Weather

What to know about tomorrow’s penumbral lunar eclipse

By Luke Victor

Published July 3, 2020 5:08 PM

Tomorrow, a penumbral lunar eclipse will take place in the night sky. Now, this is a little bit different from a total or partial lunar eclipse that you usually might think of.

When the sun shines on the earth, a shadow is cast. Because of the way shadows work, one direct shadow is formed-- this is called the earth's "umbra". It causes near-total darkness for anything within it.

However, a secondary shadow also forms called a "penumbra". This can still cause an eclipse, but it can be a bit more difficult to pick up. It will be easier to pick out in rural areas or if you have access to a telescope!

Below are the three different types of lunar eclipses that can occur!

Example of a TOTAL Lunar Eclipse

The red tint is due to the small amount of sunlight that is able to wrap around the earth and cause a faint red "blood-like" glow...

Example of a PARTIAL Lunar Eclipse

A Partial Lunar Eclipse is caused when only part of the umbra obscures a PART of the moon.

Example of a PENUMBRAL Lunar Eclipse

For tomorrow, the eclipse will be subtle, but visible if you pay attention closely!

Here's what you need to know to see tomorrow's eclipse

You may hear this moon called a "Buck" moon. The eclipse will start to show at 10:00 pm, peak by 11:30 pm and end at 1:00 am Sunday morning. You'll want to look in the southern skies.

Happy viewing!

-Luke

Article Topic Follows: Weather

Jump to comments ↓