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Ephemeris: 03/22/2024 – There will be a penumbral eclipse of the Moon Monday morning
This is Ephemeris for Friday, March 22nd. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 7:58, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:39. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 7:16 tomorrow morning.
We are in an eclipse season. These occur at a bit less than 6 months intervals, and last about 35 days. During this period we will have a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse. Of course the big eclipse of this eclipse season is the April 8th total solar eclipse, which will be visible from the United States and be visible from here as a very deep partial eclipse. We start off this eclipse season with a lunar eclipse, not a really great lunar eclipse, but a lunar eclipse nonetheless. It is a penumbral eclipse where the Moon enters the Earth’s outer shadow where the Sun is only partially blocked to it. What we will see will be not much. It will reach its maximum at 3:13 am Monday morning, when the bottom part of the Moon will be slightly darker than the top.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
11/27/2020 – Ephemeris – There will be a slight eclipse of the Moon Monday morning
This is Ephemeris for Native American Heritage Day, Friday, November 27th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 5:05, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:57. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 6:02 tomorrow morning.
Early Monday morning there will be a penumbral eclipse of the Moon. It’s not much of an eclipse to look at, but it is an eclipse to open the last eclipse season of this year. I’ll have more on that Monday, but the lunar eclipse on Monday will a slight one, where no part of the Moon disappears into the Earth’s inner shadow. The top part of the Moon will look a bit darker than the bottom part for a time, that’s all. The Earth and the Moon are illuminated by the Sun, and it isn’t a point light source. Your shadow isn’t sharp. The fuzziness at the edge of your head’s shadow on the ground in the sunlight is your penumbra. The maximum part of the eclipse will be at 4:44 am (09:44 UT)with the effect seen within a half hour of that time. The effect is best seen with sunglasses to dim the Moon.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The maximum of the penumbral lunar eclipse at 4:44 am EST (9:44 UT) Monday, November 30, 2020. The upper right part of the Moon will have a dusky appearance. The effect should be visible from about 4:15 to 5:15 am (09:15 to 10:15 UT). I find it’s best to view the Moon with sunglasses to reduce the Moon’s glare to better see the effect. Created using Stellarium.
Penumbral lunar eclipse with Earth’s shadow at maximum. The outer ring is the outer edge of the penumbra the Moon’s outer shadow where so little sunlight is cut off as to not be discernible. The inner circle is the edge of the umbra, the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, where almost 100% of the Sun’s light is cut off. The Moon will be in the western sky at this time, and its motion with respect to the Earth’s shadow is to the upper left. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
06/05/2020 – Ephemeris – A penumbral eclipse of the Moon for the eastern hemisphere of Earth today
This is Ephemeris for Friday, June 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 9:24, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:57. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 9:32 this evening.
There will be a penumbral eclipse of the Moon this afternoon. We won’t get to see it because the Moon won’t be up yet. The eclipse, such as it is, will be only visible from the eastern hemisphere of the Earth like Asia. Even then there won’t be much to see. In a penumbral eclipse the Moon only enters the Earth’s outer shadow, called the penumbra where sunlight is only partially cut off. Observers on the affected parts of the Moon would see the Sun only partially eclipsed. And anyone whose seen a partial solar eclipse will tell you that it doesn’t get that dark. So most penumbral eclipses go unnoticed unless one is told about them. This one less than 60% of the Moon will be immersed in the Earth’s penumbral shadow.
There will be two more penumbral lunar eclipses this year, both visible from the United States: July 5th when only 35% of the Moon’s diameter is immersed in the penumbra, and November 30th when 83% is immersed.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Lunar eclipse chart for the penumbral lunar eclipse of July 5th, 2020. Unfortunately for Michigan it will occur between 1:45 and 5:04 pm before the Moon rises tonight. Click on the image to see the original pdf page from NASA. Credit NASA GSFC/Fred Espenak.
Eclipse visibility map. Areas on the Earth where the eclipse is visible. Credit NASA GSFC/Fred Espenak.
07/10/2017 – Ephemeris – There’s a penumbral eclipse of the Moon tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, February 10th. The Sun will rise at 7:49. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 15 minutes, setting at 6:04. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 5:58 this evening.
This evening there will be a penumbral eclipse of the moon, which will reach its peak at 7:45 p.m. The moon, on its left side will be slightly darkened as the Moon passes through the Earth’s partial outer shadow where the Sun is only partially blocked by the Earth. Only the left side of he Moon will show the effect, which is best seen wearing sunglasses to reduce the Moon’s glare. The Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory will be open to view the event from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. but only if it’s clear. This event does not require a telescope to appreciate, but it might be nice to view it with others. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Keystone and Garfield roads.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
How lunar eclipses occur. For this eclipse the Moon will miss the umbra but will penetrate the deep into the penumbra. Credit NASA/Fred Espenak.
