How to See a Penumbral Eclipse on July 4th
If you’re not a fan of fireworks (or fireworks in your area have been canceled), something is happening in the night sky on July 4th: a penumbral lunar eclipse. No, it’s not as bright and loud as the fireworks, but it probably won’t make your dog shake and hide under the couch either. Here’s how an approaching penumbral eclipse can be observed and what happens during this nocturnal event.
What is a penumbra lunar eclipse?
Before we get into how to see a penumbral lunar eclipse, what is it? So full disclosure: this is not the most exciting eclipse. Okay, this isn’t even the most spectacular lunar eclipse. But it really helps to know what you are looking at in the sky.
The moon usually looks darker than usual, sometimes with a very light gray tint on one part. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac , this is what happens:
- If you look at your shadow on the sidewalk, you can see the main part where the sun is completely obscured. But there is also less dark washed out fringe surrounding your shadow. This is your penumbra. If the ant dares to enter this partial shade, it will see the sun partially, but not completely.
- Our planet casts a black gloomy shadow into space. Anything that tries to get there is completely devoid of sunlight. The dark shadow of the Earth gets smaller and smaller the further it goes. It tapers like a chopstick and disappears completely a million miles away in a direction opposite the Sun.
How to observe a penumbra lunar eclipse
As usual, the best way to see what is visible in your area is to visit TimeAndDate.com. Enter your city, then click the Sun and Moon tab at the top and then Eclipses.
Let’s say you live in New York . The penumbral lunar eclipse will begin on Saturday, July 4, 2020 at 11:07 pm and end at 1:52 am. Sunday 5 July. All this lasts two hours and 45 minutes, and the best view will be at 12:29.
The good news is that this eclipse will be visible in many parts of the world, including South America, Antarctica, parts of Europe, much of Africa, and much of North America.