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2020’s first penumbral lunar eclipse tonight

In this case, the moon passes through the outer penumbral shadow that the Earth casts on it. In such a situation, the perceivable darkening of the moon is minimal, thus it is rather difficult to visually differentiate a penumbral eclipse from a full moon.

Updated on: Jan 11, 2020, 03:22:24 IST
New Delhi | By
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A celestial spectacle, the first lunar eclipse of the year will be visible as a penumbral lunar eclipse tonight.

Changes seen in Moon during prebural lunar eclipse in New Delhi late Friday night (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)
Changes seen in Moon during prebural lunar eclipse in New Delhi late Friday night (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

It is the first of the four penumbral lunar eclipses that will appear this year.

The celestial event set off at 10:37 pm IST and is set to last for 4 hours and 5 minutes, according to the timeanddate website.

This eclipse is not a total but a penumbral lunar eclipse.

The moon passes through Earth’s dark central shadow during a total lunar eclipse, leading to a considerable dimming of the Lunar disc.

In this case, the moon passes through the outer penumbral shadow that the Earth casts on it. In such a situation, the perceivable darkening of the moon is minimal, thus it is rather difficult to visually differentiate a penumbral eclipse from a full moon.

It will be visible over a vast span of our planet covering Eurasia, Africa, Australia and parts of North America.

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