral lunar

eclipse occur?

Penumbral lunar eclipses make up a

minor proportion of all lunar eclipses
and are not evenly distributed,
happening between 0 to 9 times in a
century.

This fluctuation occurs in cycles of

around 600 years.
Unlike solar eclipses, the penumbral
lunar eclipse can be harder to observe
without the use of a telescope or
controlled photographs.

For those who are unable to witness

the celestial event in person, NASA
will be streaming the event live.

Darkness helps with better visibility of

the phenomenon, however, the glare
of city lights can be unfavourable.
According to NASA, the upcoming
lunar eclipses are:

Date Eclip Visible regions

se
Type

May 5, Penu Africa, Asia,

2023 mbra Australia
l

October Parti Europe, Africa, Asia,

28, 2023 al Australia

March Penu Americas

25, 2024 mbra
l

Septem Parti Americas, Europe,

ber 18, al Africa
2024

March Total Pacific, Americas,

14, 2025 Western Europe,
Western Africa

According to timeanddate.com, the

penumbral lunar eclipse will be seen
at its maximum at 9:22 PM in Dubai.
The whole phenomenon will last for a
total of four hours and 18 minutes.

How Do You Tell the

Difference Between Total,
Annular, Solar, and Lunar
Eclipses?
 © solarseven/Dreamstime.com

Traditionally, eclipses are

divided into two major types:
solar and lunar. Solar eclipses
occur when the Moon passes
between Earth and the Sun,
leaving a moving region of
shadow on Earth’s surface. Lunar
eclipses occur when Earth passes
between the Sun and the Moon,
casting a shadow on the Moon.

Solar eclipses may be classified

as either total, in which the Moon
completely covers the Sun, or
annular, in which the Moon
obscures all but an outer ring of
the Sun. Whether an eclipse is
total or annular depends on the
distance between these three
objects. Earth travels in an
elliptical orbit around the Sun,
and the Moon travels in an
elliptical orbit around Earth, so
the distance between these
celestial bodies changes. When
the Sun is nearest to Earth and
the Moon is at or near its greatest
distance, the Moon appears
smaller than the Sun in the sky.
When an eclipse of the Sun
happens in this situation, the
Moon will not appear large
enough to cover the disk of the
Sun completely, and a rim or ring
of light will remain visible in the
sky. This is an annular eclipse.

geometry of a total solar eclipse

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
There are no annular lunar
eclipses because Earth is much
bigger than the Moon, and its
shadow will never be small
enough to leave a ring. However,
the Moon does experience total
eclipses. If the eclipse is a total
lunar eclipse, the Moon will pass
through the umbra (area of total
shadow) created by Earth over
the course of about two hours.
Viewers will notice that the Moon
does not typically go completely
dark; it often takes on a red
color, because the redder parts of
sunlight that penetrate Earth’s
atmosphere are refracted into
the umbra, and this light reaches
the Moon.

Both solar and lunar eclipses

may also occur as partial
eclipses. For a solar eclipse this
often depends upon where the
viewer observes the event. A
partial eclipse may be seen by
viewers who stand outside of the
region of shadow created by the
umbra—the path of totality—but
who remain within the large
region of shadow covered by the
penumbra, a region of lesser
shadow where some light still
penetrates. A partial eclipse of
the Sun also results when the
Moon’s penumbra falls on Earth
but its umbra does not. A partial
eclipse of the Moon occurs when
the Moon passes through only
part of Earth’s umbra or only its
penumbra. (However,
penumbral lunar eclipses are
difficult to spot because Earth’s
penumbra is very faint.) Since
the Moon is much smaller than
Earth, there is no path of totality
in a lunar eclipse. The eclipse will
be visible to any observer on the
night side of Earth when the
eclipse occurs.
 geometry of a lunar eclipse
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Total solar eclipses take place
somewhere on the planet about
every 18 months or so, but the
average frequency of the event
for any random point on the
planet is roughly once in almost
400 years. Across the planet,
however, solar eclipses are
actually more frequent than
lunar ones. For example, total
and annular eclipses occur every
five or six months. Lunar
eclipses, by contrast, happen
about once per year at any given
location on the planet.
Nevertheless, since solar eclipses
can be seen from only a very
limited region of Earth at a time
and lunar eclipses can be seen by
an entire hemisphere, solar
eclipses may seem less frequent.

