Earth is about to experience the last lunar eclipse for the year 2020 next week. On November 29, the night of the so-called Full Beaver Moon, a penumbral eclipse will cover around 80 percent of the moon for one last time this year.
This would mark the fourth such lunar eclipse experienced this year. The moon on November 29 will be special in another regard. It will reach its peak brightness on the night, giving it the name Beaver Moon or Frost Moon.
While total lunar eclipses are rare events, such partial and penumbral eclipses are periodically seen in the night sky. The former requires the entire lunar disk to be hidden from sight when the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth.
Partial eclipses, however, can take place when only a portion of the Moon's face enters the planet's shadow. Similarly, penumbral eclipses are experienced when the Moon lies under the more diffused shadow cast by the Earth, also known as the penumbra.
A report by Express UK mentions that the stargazers in the ¡°Americas, Australia, Pacific and parts of Asia including Japan and China¡± are best positioned to see the eclipse.
The eclipse will start at about 7.32am GMT (12.32pm IST), as the Moon will begin to enter the penumbral shadow of the Earth. Observers will be able to see a slight darkening of the Moon¡¯s face as the eclipse progresses.
The Moon will be closest to the centre of the shadow at around 9.44am GMT (2.44pm IST), marking the peak of the eclipse. Post this, the Moon will move out of the penumbra and the eclipsing would see an end by about 11.53am GMT (4.53pm IST).
It should be noted that the penumbral eclipse will have a faint visibility in comparison with a total lunar eclipse. Skygazers on the night can hence expect to see a darkening of the Moon during the eclipse and nothing more, based on their location on Earth.