Diagram of the penumbral lunar eclipse on the evening of February 10, 2016 for the Eastern time zone. Diagram adapted from Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC.
This is the maximum of the February 10th penumbral lunar eclipse. The Moon will appear to move diagonally down to the left. It is shown at maximum eclipse at 7:45 p.m. (0:45 UT February 11). The diagram is oriented for viewing from northern Michigan. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
NASA’s pdf page on this eclipse: https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2017Feb11N.pdf
02/09/2017 – Ephemeris – Tomorrow’s penumbral eclipse of the Moon
Ephemeris for Thursday, February 9th. The Sun will rise at 7:50. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 12 minutes, setting at 6:03. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 7:28 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow evening, clouds willing, we see an odd partial eclipse of the Moon called a penumbral lunar eclipse. What is a penumbra? It’s the fuzzy outer part of a shadow that’s cast when the light source isn’t a pin point. Look at your shadow in the sunlight, especially that of your head. The outline isn’t sharp. That outer fuzziness of the shadow is your penumbra where the Sun isn’t completely blocked., while the dark inner shadow is the umbra, where the Sun is completely blocked by your head. Tomorrow evening the eclipse will actually start before the Moon rises. The Moon should appear pretty much normal until it passes deep into the penumbra of the Earth’s shadow. Deepest penetration will occur at 7:45 pm. Where the upper left part of the Moon will appear dimmer than the rest of it.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Diagram of the penumbral lunar eclipse on the evening of February 10, 2016 for the Eastern time zone. Diagram adapted from Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC.
P1 is the first contact with the shadow and P4 the last. Nothing will be noticed at these times. Only when closest to the greatest eclipse will the part of the moon nearest the inner shadow will show darkening.
Only from the lighter parts of the map will the eclipse be visible. Diagram from Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC.
03/22/2016 – Ephemeris – Really difficult lunar eclipse to spot at sunrise*
Ephemeris for Tuesday, March 22nd. The Sun will rise at 7:41. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 7:58. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 7:48 tomorrow morning.
The Paschal full moon is tomorrow morning. I’ll explain more about it on Thursday as we get closer to Easter this coming Sunday. However as the Moon sets for our region it will be in eclipse. It’s not a big deal partial or total lunar eclipse, but a penumbral eclipse, where the Moon slips into the Earth’s outer shadow, where the Sun’s light is partially cut off by increasing amounts from the edge of the penumbra to the totally blocked umbral shadow. As the Moon is setting tomorrow morning after 7:30 a.m., it may be showing a dusky lower left edge, the part of the Moon closest to the center of the Earth’s shadow. It might difficult to see the effect, though the bright skies may actually help by washing out the light of the Moon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
* The eclipse, such as it is, will not be visible east of us around 86º west longitude, and be more visible west of us.
Addendum
How lunar eclipses occur. Credit NASA/Fred Espenak.
This eclipse, however the Moon will dip only into the outer penumbra.
The Eclipse diagram for the March 23, 2016 penumbral eclipse of the Moon. Credit Fred Espenak/NASA/GSFC.
Here’s a link to the original pdf of the image above.
Maximum eclipse will occur at 7:47 a.m. EDT (11:47 a.m. UT)
What the progress of the eclipse is like at 7:40 a.m. The sky will be bright because the Sun will be rising at that time. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
10/18/2013 – Ephemeris – Penumbral lunar eclipse tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, October 18th. The sun will rise at 8:01. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 6:52. The Moon, at full today is the full Hunters Moon, will rise at 6:41 this evening.
There will be a penumbral eclipse of the moon tonight as the moon rises. This is a special case of a partial eclipse, in that the moon dips only into the earth outer shadow, where sunlight to it is only partially blocked by the earth. To the casual observer nothing appears to be happening, but near mid eclipse the bottom right part of the moon will appear to have a dusky appearance, a 5 o’clock shadow, so to speak, which is best seen wearing sun glasses to cut the bright glare of the full moon. That mid eclipse point will occur at 7:50 this evening. The moon will be in eclipse as it rises, and the eclipse will officially end at 9:52 p.m., though the shadow effect will be long gone by that time.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Penumbral Eclipse of October 18-19. Times on this chart are Universal Time. The times in the post above are Eastern Daylight Time. Credit: H M Nautical Almanac Office, UK.
Note: The moon has to dip into the Umbra for the eclipse to be a partial or total eclipse. In the world map above Michigan is in the partially shaded part of the diagram, where the eclipse starts before the moon rises. The darker shaded portions of the earth cannot see the eclipse at all.
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