A penumbral eclipse of
the moon is subtle
Posted by
Deborah Byrd

May 1, 2023
View at EarthSky Community Photos. |
Nils Ribi in Sun Valley, Idaho, caught
the November 30, 2020, penumbral
lunar eclipse. He wrote: “The
penumbral eclipse of the full moon,
November 30, 2020, at 2:43 a.m., the
time of greatest eclipse, in Sun Valley,
Idaho. It was nice to see that the
eclipse was not that faint here.” Thank
you, Nils!
The next penumbral lunar eclipse:

May 5-6, 2023

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. So at such

times, Earth’s shadow falls on the

moon, creating a lunar eclipse.

Lunar eclipses happen a minimum

of two times to a maximum of five

times a year. As a matter of fact,

there are three kinds of lunar

eclipses: total, partial and

penumbral.

In a lunar
eclipse, Earth’s shadow falls on the
moon. And if the moon passes through
the dark central shadow of Earth – the
umbra – a partial or total lunar eclipse
takes place. Then, if the moon only
passes through the outer part of the
shadow – the penumbra – a subtle
penumbral eclipse occurs. Diagram via
Fred Espenak/ Lunar Eclipses for
Beginners. Used with permission.
Help! EarthSky needs your support

to continue. Our yearly crowd-

funding campaign is going on now.

Donate here.
0 of 30 secondsVolume 0%

The three types of lunar

eclipses
In a total eclipse of the moon, the

inner part of Earth’s shadow, called

the umbra, falls on the moon’s face.

Then at mid-eclipse, the entire

moon is in shadow, which may

appear blood red.

Next, there is a partial lunar eclipse,

where 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.

Finally, there’s a penumbral lunar

eclipse, when only the more diffuse

outer shadow of Earth – the

penumbra – falls on the moon’s

face. In fact, 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. That’s because there is never

a dark bite taken out of the moon,

as in a partial eclipse. So the

eclipse never progresses to reach

the dramatic minutes of totality.

And 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.

According to eclipse expert Fred

Espenak, about 35% of all eclipses

are penumbral. Another 30% are

partial eclipses, where it appears as

if a dark bite has been taken out of

the moon. And the final 35% go all

the way to becoming total eclipses

of the moon, a beautiful natural

event.

What to expect from a

penumbral eclipse
View larger. | Left, an ordinary full
moon with no eclipse. Right, full moon
in penumbral eclipse on November 20,
2002. Master eclipse photographer
Fred Espenak took this photo when the
moon was 88.9% immersed in Earth’s
penumbral shadow. There’s no dark
bite taken out of the moon. A
penumbral eclipse creates only a dark
shading on the moon’s face. Image via
Fred Espenak. Used with permission.

Some eclipse photos

This is what a total eclipse looks like.

This is the total eclipse of October 27,
2004. Image via Fred Espenak.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. |
Lorraine Boyd in Delmar, New York,
wrote: “Even though we had cloudy
skies, there were breaks and I was able
to capture the full Beaver Moon partial
lunar eclipse. It was a beautiful sight to
see.” It was, wasn’t it? Thank you,
Lorraine!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. |

Here is the penumbral eclipse of July
4-5, 2020. As you can see, it’s not very
noticeable. Greg Redfern in central
Virginia commented: “Taken at
maximum eclipse for the penumbral
lunar eclipse. May be some shading in
the upper left quadrant.” Thank you,
Greg.
Bottom line: There are three kinds

of lunar eclipses: total, partial and

penumbral. A penumbral eclipse is

very subtle. At no time does a dark

bite appear to be taken out of the

moon. Instead, at mid-eclipse,

observant people will notice a

shading on the moon’s face.

