The ‘Strawberry Full Moon’ lunar eclipse on June 5 will be penumbral — here's how that's different from partial and total lunar eclipses

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The ‘Strawberry Full Moon’ lunar eclipse on June 5 will be penumbral — here's how that's different from partial and total lunar eclipses
Penumbral lunar eclipse as seen on 10 January 2020BCCL
  • The Strawberry Full Moon will take place this Friday on June 5.
  • It will also be the same time as the penumbral lunar eclipse, the first of three eclipses set to take place this season.
  • A penumbral lunar eclipse is not the same as a partial or total lunar eclipse, which can make it a little harder to spot.
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The ‘strawberry’ moon lunar eclipse is set to occur on June 5 — this Friday. It will be a penumbral lunar eclipse, which makes its a little difficult to distinguish from an ordinary full moon.

A lunar eclipse or Chandra Grahan occurs whenever the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon. The Moon doesn’t general its own light, so when the Earth comes in between, the Sun’s rays get blocked — and the planet’s shadow falls over the lunar surface.

Lunar eclipses can only occur at the time of a full moon. However, there are three types of lunar eclipses — total, partial and penumbral.

Difference between penumbral, partial and total lunar eclipses
The difference between the three types of lunar eclipses is essentially the intensity of the Earth’s shadow.

The ‘Strawberry Full Moon’ lunar eclipse on June 5 will be penumbral — here's how that's different from partial and total lunar eclipses
How the Earth's shadow falls on the MoonNASA


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During a penumbral lunar eclipse, it’s only the Earth’s outer shadow that falls on the Moon. This outer part is called the penumbra.

However, during a partial lunar eclipse the umbra — the central part of the Earth shadow — falls on the Moon. Even then, it’s not enough to cover the entirety of the lunar surface since the Earth, Moon and Sun aren’t perfectly aligned.

A total lunar eclipse, on the other hand, is the most obvious of lunar eclipses. The three celestial bodies are perfectly in line, and the Earth’s central shadow is enough to block out all of the Sun’s ray before they hit the Moon’s surface.

What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?
A penumbral lunar eclipse is the weakest of all lunar eclipses. The Moon only moves through the faint, outer part of the Earth’s shadow, which is why it’s often mistaken for a full moon rather than an actual eclipse. The alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth is imperfect.

However, if you happen to have a telescope on hand — you’ll notice the Moon slightly darken during the time.

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The Strawberry Moon penumbral lunar eclipse is the first one of the year. The second is set to occur on July 5 —- the third in the season of eclipses this year — during the Buck Moon. The third penumbral lunar eclipse will occur a few months later, in November, during the Beaver Full Moon.

In order of a penumbral lunar eclipse to occur there are two underlying conditions. One, that the Moon must be in the ‘Full Moon’ phase. And second, the Earth, Sun and Moon should be ‘nearly aligned’ but not as closely aligned as during a partial lunar eclipse.

SEE ALSO:
Have sex, sit on animals or just go to bed — busting myths around the do's and don'ts of lunar eclipse

The first lunar eclipse of the season will occur on June 5 — with two more to follow on June 21 and July 5

The lunar eclipse is this Friday and these are five things you have to know
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