![]() ![]() Penumbral eclipse ends: At this point, the eclipse ends and Earth's shadow completely moves away from the Moon.Partial eclipse ends: Earth's umbra completely leaves the Moon's surface.Total eclipse ends: At this stage, Earth's umbra starts moving away from the Moon's surface.Maximum eclipse: This is the middle of the total eclipse. ![]() ![]() Total eclipse begins: Earth's umbra completely covers the Moon and the Moon is red, brown, or yellow in color.Partial eclipse begins: Earth's umbra starts covering the Moon, making the eclipse more visible.This phase is not easily seen by the naked eye. Penumbral eclipse begins: This begins when the penumbral part of Earth's shadow starts moving over the Moon.There are 7 stages of a total lunar eclipse: The Jtotal lunar eclipse had one of the longest periods of totality in the 20th century-100 minutes and 43 seconds. Totality can range anywhere from a few seconds to about 100 minutes. 7 Stages of the EclipseĪ total lunar eclipse usually happens within a few hours. This usage of the term has no technical or astronomical basis and it is thought that it has Biblical origins. In recent years, eclipses in a lunar tetrad have also been popularly called Blood Moons. Tetrads and Blood MoonsĪ series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses with no partial or penumbral lunar eclipses in between is called a lunar tetrad. This is because different types of dust particles and clouds in Earth's atmosphere allow different wavelengths to reach the surface of the Moon. Why does the Moon look red? Different Colored EclipsesĪ lunar eclipse can also be yellow, orange, or brown in color. Because of this, a total lunar eclipse is sometimes colloquially called a Blood Moon. This light is once again refracted towards the surface of the fully eclipsed Moon, thus illuminating it in a reddish-orange glow. 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 is because Earth's atmosphere bends sunlight and indirectly lights up the Moon's surface. How to see a lunar eclipse? The Moon Looks RedĮven 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. Lunar eclipses occur when a Full Moon happens near a lunar node. The points where the two orbital planes meet are called lunar nodes. 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. Why don't we see a lunar eclipse every month if a Full Moon is needed for a total lunar eclipse? 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.Lunar nodes are the locations where the Moon crosses the Earth's orbital plane. This means that Earth's antumbra plays no role in lunar eclipses. On the other hand, if only the outer part of Earth's shadow covers the Moon, a penumbral lunar eclipse takes place.Įarth's umbra extends into space far beyond the orbit of the moon. 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. When the Sun, Earth, and Moon come together in a straight line, a total lunar eclipse takes place. Otherwise, the Earth cannot cast a shadow on the Moon's surface and an eclipse cannot take place. Sun, Earth, and Moon Alignedįor a lunar eclipse to occur, the Sun, Earth, and Moon must be roughly aligned in a line. Antumbra - the partly shaded area beyond the umbra.ĭuring a total lunar eclipse, Earth's umbra completely covers the Moon.The Sun casts the Earth's shadow on the Moon's surface.Įarth's shadow can be divided into three parts: During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and blocks any direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. The Moon does not have its own light but shines because its surface reflects the Sun's rays. The astronomical term for this type of alignment is syzygy, which comes from the Greek word for being paired together. Total eclipses of the Moon happen at Full Moon when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned to form a line. Business Date to Date (exclude holidays). ![]()
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