SOLAR AND LUNAR
ECLIPSES
We hold events at Sydney
Observatory so you can view
solar and lunar eclipses using
our telescopes. For solar
eclipses, we have solar filters
on binoculars and telescopes
as well as special eclipse
glasses for you to use. We
also live stream our view of
eclipses.
Keep an eye on the What’s
On section of our website for
event details.

Solar eclipses
What is a solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when
the Moon, in the course of its
orbit around the Earth, casts
a shadow on to the Earth.
When viewed from the
surface of the Earth, the
Moon blocks all or part of the
Sun from view. Only by
observing from within the
cone-shaped umbra of the
Moon’s shadow can we see
the Sun’s disc completely
obscured. From within the
lighter penumbra at least
part of the Sun remains
visible and we witness only a
partial eclipse.
Although a solar eclipse of
some kind occurs somewhere
on Earth at least twice each
year, in only some of these
events does the Moon
completely cover the Sun.
Usually the umbra misses the
Earth altogether, passing
‘above’ or ‘below’ our planet.
Even when the umbra does
intersect the Earth, we are
very close to its end where
the width of the shadow is
very small. So as the Moon’s
shadow moves from west to
east across the Earth’s
surface due to the orbital
motion of the Moon, it traces
out a quite narrow path, at
most about 270 km wide.

When is the next total solar

eclipse?
The next total solar eclipse
viewable from Sydney will be
at 2pm on 22 July 2028. The
Moon will fully cover the Sun
for 3 minutes and 50
seconds.
This event is rarely visible
from a large city like Sydney
because large cities are less
likely to be in the direct line
of the eclipse. This is simply
because there are many
more smaller towns than
there are larger cities.

Lunar eclipses
What is a lunar eclipse?
Eclipses of the Moon occur
when the Moon moves into
the shadow of the Earth.
When the Moon is fully
immersed in the dark part of
the shadow we see a total
eclipse of the Moon. At such
times the eclipsed Moon
usually takes on a dark
reddish colour from the light
bent or refracted onto the
Moon by the Earth’s
atmosphere. When the Moon
is only partially immersed in
the dark part of the shadow
we have a partial eclipse.
An eclipse of the Moon can
only happen at full Moon
phase. It does not happen
every month as the path the
Moon takes around the Earth
is tilted by about 5° to the
path the Earth takes around
the Sun. Hence at full Moon
the Earth’s shadow usually
falls below or above the
Moon.
When is the next lunar
eclipse?
There was a total lunar
eclipse visible on 8
November, 2022. The next
lunar eclipse visible from
Australia will be a penumbral
lunar eclipse on 6 May 2023
but this will be barely
noticable. Following that
there will be a partial lunar
eclipse on 29 October 2023 –
best viewed from western
Australia. The next total
lunar eclipses visible from
Australia will occur in March
and September 2025.

On average there is an
eclipse of the Moon every
eight months, with a little
under half of these total. The
actual number of lunar
eclipses in a year can range
from none to a maximum of
three. A total eclipse of the
Moon is visible from Australia
on average every 2.8 years.

Why does the Moon appear

red during a total lunar
eclipse?
The Moon will appear red
during totality because red
light from the Sun is bent by
the Earth’s atmosphere. The
light is red as other colours
such as blue are scattered in
all directions, just the same
as at sunset.

Whether the Moon will go red

and how dark it will appear
during an eclipse depends on
atmospheric conditions at
the time. This post about the
2007 total lunar eclipse will
give you some idea of what
we can hope to see during a
lunar eclipse.
How to
Photograph
a Lunar
Eclipse
By and Featuring FRED ESPENAK
 GLOSSARY
OFFON

Lunar Eclipse Photos

1of5

Previous
Next
 © Fred Espenak

Jan. 21, 2000 total Lunar Eclipse, Dunkirk, MD.

