Eclipse Dims The Moon's Glow (Science & Technology)

Eclipse Dims The Moon’s Glow (Science & Technology)

Did you catch today’s eclipse? You probably didn’t notice the penumbral lunar eclipse unless you knew it was coming — but fortunately, skywatchers around the world were clearly ready. Earth’s fuzzy shadow dimmed the bright lunar disk at the height of the eclipse, which translated to 9:33 a.m. ET today. The dimming effect was muted because the moon traveled just through the very edge of the shadow this time around — and not through the deepest part of the shadow, as it did during last December’s total lunar eclipse. The prime viewing area included Australia and the Pacific as well as Alaska and most of Asia.

“There was a very subtle darkening of the lunar limb at totality; barely noticeable to the untrained eye,” Pakistani skywatcher Ramiz Qureshi told SpaceWeather.com in a report from Karachi. “In fact, I nearly missed it until a friend reminded me.” Qureshi put together a close-up shot and a wider-angle photograph to create this composite view of the eclipse. We also received a picture from Terry Staats in Chiba City, Japan, via NBC News’ FirstPerson photo-uploading page. If you missed today’s subtle show, there’ll be three replays next year — including a partial lunar eclipse on April 25 and penumbral eclipses on May 25and Oct. 18. For more views of today’s lunar eclipse, as well as the total solar eclipse that took place two weeks ago, check out SpaceWeather.com’s eclipse photo gallery.