Global Courant 2023-05-06 01:50:37
Solar or lunar eclipses can be seen around the world every four to seven times a year, as the Earth, Moon, and Sun align to create a shadow show on a cosmic scale. This May 5, 2023, a penumbral lunar eclipse will take place, however, it will be visible only in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Lunar eclipses occur in the full moon phase. When Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and the Sun, the Sun’s shadow falls on the Moon’s surface, dimming it and sometimes turning it reddish for a few hours. That is, in this phenomenon, the Earth prevents sunlight from reaching the Moon. Each lunar eclipse is visible from half the Earth, NASA explains on its official website.
There are three types of lunar eclipses: total lunar eclipse, partial lunar eclipse, and penumbral, like the one that will take place on May 5. The latter is characterized by the Moon traveling through Earth’s penumbra, or the dim outer part of its shadow, so the Moon is dimmed so slightly that it can be difficult to perceive.
When this spectacle occurs at nightfall, the full moon usually disappears completely as it is covered by the Earth’s shadow.
The characteristic of the lunar eclipse of this May 5, called deep penumbral, is that the Moon can be seen not so bright, dim and not very intense because only the external shadow of the Earth, called “penumbra”, will fall on the lunar disk creating a notorious division with one part illuminated and the other totally dark, explains the StarWalk site.
Lunar eclipse in Guatemala
The penumbral lunar eclipse of this May 5, 2023 will be visible only in Africa, Asia and Australia, because the phenomenon will occur when the Moon is below the horizon. It is considered that it will last a little more than four hours, approximately.
In Guatemala, a penumbral lunar eclipse like today’s may be visible on March 25, 2024 because NASA estimates that it will be appreciated in America. While a total lunar eclipse will be seen in the region on March 14, 2025.
These are some images of the penumbral lunar eclipse of this May 5, 2023 from India.
The penumbral lunar eclipse seen from India. (Free Press Photo: courtesy astronomer Atl Bhat) The penumbral lunar eclipse was seen in India at approximately 7:00 p.m. (Free Press Photo: courtesy astronomer Atl Bhat)
