![]() A partial lunar eclipse is when the umbra covers part of the Moon. ![]() 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.Ī total lunar eclipse is when the Moon passes entirely through the darkest part, or umbra, of the Earth’s shadow. 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. Since the Sun is large, there can be quite a distance between the origin of rays of light heading toward Earth. ![]() 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. But the darkness of shadows are not always uniform, and the shadow cast by the Earth is no exception. The Earth’s shadowĪs the Sun shines light on Earth, Earth casts a shadow behind itself. 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. 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.īut twice in each monthlong lunar orbit, the Moon crosses through the same horizontal plane as the Earth and the Sun. But the Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees relative to Earth’s orbit of the Sun. If the Moon had a totally flat orbit, every full moon would be a lunar eclipse. 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. Like the Earth, half of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun at any one time. 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. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow covers all or part of the Moon. More: May's full moon is coming soon: When to see the 'flower' moon How do eclipses work?īoth lunar and solar eclipses depend on particular orientations of the Earth, Sun and Moon. 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. 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. Instead, the Moon will dim slightly as it passes through a lighter part of the Earth’s shadow – called the penumbra. This eclipse is not what some call a “blood moon,” as it will not turn red. The eclipse will be visible in Africa, Asia, Australia and large portions of Europe, though not in the U.S. “The sun’s light is yellow, close to white, but when it sets near the horizon it looks redder and redder because the atmosphere refracts the blue away from it and turns the atmosphere into a gigantic prism,” he said.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. Vandernoot, whose observatory at FAU is open to the public for free on the evenings of the first Friday and third Tuesday of every month, said the red color the moon dons during an eclipse is because of how the sun’s rays curve around the earth and through its atmosphere to land on the lunar surface. That eclipse lasted about 5 hours in total. “This is close to the year the time-travel movie Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure begins.”Ī total lunar eclipse in May occurred just hours after the moon reached perigee - its closest approach to earth in its orbit. “The next time a partial lunar eclipse reaches this overall length will be on Feb. 18, 1440.Īstrophysicist Graham Jones notes in an article for that Machu Picchu was being built by the Incas in Peru around the time of the last lengthy partial lunar eclipse in 1450. It is the longest partial lunar eclipse since Feb. More: PHOTOS: The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium From umbra to umbra, when the partial eclipse will be most noticeable, is about 3 hours and 28 minutes. to the moment it leaves is about 6 hours and two minutes. The total length of the partial eclipse from the moment the moon enters earth’s outer shadow at about 1 a.m.
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