Nikon N70 SLR on an AstroPhysics 130 EDF +,
f/12, Kodak Royal Gold 100 and 400 films. The
moon was photographed at five min. intervals
throughout the eclipse. You can see every
stage of the eclipse from start to finish.
Individual images scanned, composite created
using Adobe Photoshop.
© Fred Espenak
Oct. 28, 2004 total lunar eclipse, widely visible
from the USA. Composite of images captures
the Moon at the beginning (r.), middle (c.) and
end (l.) of totality. Nikon D100, 4 sec. at f/12,
using an AstroPhysics 105 EDT Refractor (4"
F/6) and AP 2X Barlow for a focal length of
1200mm.
© Fred Espenak
Star trail during the total lunar eclipse, Jan. 21,
2000. Nikon 8008 SLR, 50mm NIKKOR, f/16
opened to f/5.6 during totality, for a total
exposure time of 2 hrs. and 30 min. on Kodak
Royal Gold 400 film. The narrow lines that
parallel the Moon's path are images of bright
stars.
© Fred Espenak
July 16, 2000 total lunar eclipse, Maui, HI.
Nikon 8008 SLR and 35mm NIKKOR lens in
multiple exposure mode to capture the entire
eclipse on one frame of Kodak Royal Gold 100
film. Basic exposure of 1/125 sec. at f/5.6 was
increased to 1/8 sec. within 15 min. of totality,
then set to 4 sec. throughout totality. A
second metered exposure captures morning
twilight and silhouetted palm trees.
 © Fred Espenak

Jan. 9, 2001 total lunar eclipse, Athens,

Greece. Nikon 8008, 35mm NIKKOR lens in
multiple exposure mode captured every phase
of the eclipse at five min. intervals. During
totality, the moon took on a deep red color.
Basic exposure of 1/125 sec. at f/5.6 was
increased to 1/8 sec. within 15 min. of totality,
then set to 4 sec. throughout totality. A
second metered exposure captures morning
twilight and silhouettes the ancient temple of
Poseidon on Kodak Royal Gold 100 film.
 © Fred Espenak

Jan. 21, 2000 total Lunar Eclipse, Dunkirk, MD.

Nikon N70 SLR on an AstroPhysics 130 EDF +,
f/12, Kodak Royal Gold 100 and 400 films. The
moon was photographed at five min. intervals
throughout the eclipse. You can see every
stage of the eclipse from start to finish.
Individual images scanned, composite created
using Adobe Photoshop.
© Fred Espenak
Oct. 28, 2004 total lunar eclipse, widely visible
from the USA. Composite of images captures
the Moon at the beginning (r.), middle (c.) and
end (l.) of totality. Nikon D100, 4 sec. at f/12,
using an AstroPhysics 105 EDT Refractor (4"
F/6) and AP 2X Barlow for a focal length of
1200mm.

Updated 4/2022
A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the
moon passes through the Earth’s dark
shadow, which can only happen during a
full moon. There are two or more lunar
eclipses a year.

3 Types of Lunar Eclipses

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. This occurs

when the moon passes through the
Earth’s penumbral shadow. These
eclipses are subtle and hard to observe.

Partial Lunar Eclipse. This occurs when a

portion of the moon passes through the
Earth’s umbral shadow. These eclipses
are easy to see with the unaided eye.

Total Lunar Eclipse. This occurs when

the entire moon passes through the
Earth’s umbral shadow. During the total
phase (totality), the moon turns a vibrant
red color. These are easy to see as well,
with the unaided eye.

A lunar eclipse begins as a small notch

slowly appears along one edge of the
moon. During the next hour, the moon
gradually dips deeper into Earth's dark
umbral shadow. If the eclipse is a total
one, the last remaining minutes of the
partial phases can be quite dramatic. The
crescent of the moon grows thinner as
darkness propagates through a night sky
now deprived of moonlight. If you're
away from city lights, the Milky Way
becomes bright and beautiful as the total
phase begins.

No matter what kind of camera you own,

there are a variety of techniques that you
can use to photograph a lunar eclipse:
wide-angle, telephoto, multiple exposure
and star trail. While you can also use film
cameras to photograph eclipses, this
article specifically discusses digital
camera use.

Lunar Eclipse Geometry

© Fred Espenak
Geometry of the Sun, Earth and Moon During
an Eclipse of the moon. Earth's two shadows
are the penumbra and the umbra.

