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What Is a Lunar Eclipse?
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Moon and
the Sun and the Earth's shadow completely or partially obscures the
moon.
They only happen at night, during a There are, on average, three
full moon and when the Earth, Sun lunar eclipses a year but not
and Moon are aligned. all of them are total eclipses.
Did You Know…?
An ‘eclipse’ occurs when one object From Earth, there are two
in space blocks an observer from main types: solar eclipses
seeing another object in space. and lunar eclipses.
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses
can be viewed without any special
equipment and without any danger
to your eyes.
Because the Moon reflects the
Sun’s light, a lunar eclipse will
never be brighter than a full moon.
Parts of the Eclipse
The Earth casts two different shadows as it blocks the Sun’s light.
Penumbra
Umbra
Watch this video to see how it happens.
Are There Different Types of Lunar
Eclipse?
There are three types of lunar
eclipse.
1 Total Lunar Eclipse
This is when the Moon passes completely
into the umbra, or total shadow, of the Earth.
If the Moon is i It’s because of the Earth’s
completely in atmosphere. The Sun’s rays
the Earth’s pass through the ring of
shadow, why atmosphere around the Earth
does it look and are filtered. It is mostly
red and not red light that passes through
dark? and is refracted onto the
Moon’s surface, making it
appear red. Some people call
this a ‘Blood Moon’.
Stages of the Total Lunar Eclipse
“Lunar Eclipse August 2007” by [Chris Baird] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Are There Different Types of Lunar
Eclipse?
2 Partial Lunar Eclipse
This is when the Moon does not fully move into the umbra.
i
The Earth’s shadow
covering a small
amount of the Moon.
“PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE” by [tonynetone] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Are There Different Types of Lunar
Eclipse?
3 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
This is when the Moon only passes through the penumbra
or partial shadow. This type of eclipse is only just visible.
Slightly darker
area of shadow.
What Is a Super Blood Wolf
Moon?
On 21st January 2019, a special kind of lunar eclipse happened.
Sup Blo Wo Mo
er happens
A ‘supermoon’ od during
lfa full moon
onwhen the
Moon is at its closest point to Earth. The Moon
appears bigger and brighter in the sky than usual.
A ‘wolf moon’ is the name of the first full moon of the
year in January. It was so-called by Native American
tribes and Europeans alike as it occurs during the winter
when wolves are often heard howling.
On this date, a total lunar eclipse (‘blood moon’) happened during the
first full moon of the year, which was also when the Moon was at its
closest point in orbit.
Thus, this special event earned the nickname ‘Super
Blood Wolf Moon’.
What Is a Super Blood Wolf
Moon?
The Super Wolf Blood Moon of 2019, not yet at total eclipse.
“Super Wolf Blood Moon” by [Jason Jacobs] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Wolf Moon 2020
The following year, the wolf moon occurred during a penumbral eclipse.
The wolf moon of 2020 (10th January)
When Is The Next Lunar Eclipse?
Penumbral lunar eclipses are more frequent but harder to see. The next
one is:
20th November 2020 – visible from most of the UK at
moonset
These are the dates and locations of the next total lunar eclipses, which
are far more noticeable:
26th May 2021 – Australia, Americas, east and southeast Asia
16th May 2022 – UK, Europe, Africa, Americas
8th November 2022 – Australia, Americas, Asia
14th March 2025 – UK, Europe, Africa, Americas, east Asia,
Australia
7th September 2025 – UK, Europe, Asia, Australia
And watch out for the next few wolf moons!
28th January
2021
17th January
2022
How To Get The Best View
Check to see when the next lunar eclipse will occur.
Be on the night-time side of the Earth when it happens!
Watch the full moon from a spot without tall trees or buildings.
The whole eclipse may take a few hours but, if you are in the umbra,
the total eclipse (when the Moon turns red) may last only an hour.
“Total Lunar Eclipse” by [Takeshi Kuboki] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
