Lunar Ecplise
What is a Lunar Ecplise?
Lunar eclipses only happen at Full Moon, when the Earth moves between Moon and Sun, and the three celestial bodies form a straight line: Moon - Earth - Sun.
Different Lunar Eclipses
- The Moon passes through Earth's penumbral shadow.
- These events are of only academic interest because they are subtle and hard to observe.
- A portion of the Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow.
- These events are easy to see, even with the unaided eye.
- The entire Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow.
- These events are quite striking due to the Moon's vibrant red color during the total phase (totality).
1. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
2. Partial Lunar Eclipse
3. Total Lunar Eclipse
Where and when do lunar eclipses occur?
Lunar Eclipses can be seen at night. Lunar Eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth, and moon form a straight line.
How often do eclipses happen?
The yearly average for lunar eclipses to happen is 1 - 1½. Yearly, eclipses can happen 0 - 3 times. The one time that 3 lunar eclipses had happened in 1 year is in 1982. Partial eclipses slightly outnumber the total by 7 - 6.
What is a blood moon?
4 successive total lunar eclipses, with no partial lunar eclipses in between, each of which is separated from the other by 6 lunar months. The total lunar eclipse is when the moon is completely shaded by the earth.
Interesting History
Eclipses have been featured in many religions.The chinses belived that a eclipse was a dragon eating the sun so they used drums to "scare the dragon" off.