(Sizes and distances not to scale)

Wide-Angle
The wide-angle technique offers the
simplest way to photograph a lunar
eclipse. You can use any camera that is
capable of long exposures, of five
seconds or more. Because you’re going
to be using long exposures, it is ideal to
place the camera on a sturdy tripod. If
your camera can utilize a cable release,
using one is the best way to ensure that
you won’t cause vibrations when you trip
the shutter. If you don’t have access to a
cable release, use the camera’s self-timer
to trip the shutter to begin the exposure.

For COOLPIX digital cameras, set it to

the widest focal length. For
photographers using a Nikon DX format
Mirrorless camera or DSLR, use a focal
length range of 18-35mm. For
photographers using a Nikon FX format
Mirrorless camera or DSLR, you can use
a focal length range of 28-35mm. For
photographers using the Nikon 1 system
cameras, use a focal length range of 10-
30mm. Shooting a lunar eclipse with a
wide-angle view lets you incorporate an
interesting foreground into your image.

Camera Settings

As a starting exposure, set the camera to

ISO 400, and open the lens to the widest
aperture. Try a variety of exposures
adjusting the shutter speed in 5-second
increments. The slowest shutter speed
that you should use is 40-seconds. Any
longer than that and you’re going to
begin to see star trails or streaks, caused
by the earth’s rotation.

Star Trails
When you photograph the night sky
using very long exposures of several
minutes or more, you will end up with an
effect known as Star Trails. Because of
the Earth’s rotation, you are capturing a
trail of the light from the stars (or moon
in this case). Photographing a lunar
eclipse this way will allow the moon to
slowly drift across the frame. To
photograph Star Trails, you will definitely
need to use a cable release.
Camera Settings

Starting Exposures: begin by setting the

ISO to 400, using an f/stop of f/8 or f/11
and set the shutter speed to Bulb. As the
eclipse begins, place the moon’s image
in one corner of the camera’s viewfinder.
Make sure that you compose the image
so that the moon will move across the
camera’s field of view during the
exposure. Turn Autofocus OFF and focus
manually on infinity. Also, turn ON the
camera’s Long Exposure Noise
Reduction feature. Make sure you have a
fully charged or fresh battery for the
camera and an empty memory card.
When you’re ready to make the
exposure, lock the shutter open with the
cable release and enjoy the eclipse.

You can figure out the approximate

orientation by practicing one or two
nights before the eclipse. The moon rises
about 50 minutes later each night, so if
the eclipse is set to occur at 10pm on a
specific day, run the test the evening
before at 9:10pm.

The moon appears to move across the

sky at a rate of 15 degrees per hour. It
should take the moon about three hours
to traverse the field of view of a 35mm
lens on a Nikon DX format Mirrorless or
DSLR camera or a 50mm lens on an FX
format Mirrorless or DSLR camera.

If the eclipse occurs in the early evening,

the moon will be rising and its motion
will bring it up and to the right as you
face the moon. If the eclipse occurs
during the middle of the night, the
moon’s motion will be from left to right. If
the eclipse occurs during the early
morning hours, the moon will be setting,
and its motion will take it down and to
the right. These directions are for the
Northern Hemisphere. If you are in the
Southern Hemisphere, the motions in the
left and right directions will be opposite.

When photographing a lunar

eclipse using the wide-angle
technique, you’re capturing
one instant of the eclipse.
When using the Star Trails
 technique, you’re capturing
several hours of the eclipse...
The Multiple Exposure
technique combines the best
of both.
© Fred Espenak
July 16, 2000 total lunar eclipse, Maui, HI.
Nikon 8008 SLR and 35mm NIKKOR lens in
multiple exposure mode to capture the entire
eclipse on one frame of Kodak Royal Gold 100
film. Basic exposure of 1/125 sec. at f/5.6 was
increased to 1/8 sec. within 15 min. of totality,
then set to 4 sec. throughout totality. A
second metered exposure captures morning
twilight and silhouetted palm trees.

