In other words, in order the whole surface of the Moon to cross the Earth’s shadow, there must be a series of phases in which the Umbra shades progressively the Moon until it reaches the lowest brightness. The total lunar eclipse of July 27th, step by stepĪ total eclipse is not instantaneous.

The brightness of the Moon is so low that stars at the background are even visible! You can find an explanation of why the moon has this color below. The moon is not completely black but reflect an intense and peculiar orange color, visible to the naked eye. Total lunar eclipses: the whole disk of the moon dives in the Earth’s shadow or ‘umbra’.Partial lunar eclipse before totality, september 28 2015 The total eclipses are the rarest and they do not occur every year. At least, two is the minimum number of lunar eclipses estimated to occur each year. However there are not always perfectly aligned otherwise there will be a lunar eclipse every full moon, every month.

Moreover, a lunar eclipse can only happen at a full moon phase because it is when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are closest to an alignement. If we look at the Earth-Moon-Sun configuration, we notice that a lunar eclipse will only be visible during the night whereas a solar eclipse can only be spotted at daylight. In contrast to a solar eclipse, an eclipse of the Moon can be easily observed and is harmless for our eyes.Įclipses, whether they are solar or lunar, occurs at a specific moment of the day. The Moon is then eclipsed by the Earth’s shadow.

A lunar eclipse: it happens when the Moon is not this time located in front of the Earth but behind it.

Thus, the apparent size (apparent diameter) of the Moon is similar or even identical to the apparent size of the Sun as seen from an observer on the ground. Actually, the Earth-Moon distance is 400 times shorter than the Earth-Sun distance but the diameter of the Moon is also 400 times shorter than the sun’s diameter. The most astonishing eclipse as we imagine is obviously the total eclipse, when the moon covers entirely the solar disk. Solar eclipses can be divided into 4 other types, in respect to the alignement of these three bodies: total eclipse, annular eclipse, partial and hybrid. The sun is then more or less covered by the lunar disk.

A solar eclipse: it occurs when the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are perfectly aligned according to this order.

In Astronomy, we can observe two types of eclipses: Total Lunar Eclipse september 28 2015, Credit: Guillaume D.

Lunar eclipse time 2015