Penumbral Eclipse Rising

Astronomy Picture of the Day · 2017-02-18 · NASA (public domain)

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Penumbral Eclipse Rising — APOD for 2017-02-18

As seen from Cocoa Beach Pier, Florida, planet Earth, the Moon rose at sunset on February 10 while gliding through Earth's faint outer shadow. In progress was the first eclipse of 2017, a penumbral lunar eclipse followed in this digital stack of seaside exposures. Of course , the penumbral shadow is lighter than the planet's umbral shadow. That central, dark, shadow is easily seen on the lunar disk during a total or partial lunar eclipse. Still, in this penumbral eclipse the limb of the Moon grows just perceptibly darker as it rises above the eastern horizon. The second eclipse of 2017 could be more dramatic though. With viewing from a path across planet Earth's southern hemisphere, on February 26 there will be an annular eclipse of the Sun .

Astronomy Picture of the Day for 2017-02-18 — image & explanation courtesy of NASA (public domain), mirrored at Tukuk-OS for reading and search convenience.

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