The world witnessed the first penumbral Lunar Eclipse 2020 on January 10, followed by the one on the intersecting night of June 5-6, and now a third one awaits us on July 5, 2020.
What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the three celestial bodies — Moon, Sun and Earth — are not perfectly aligned with each other. Meaning, the Moon will move through the faint, outer part of the shadow cast by the Earth or the penumbra. The other types of lunar eclipses are total lunar eclipse and partial lunar eclipse.
July 2020 Chandra Grahan time and visibility:
Unfortunately, this year’s third penumbral lunar eclipse aka Thunder Moon Eclipse will be visible only from some parts of the world, which does not include India.
The penumbral lunar eclipse of July 5 will be clearly visible from most parts of North and South America and Africa, but not India. The eclipse will take place in broad daylight from 8.37 am on July 5, and be most prominent at 9:59 am before ending at 11.22 am. The entire phenomenon will last for around 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Why is it called Thunder Moon Eclipse?
According to Maine Farmer’s Almanac, a full moon in July is called the ‘Buck Moon’, which is also called the ‘Thunder Moon’ because thunderstorms are frequent during this time. Since the July 5 lunar eclipse takes place on a full moon night, this eclipse is being called the Thunder Moon Eclipse.
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