The first is how deeply the moon penetrates into the umbra the umbra's center is much darker compared to its edge. Two factors affect a lunar eclipse's color and brightness. The mainstream media has come to refer to a total (or in this case, almost total) lunar eclipse as a "blood moon" because the moon's tendency to glow a ruddy color at maximum eclipse. At this time, 97.4% of the moon will be immersed in the Earth's dark shadow. If our hypothetical astronaut were located on the moon's southernmost regions, however, a narrow edge of the sun would be evident along the dark edge of the Earth. He or she would see the sun hidden behind a dark Earth ringed with a thin, brilliant band of reddish or orange-yellow light. If an astronaut were on the lunar surface. This ruddy coloration shining onto the moon is sunlight that has skimmed and bent through the Earth's atmosphere the combined light of all the sunrises and sunsets that ring our world at this particular moment. Phase 3: "Maximum eclipse" will be when just a final bright arc remains on the moon's lower rim, while the rest of the moon is showing a foreboding reddish glow. One object that will certainly stand out during the darkest phase of the eclipse will be the famous Pleiades star cluster which will be positioned about a half dozen degrees above and slightly to the right of the moon. At maximum eclipse, the moon could appear nearly 10,000 times dimmer than before the eclipse began. But as the moon becomes more and more diminished, you'll begin seeing more and more of the fainter stars. Before the eclipse began, the sky was bright the moon acting like a spotlight obliterating all but the brightest stars. With a telescope, watch as the umbra's edge engulfs various lunar features such as craters, mountains and valleys.Īnd as the moon wanes to a crescent, be sure to take a look around the sky. This will be a much more obvious and dramatic sight as the moon's leading-edge slips into the umbra, where no direct sunlight reaches. Phase 2: "Moon enters umbra" marks the beginning of the partial eclipse. The penumbral shading gradually becomes more evident as the moon moves deeper in. Watch for a slight darkening to become apparent on the moon's celestial southeast (lower left) side. But the shadow is so weak that most people won't see anything of the penumbra until about 70% of the moon's diameter is inside of it. Phase 1: "Moon enters penumbra" is when the moon's leading edge enters the pale outer fringe of Earth's shadow: the penumbra. This eclipse will occur in five phases, with different things to watch for at each. (Image credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio) This diagram shows the stages of the partial lunar eclipse on Nov. That's why it will seem to move at an almost "leisurely pace" through the Earth's shadow, taking over 100 minutes from the time of first umbral contact to the time of greatest eclipse, and vice versa (greatest eclipse to last umbral contact). 20, it will also be moving at its slowest speed in its orbit. 18.īecause the moon will arrive at apogee - the farthest point in its orbit from Earth - on Nov. *Times listed with an asterisk denote times prior to midnight the corresponding calendar date is Nov. Local circumstances for the partial lunar eclipse on Nov. Related: Amazing photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon of 2021 For New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China and Southeast Asia, it comes on the evening of Nov. If you're in Hawaii, the eclipse happens deep in the night and nearly overhead. Skywatchers farther east will find the moon sinking lower toward the west around mid-eclipse. The Mercator map shows that those near the West Coast will see the maximum phase of the eclipse happen high in a dark sky long before sunrise. As it moves in its orbit around the Earth, the moon moves from west to east (right to left) through the Earth's shadow. But as you can see from the diagram, it's really the moon that is doing the creeping. As you watch the progress of the eclipse it appears that the Earth's shadow is creeping across the moon's face. Studying the diagram and map courtesy of Fred Espenak's, along with our timetable, tells what to expect at your location and when. A map showing the visibility of the partial lunar eclipse on Nov.
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