June is here! Last Solar Eclipse was in December… That means Moon is the approaching the Lunar Node and we have an Eclipse coming.
We had an annular eclipse in December 2019 and we will have another Annular Eclipse in June 2020 although this time it would be a partial eclipse for south India. With the Moon coming in between the Sun and the Earth, it is very close to the Ecliptic on the Two full moon days before and after the Eclipse causing New Moon Day.
Like it Occurred on 10th Jan 2020 after the previous solar Eclipse, The Full Moon of June will be the night when the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow.
On the Night of June 5th 2020, beginning 23:15 (11:15pm) the Moon will begin a journey into the Earth’s penumbra reaching maximum at 00:54 (12:54am) on 6th June and gradually moving out of the penumbra at 02:34am on 6th June 2020.
What is a Penumbral Luanr Eclipse?
For those of you that are new to Amateur Astronomy, due to the Moon’s Journey being only though the Penumbra of the Earth, the eclipse is called a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.
Will the Moon appear Red?
Straight Answer: NO.
The Moon appears red during a Total lunar eclipse and not during a Penumbral eclipse. In fact, unlike the lunar eclipse in Jan, in this eclipse , the Moon will not even get deep into the penumbra with earth’s shadow being evident on the Moon as shown in the Images Below:
If you capture the images of the Moon before and After the eclipse and compare later, (like we did last time) you might be able to notice the difference. Otherwise, the eclipse will not be clearly visible on random observations of the Moon.
Is the Eclipse Visible in India? When?
Yes,
If you Live in Asia, Australia, Europe or Africa, you will be able to watch the eclipse occur, however, the intensity of the “darkening” of the moon might vary.
Indians can view the eclipse well it occurs at Midnight for India between the following time
23:15 – Fri, 5 Jun : Eclipse Beings
00:54 – Sat, 6 Jun : Eclipse at Maximum
02:34 – Sat, 6 Jun : Eclipse Ends
Is it safe to watch this eclipse?
Yes!
Since it is a Lunar eclipse, there is NO physical harm in watching the eclipse. Since the light is sunlight reflected from the Moon, it is as safe as watching the Moon on any full moon day.
This eclipse might not be a great one, but surely as important one as the next Lunar eclipse in July will not be visible in India. In fact, we will miss the 2 penumbral eclipses occurring after June and the next lunar eclipse after this one is only visible in May 2021 when India will catch a penumbral stage of the total lunar eclipse occurring then.
So with all the info provided, we hope the clouds part and nature grants us a view of this astronomical phenomenon.
Good Luck and Clear Skies!
PS: Keeping up to the tradition of Amateur Astronomers around the world, we have decided to sign off or say our good byes with the “Clear Skies!”. The reason being quite obvious. Anyone interested in enjoying the night sky needs to have a clear sky to start with and often, we find ourselves ready with the knowledge and equipment only to be disappointed by clouds.
