After the spectacular view of the solar eclipse last month, the sky gazers will get another chance to witness celestial wonder this month. A Penumbral Lunar Eclipse will occur on July 05, 2020.
However, on July 5, the lunar eclipse will be visible only from some parts of the world. People from South/West Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Antarctica can view Penumbral Lunar Eclipse on July 4-5. Since it is a penumbral eclipse, it will be hard to see, as the Moon will only be a bit fainter.
What is Lunar Eclispe?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow as shown in the picture below. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned with Earth between the other two. A lunar eclipse can occur only on the night of a full moon. The type and length of a lunar eclipse depend on the Moon’s proximity to either node of its orbit.
Image: usa.canon.com
During a total lunar eclipse, Earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. The only light reflected from the lunar surface has been refracted by Earth’s atmosphere. This light appears reddish for the same reason that a sunset or sunrise does: the Rayleigh scattering of blue light. Due to this reddish color, a totally eclipsed Moon is sometimes called a blood moon.
The first penumbral lunar eclipse of 2020 was on January 10, followed by the other on June 5-6 and now time has come for the third one. The third penumbral lunar eclipse or Chandra Grahan is on July 5, 2020.
During the penumbral lunar eclipse, the moon might appear darker than a usual Full Moon.
Timings of Lunar Eclipse on July 5
The Penumbral Lunar Eclipse on July 05 will not be visible in India; however, people in other parts of the globe can witness this astronomical event at these timings.
First Contact with the Penumbra – 08:38 AM IST
Maximum of Lunar Eclipse – 09:59 AM IST
Last Contact with the Penumbra – 11:21 AM IST
Duration of Penumbral Phase – 02 Hours 43 Mins 24 Secs
Magnitude of Penumbral Lunar Eclipse – 0.35
The next penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on November 29, 2020. It will not be visible in New Delhi, as it is below the horizon during the eclipse. The total duration of the eclipse is 2 hours, 45 minutes. Because it is a penumbral lunar eclipse, it will be hard to spot and skywatchers won’t be able to differentiate it from a full moon. The only distinguishing factor will be that the moon will appear darker.
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