Monday, June 28, 2010

Lunar eclipse visible Monday

Moon worshippers will have something to be excited about as the first lunar eclipse of the year will be visible in the country tomorrow, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

According to the agency, the penumbral lunar eclipse will start when the moon enters penumbral shadow of the earth at 8:36 pm Monday and will end at 12:39 am of the next day.

At the greatest point of the eclipse, observers can see a dusky shading of the northern part of the moon.

A penumbral eclipse occurs when the moon passes the Earth's penumbral shadow. The penumbra refers to a partially shaded outer region of a shadow.

According to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Feb. 9 lunar eclipse will be the first of four this year. The next penumbral lunar eclipses will be on July 7 and August 6. The first three will also be penumbral while the last on Dec. 31 will be a partial lunar eclipse where a part of the moon will pass the earth's umbra, or the part where the Earth completely blocks the Sun.

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