![]() Will it appear as dark? I suspect not for two reasons. Circumstances will be reversed at the upcoming eclipse, with the southern limb passing through the umbra's center. If you witnessed that eclipse you'll recall how much darker the Moon's northern half appeared compared to the southern half, which passed closer to the umbra's outer edge. ![]() In May, the Moon's northern limb crossed the center of the umbra at mid-eclipse. The May and November eclipses make a complementary pair. These photos were processed to resemble the naked-eye view. ![]() Many observers reported how dark the northern third of the Moon appeared at that time. Two views of the totally eclipsed Moon from last May's eclipse show it during early totality (left) and around mid-eclipse, when the northern limb passed closest to the center of the umbra. Last May's total lunar eclipse, which was of similar depth, ended 35 minutes sooner in part because the Moon was only about a day from perigee and in more of a hurry. This eclipse will be longer than some because the Moon reaches apogee just a few days later on November 14th, when it will be most distant from Earth during its present orbit and revolving more slowly. Totality lasts 86 minutes (from 10:16 to 11:42 UT), which is the time it takes the Moon to traverse the umbra traveling at around 3,600 kilometers per hour (2,240 mph). But the atmosphere bends sunlight grazing the planet's circumference, scattering away the cooler colors and focusing the remaining red light into the umbra and onto the itinerant Moon, giving away its hiding place. The umbra would be pitch black if Earth were air-free, and the Moon would essentially disappear during totality. Reddened sunlight refracted by the atmosphere into Earth's umbra colors the lunar disk during totality. If Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon would look completely black during a total lunar eclipse. When an opaque object such as the Earth blocks the Sun, it casts a two-part shadow - a dark, inner umbra within which the Sun is completely blocked from view, and an outer, pale-gray penumbra. The entire eclipse lasts just under six hours and begins the moment the Moon's preceding limb encounters Earth's outer shadow, the penumbra. Observers in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific also will see the Moon's slow sweep through Earth's shadow. North America is well placed for the show - the last total lunar eclipse visible anywhere until March 14, 2025. Gregg Dinderman / Sky & Telescope Source: USNO Farther west all phases of the eclipse will be visible. While predicting election results is a tricky business I can promise you this: The eclipse will be glorious, weather permitting!įor East Coast observers the Moon will set during or shortly after totality. Just as the Earth's shadow will ink the lunar circle, millions of citizens will pick up a pen and blacken the ovals next to their favorite candidates. observers will witness an exceedingly rare alignment of the fully eclipsed Moon and a U.S. Robbed of direct sunlight, the full Moon becomes so faint you can see stars right up to its edge, as shown here during last May's total eclipse. As totality approaches, the sky darkens and stars reassert themselves.
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