United Nations lunar eclipse is a beautiful astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the Earth, moon and sun are aligned in space in such a way that the shadow of the Earth falls on the moon, partially or totally blocking the sunlight that reaches the only one natural satellite of the Earth and creating a awesome show in the night sky.
It must be taken into account that lunar eclipses only happens during the full moonwhile the solar eclipses occurs only the new moon, that is, during the absence of the moon or, rather, when the moon is not visible from Earth because does not reflect sunlight.
night side
A lunar eclipse can be observed at night from anywhere on the Earth’s side. This is due to the fact that the earth shadow it’s huge compared to the moon
To understand how a lunar eclipse occurs, it is important to take into account the positions and orbits (or movements) of the Earth, moon, and sun in space. The moon orbits the Earth in a elliptical trajectory, and the Earth orbits the sun in a similar way. When the three celestial bodies are aligned in a particular way, a lunar eclipse occurs.
There are different types of lunar eclipses, including penumbral, partial and total eclipses, and each has its own unique formation process.
penumbra and umbra
A penumbral lunar eclipse, for example, occurs when the moon passes through the earth’s gloom, which is the outermost part of its shadow. Earth’s penumbra is a region less dark than the umbra, which is the innermost, darkest part of Earth’s shadow. During a penumbral eclipse, the moon only passes through the penumbra, resulting in a subtle dimming of its glow.
During a penumbral eclipse, the moon can appear slightly darkenedbut it’s usually not as visible as a total or partial lunar eclipse, where the moon enters Earth’s umbra and becomes significantly darker. Penumbral eclipses are also less common than total or partial lunar eclipses.
visibility
A lunar eclipse can be observed at night from anywhere on the Earth’s side. This is due to the fact that the Earth’s shadow is huge compared to the Moon. That is why the next penumbral eclipsewhich will take place on May 5, will be visible in Asia, Oceania, Africa and Europebut it will hardly be visible in Spain, on the Peninsula -except in the northwest- and in the Balearic Islands, because it will coincide with the moonrise.
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The beginning of the eclipse will occur at 5:15 p.m. peninsular time and the phenomenon will end at 9:30 p.m.
Furthermore, the eclipse coincides with the apogee of the Eta Aquarids meteor showerwho started his show fast meteors that leave long, bright trails on April 19. Unfortunately, having full moon will hinder plus clear vision of the event. But they can be seen until next May 28.