LUNAR ECLIPSE TONIGHT SEATTLE FULL
It occurs when the full moon passes into the Earth's shadow. A lunar eclipse is something quite different. What's the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse?Ī solar eclipse occurs when the moon crosses in front of the sun (at new moon). However, there are times when the sun, Earth and moon are aligned in such a way that the moon will pass either partially or totally into Earth's shadow, producing a lunar eclipse. So more often than not, the full moon will pass either above or below the Earth's shadow. The reason for this is simple: the moon's orbit is inclined to the Earth's orbit by just over 5 degrees. But we don't get a lunar eclipse every month - that is, at every full moon. Lunar eclipses can only happen when the moon is directly opposite to the sun in our Earthly sky at the time of the full moon. So there's no problem in getting the moon completely immersed in the umbra there's plenty of room. The moon is about 2,200 miles in diameter. At the moon's average distance from Earth of 239,000 miles, the umbra measures roughly 5,800 miles in diameter. When the moon moves completely into the Earth's dark shadow cone (called the "umbra") we call that a total lunar eclipse. Joe Rao is 's skywatching columnist, as well as a veteran meteorologist and eclipse chaser who also serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. Other atmospheric factors such as temperature and humidity also affect the moon's appearance during a lunar eclipse. "How gold, orange, or red the moon appears during a total lunar eclipse depends on how much dust, water, and other particles are in Earth's atmosphere" according to NASA scientists.
When the moon passes through Earth's umbra during a total lunar eclipse, the red light reflects off the lunar surface, giving the moon its blood-red appearance. Shorter wavelengths such as blue light are scattered outward, while longer wavelengths like red are bent - or refracted - into Earth's umbra, according to the Natural History Museum. When sunlight reaches Earth, our atmosphere scatters and filters different wavelengths. The eerie red appearance is caused by sunlight interacting with Earth's atmosphere. (Image credit: Future) What happens during a lunar eclipse? Why does the moon turn red during an eclipse?ĭuring a total lunar eclipse, the lunar surface turns a rusty red color, earning the nickname " blood moon". In this diagram, the moon is located in the penumbral shadow so it is experiencing a penumbral eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse, the umbra completely covers the lunar surface. Whether the moon sits in the penumbra or umbra will dictate the type of lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse the sun, Earth and moon align so that Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon and casts a shadow across the lunar surface.
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