Saturday, January 11, 2020

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse - 10 Jan 2020



Optics: Vixen ED81s @ f/7.7
Mount: Vixen Sphinx
Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Location: Kifisia-Greece
Date: 10 January 2020

A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on 10 January 2020. It was the first of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 2020. In a penumbral lunar eclipse, only the more diffuse outer shadow of Earth – the penumbra – falls on the moon’s face. This third kind of lunar eclipse is much more subtle, and much more difficult to observe, than either a total or partial eclipse of the moon. There is never a dark bite taken out of the moon, as in a partial eclipse. The eclipse never progresses to reach the dramatic minutes of totality. At best, at mid-eclipse, very observant people will notice a dark shading on the moon’s face. Others will look and notice nothing at all.