15, there was such an event: the eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai, a submarine volcano in Tonga, an archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. If a major volcanic eruption has injected particles into the stratosphere during the past couple of years, the eclipse is very dark.Īnd indeed, on Jan. A clear atmosphere on Earth means a bright lunar eclipse. The brightness of this ring around Earth depends on global weather conditions and the amount of dust suspended in the air. To an astronaut standing on the moon during totality, the sun would be hidden behind a dark Earth outlined by a brilliant red ring consisting of all the world's sunrises and sunsets. The reason the moon can be seen at all when it's totally eclipsed is that sunlight is scattered and refracted around the edge of the Earth by our planet's atmosphere. With other eclipses, it can glow bright orange. During some eclipses, it appears such a dark gray or black that the moon nearly vanishes from view. How the moon will appear during totality is not known. When the last of the moon enters the umbra, the total eclipse begins. (Image credit: Courtesy of Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre) From left to right: The start of totality, at 11:41 p.m. 20-21, 2019, captured by astrophotographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre from the suburbs of Boston. Several minutes before (and after) totality, the contrast between the remaining pale-yellow sliver and the ruddy-brown coloration spread over the rest of the moon's disk may produce a beautiful phenomenon sometimes called the Japanese lantern effect, a term first coined by astrophotographer Peter A. Colors in the umbra vary greatly from one eclipse to the next reds and grays usually predominate, but sometimes, there are browns, blues and other tints. But the central part is much darker, and sometimes, no surface features are recognizable. In binoculars or a telescope, the outer portion is usually light enough to reveal lunar seas and craters. It now becomes obvious that the umbral shadow is not complete darkness. With three-quarters of the moon's disk now eclipsed, the part of it that is immersed in shadow should begin to light up very faintly, similar to a piece of iron heated to the point where it just begins to glow. Related: How to photograph a lunar eclipse 4) The moon is 75% covered The low, partially eclipsed moon in deep blue twilight should offer a wide variety of interesting scenic possibilities for both artists and astrophotographers. and Canada, the moon will already be partially immersed in the umbra. It's almost as if a dimmer switch were slowly being turned down on the surrounding landscape and deep shadows of a brilliant moonlit night were beginning to fade away.Īcross the western U.S. Also notice that the edge of Earth's shadow projected on the moon is curved - visible evidence that Earth is a sphere (or, more precisely, an oblate spheroid), as deduced by Aristotle from lunar eclipses he observed in the fourth century B.C. But much later, as it moves in deeper, you'll probably notice the moon glowing dimly orange, red or brown. At first, the moon's limb may seem to vanish completely inside the umbra. As the minutes pass, the dark shadow appears to slowly creep across the moon's face. The umbra is much darker than the penumbra and fairly sharp-edged. The partial phases of the eclipse begin the pace quickens, and the change is dramatic. A small, dark scallop begins to appear on the moon's lower-left (southeastern) limb. If you take a photo of the 2021 total lunar eclipse let us know! You can send images and comments to moon now begins to cross into Earth's dark central shadow, called the umbra. Here's a breakdown of the stages of the blood moon total lunar eclipse and what you might see during each one: 1) The moon enters the penumbral shadow Dashes indicate that the moon has not yet risen above the horizon. In the above timetable, local circumstances are provided for eight time zones. Super Flower Blood Moon eclipse timetable on May 15-16, 2022 Stage
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