PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

• An eclipse takes place when one heavenly body such as a moon or planet moves into the shadow of another heavenly body.
• There are two types of eclipses on Earth: an eclipse of the Moon and an eclipse of the Sun.

3. When and at what time will the penumbral lunar eclipse happen?

• Between 8.45 PM IST on May 5 and 1.02 AM IST on May 6, the Moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow, resulting in a lunar eclipse, according to In The Sky. 
• The Earth has a much larger relative size compared to the Moon, which means its shadow is also much larger than the natural satellite’s.
• This means that lunar eclipses are usually visible in wider parts of the world than solar eclipses.
• The eclipse on May 5 should be visible in most locations where the Moon is above the horizon at the time. This includes Antarctica, Asia, Russia, Africa, and Oceania.
• In New Delhi, the penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible in the southeastern part of the sky, lying about 40 degrees above the horizon at the time of the greatest eclipse. The time of the greatest eclipse should be around 10.45 PM. 

4. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

• If the full moon was exactly on the opposite side of the Earth with respect to the Sun, there would be a total umbral eclipse of the Sun, completely blocking it out.
• But on May 5, the full Moon is south of the Earth’s umbra or its dark shadow, according to EarthSky. This means that no part of the Moon will be completely darkened by the Earth’s umbra.
• Unlike other kinds of eclipses, penumbral lunar eclipses are subtle events that are usually difficult to observe. During the May 5 eclipse, the Moon’s brightness will be reduced, but most of its disc will remain illuminated to some extent.

5. Difference between a Solar eclipse and a Lunar Eclipse

• There are generally two types of eclipses-lunar and solar. The Earth revolves around the sun, and the moon revolves around the earth.
• During the course of their revolution, the Earth, sun, and Moon fall in a straight line.
• The moon arrives in the way of the sun and Earth in a solar eclipse. Hence, its shadow falls on the earth.
• The lunar eclipse arises when the earth comes in the middle of the moon and sun. As a result, the shadow of the Earth falls on the moon, and it appears dark.
• Also, the lunar eclipse is more visible than the solar eclipse because the Earth has a wider shadow upon the moon.
• The following solar and lunar eclipse layout is helpful in understanding the difference between the two eclipses.

6. Other types of Lunar Eclipse

• Lunar eclipses are also partial. During a partial lunar eclipse, only a small part of the moon is hidden by the Earth's shadow.
• It means that the moon, earth, and the sun are not aligned perfectly.
• However, even the total eclipse also goes through the partial phase. As a result, the moon appears to have a unique color of reddish orange.

• The total lunar eclipse arises when the full shadow of the earth directly falls on the moon.
• However, the moon does not disappear completely, but the darkness can confuse people if the moon is present or not.
• Also, some sunlight refracted from the earth's surface gives the moon a dim glow.

7. What affects the duration of the lunar eclipse?

• The duration of any type of eclipse happens due to two reasons. They are the orbital speed of the moon and near totality.
• The orbit of the moon, as well as the Earth, is not a perfect circle. Due to this, the moon is sometimes far away and sometimes closer to the Earth. The distance change also affects the orbital speed of the moon.
• It is because when the moon is near to the Earth, it travels faster. On the other hand, the moon moves slowly when it is far away. 
• Secondly, during the total lunar eclipse, the moon remains under the earth's umbra rather than in the partial.

8. How to watch the lunar eclipse?

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