The Dark Side of the Moon

On June 15th, a total lunar eclipse occurred and was visible from most of the Southern Hemisphere and parts of Europe.

The Moon in the Penumbra (partial shadow) of the Earth

The Moon enters the shadow of the Earth

The Moon in Scorpio on the Milky Way

Moving out of the shadow of the Earth

The Geeky Corner…

• Every year there are at least four eclipses and at most seven (minimum: two solar, two lunar; maximum four solar and three lunar).

• Solar eclipses are more common than lunar ones, but lunar eclipses last much longer and can be observed from more locations.

• At lunar eclipse, Sun, Warth and Moon are in line and the moon gets dark as it passed through the shadow of the Earth. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur at Full Moon.

• Even though there is a Full Moon every month, there cannot be a lunar eclipse every month because the Moon’s orbit around Earth is tipped by 5° to Earth’s orbit around the Sun.

• The longest duration totality during a lunar eclipse can last is 108 minutes; totality of the eclipse on June 15th lasted 100 minutes.