Multiple Exposures
When photographing a lunar eclipse
using the wide-angle technique, you’re
capturing one instant of the eclipse.
When using the Star Trails technique,
you’re capturing several hours of the
eclipse in one frame. The Multiple
Exposure technique combines the best
of both, by capturing a sequence of
individual images that show the eclipse
throughout its different stages.
Using a digital camera, you will be
making a series of exposures, which will
each be saved as individual files in the
camera. In post-production, using
software such as Adobe Photoshop, you
can combine or “stack” the image files
into one image that shows the series of
small moon images each illustrating a
different phase of the eclipse.

Camera Settings
Starting Exposure: to make multiple
exposures during a lunar eclipse, camera
set up and orientation is identical to the
Star Trail method. But instead of taking
one long exposure, you’re going to be
taking a series of short exposures during
the various stages of the eclipse. It is
essential that the camera be on a sturdy
tripod and not move throughout the
eclipse.
Make the first exposure as the partial
eclipse begins and then shoot additional
exposures every 5 to 10 minutes. Be
consistent and use the same time
interval between shots so your final
image will have the moon evenly spaced
as the eclipse progresses.

Since the moon’s brightness varies

during an eclipse, you will need to
change the exposure throughout. Click
here for Mr. Eclipse’s Lunar Eclipse
Exposure Guide, which will help you
determine the correct exposures for each
phase of the eclipse, based on the ISO
and f/stop you have selected.

For example, let's say you're using ISO

400 at f/8. The guide recommends a
shutter speed of 1/1000 second as the
partial eclipse begins. The shutter
speeds for eclipse magnitudes
(brightness) 0.3, 0.6, 0.8 and 0.9 would
then be 1/500, 1/250, 1/125 and 1/60
second, respectively. Whatever
exposures you use, it’s best to bracket
one full f/stop around the recommended
value. This is easy to do if you set the
camera for bracketing before the eclipse
begins.

Telephoto
To capture large images of the moon
during a lunar eclipse, you will need to
use a long telephoto lens or a telescope.
You can also use a COOLPIX P&S digital
camera with a superzoom. With a
Mirrorless or DSLR camera, you can also
combine a super telephoto lens with a
Teleconverter to increase the focal
length. You can also increase the relative
size of the moon's image in an FX format
camera by selecting DX Crop Mode.
There are many telescopes that will allow
you to connect a camera, using an
adapter. Using a telescope that has an
equatorial mount and electric clock drive
that counteracts the Earth’s rotation
allows you to automatically track the
sun, moon and stars for long exposure
Astrophotography.

Camera Settings
Starting Exposure: the Lunar Eclipse
Exposure Guide is a good starting point
for photographing the moon during a
lunar eclipse using a telephoto or super
telephoto lens or telescope. Bracket your
exposures by under- and over-exposing
by one or two f/stops to ensure that you
get a perfect exposure. To capture a
good sequence of photos, you’ll
probably want to take the bracketed
series of exposures every 10 minutes.
During a total eclipse, the moon’s color
and brightness can vary enormously,
taking on hues ranging from bright
orange, to deep red, dark brown or grey.
The color is due to the indirect sunlight
that is refracted through and filtered by
the Earth’s atmosphere before reaching
the moon. You can also use your
camera’s Spot Meter to take an actual
meter reading of the moon and bracket
your exposures from that point.
 Lunar Eclipse Time Lapse

© Fred Espenak

Lunar Total Eclipse – The moon was

photographed every 5 min. during the total
lunar eclipse of Jan. 20-21, 2000.
Lunar Eclipses Around the
Globe in 2022

May 16 — total lunar eclipse

(Blood Moon) — will be visible N.
and S. America, Africa, W.
Europe.

November 8 — total lunar eclipse

(Blood Moon) — will be visible in
N. and S. America, Pacific, E.
Asia.

For more detailed information regarding lunar

eclipses and photographing them, visit the
www.MrEclipse.com website. The website is
the creation of Fred Espenak, Goddard
Scientist Emeritus, and retired NASA
astrophysicist.
Check out the NASA Eclipse website too:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html.

