Lunar Eclipse of the Moon Unnoticed by Many Due to its Subtlety

Lunar Eclipse of the Moon Unnoticed by Many Due to its Subtlety

Astrophotographer Andrew Wall captured images of the moon before (left) and during (right) the penumbral lunar eclipse.

If you missed the eclipse of the Moon last night, you were not alone. Looking up at the moon last night I would not have been hard to miss the penumbral lunar eclipse. As can be seen from the images taken, the lunar eclipse on Wednesday night was very subtle in comparison to previous eclipses of our nearest neighbor in the solar system.

In the photo on this page, Australian astrophotographer Andrew Wall shows in a side-by-side comparison just how little effect the passing of the Earth’s shadow in front of the Moon had on its brightness. According to scientists, the lack of substantial dimming of the moon during this eclipse was because the moon transited through only the very edge of the Earth’s shadow.

Orion's Affordable, Portable and Tabletop TelescopesThe next opportunities to see a lunar eclipse of our moon are only a few months away. In fact in 2013, there will be 3 chances to see a lunar eclipse. The first will be a partial eclipse of the moon on April 25 and then penumbral eclipses on May 25th and October 18th.

About D Robert Curry

D Robert Curry - with over 2 decades of experience in the IT sector and an avid aviator, Mr. Curry covers all Science & Technology and Aviation realted news stories. drcurry@newstaar.com