Lunar Eclipse 2023:

When And How To
Watch
Lunar Eclipse 2023: The
penumbral lunar eclipse would be
easily observed in several parts of
India if the weather stayed
favourable.
Feature
Edited by Nikhil Pandey

Updated: May 05, 2023 11:27 am IST

Lunar Eclipse 2023: This will be the first

lunar eclipse of the year.
The first lunar eclipse of this year
will be observed today at 8:45 p.m.
IST (1515 GMT). As the moon
approaches Earth's shadow's outer
edge, the lunar eclipse will start.

It will be a "penumbral" lunar eclipse

that will be visible in the Eastern
Hemisphere, which includes much
of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia,
and the islands of Oceania.
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs
when the Moon passes through the
penumbra, or lighter part, of Earth's
shadow, and sunlight falling on the
Moon appears to be partially cut off.
The moon remains visible, but with
less-than-usual brightness, which
means skywatchers will be able to
see it.

According to Space.com, the event

will reach its peak at 10:54 p.m. IST
(1724 GMT), some two hours after
beginning, and end at 1:02 a.m. IST
(1932 GMT) as the Earth's shadow
leaves the moon once again.

The date and time of today's lunar

eclipse, also known as Chandra
Grahan 2023, is as follows:

1. The penumbral lunar eclipse will

start at 20:44:11 on May 5.
 2. The maximum impact of the
lunar eclipse will be visible at
22:52:59 on May 5.
3. The penumbral lunar eclipse will
end at 01:01:45 on May 6.

Which Indian cities will be able to

witness the penumbral lunar eclipse
today?

All Indian cities, including New

Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata,
Chennai, Ahmedabad, Varanasi,
Mathura, Pune, Surat, Kanpur,
Visakhapatnam, Patna, Ooty,
Chandigarh, Ujjain, Varanasi,
Mathura, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima,
and others will be able to see the
celestial phenomenon.

According to the National

Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), there are
three different types of lunar
eclipses: Total lunar eclipses,
partial lunar eclipses, and
penumbral lunar eclipses.

During a total lunar eclipse, the

moon moves into the inner part of
Earth's shadow, or the umbra. Some
of the sunlight passing through
Earth's atmosphere reaches the
moon's surface, lighting it dimly.
In a partial lunar eclipse, an
imperfect alignment of the Sun,
Earth and Moon results in the Moon
passing through only part of Earth's
umbra. The shadow grows and then
recedes without ever entirely
covering the Moon.

Lunar Eclipse 2023

highlights: Images of
the ‘Flower Moon’
eclipse
Chandra grahan 2023 live updates:
This year's Flower Moon coincided
with a penumbral lunar eclipse.
Scroll below to see our highlights
from the event.

By: Science Desk

Abu Dhabi | Updated: May 7, 2023 15:20

IST
 X

The moon during a lunar eclipse, in New

Delhi, Friday, May 5, 2023. (PTI
Photo/Ravi Choudhary)

Chandra grahan in India, Lunar eclipse

2023 live: The penumbral lunar eclipse

that happened last night (May 5) was

visible to viewers in India, unlike the

solar eclipse that happened on April 20.

But it might have been a little difficult to

spot since it is a penumbral eclipse.

All eclipses begin and end as penumbral

eclipses. But during an eclipse, if the

Moon passes through the dark part of

the Earth’s shadow (umbra), it turns

into either a partial or a total eclipse,

where one part of or the entire Moon

will be completely obscured. But that is

not the case tonight.

But during last night’s lunar eclipse, the

Moon only passed through the faint

outer edges of the Earth’s shadow

(penumbra). Due to this, the only visible

change was that the disc of Earth’s lone

satellite was almost imperceptibly

dimmed.

For viewers in New Delhi, the eclipse

started at 8.45 PM IST on May 5 and

went on till 1.02 AM IST on May 6. It

was visible in all regions of the world

where the moon was be above the

horizon during the eclipse. This includes

Antarctica, Asia, Russia, Africa and

Oceania. The eclipse was at its greatest

at around 10.54 PM IST on May 5.

Yesterday’s eclipse coincided with the

“Flower Moon,” which is a name for the

full moon that happens in May every

year. It is called Flower Moon because

springtime typically starts around May

in the Northern Hemisphere and the

season is associated with an abundance

of flowers.

In the video below, you can see

highlights from The Virtual Telescope

Project’s stream of the eclipse. Below

that, you can see images of the eclipse

taken from around the world and our

highlights as it happened.

LIVE BLOG
The penumbral lunar eclipse could have
been a little difficult to notice but you
could have might a glimpse of a dark
brown shadow over the Moon at the
time of the greatest eclipse.

11:00 (IST)

06 MAY 2023

As seen from India

A penumbral lunar eclipse is recorded at IST
22.56 in Kolkata, India, Friday, May 5, 2023.

10:57 (IST)

06 MAY 2023

As seen from China

Roof decorations depicting mythical

sacred beasts are silhouetted near a penumbral
lunar eclipse partially blocked by clouds
during the early hours of Saturday, May 6,
2023 in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
22:57 (IST)

05 MAY 2023

What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?

If during a lunar eclipse, the Moon

moves completely into the Earth’s
umbra (the dark part of its shadow),
you get a total eclipse. A total eclipse
will start off as a penumbral eclipse
before it becomes a partial eclipse, and
then, it will enter totality. This process
will then be reversed till the eclipse is
over. Tonight’s eclipse is a penumbral
one, where the Moon will only move
through Earth’s penumbra.

The eclipse on May 5, 2023. (Image credit:

PTI)

22:46 (IST)
05 MAY 2023

Point of maximum eclipse

The eclipse is now at its peak.

22:28 (IST)

05 MAY 2023

The recent spat of failed Moon landings

On April 25, this year, the Japanese

privately-built Hakuto lander failed to
achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
Interestingly, two other spacecraft failed
in a similar way. India’s Chandrayaan-2
mission crashed into the Moon on
September 6, 2019, when attempting to
land. Earlier that year, Israel’s
Beresheet lander, another privately-
built spacecraft, also crashed while
attempting to land.
The image sent back by the Hakuto lander
shows some well-lit impact craters on the
lunar surface. (Image credit: Ispace / Twitter)

22:07 (IST)

05 MAY 2023
What happens during a penumbral
lunar eclipse?

Technically, all lunar eclipses start and

end as penumbral eclipses. This means
that they all start and end with the
Moon in the Earth’s penumbra, which is
the faint outer part of the Moon’s
shadow. If the moon enters the umbra,
or the stronger inner part of the Earth’s
shadow, it will become a partial or total
eclipse.
Since tonight’s eclipse is a penumbral
eclipse, it might be a little difficult to
spot. So make sure you have an
unobstructed view of the Moon so that
you can see it get slightly dimmer as the
eclipse progresses.

What Is a Lunar Eclipse?

During a lunar eclipse, Earth blocks

the Sun’s light and casts a shadow
on the moon.
A lunar eclipse happens when Earth is
directly between the moon and Sun.
Earth blocks the light coming from the
Sun, casting a shadow on the moon. The
shadow makes the moon appear much
dimmer and sometimes turns the lunar
surface a striking red. The moon
appears red because the light that is
illuminating it must pass through
Earth’s atmosphere, which scatters blue
light and bends (or refracts) red light
toward the moon.
Sizes and distances not to scale.

Play Video
Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight
Center Scientific Visualization Studio
The intensity of the red color is
determined by where the moon is in
Earth’s shadow. The moon appears
deep red when it’s in the darkest part of
the shadow, called the umbra, and has a
light red tint if it is in the partial
shadow, or penumbra.

Credit: Fred Espenak

Quick facts about lunar eclipses:
●Lunar eclipses only happen at night.
●If you were standing on the moon,
Earth would block your view of the
Sun.
●On average, there are three lunar
eclipses every year.
●The moon is at its maximum eclipse
for approximately 30 minutes to an
hour.
 ●Each lunar eclipse is visible from half
of Earth, or anywhere where the
moon is above the horizon.
●It is safe to look directly at lunar
eclipses—no special glasses required!

What is the difference between a

lunar and a solar eclipse?