A partial lunar eclipse is visible to most of the Pacific Ocean on June 26, 2010, with areas to the east seeing just the beginning of the lunar eclipse and areas to the west seeing the end of the eclipse.
Partial Lunar Eclipse Locations and Times
A large portion of western North and South America will be able to see the beginning stages of the partial lunar eclipse. Parts of the southeastern United States will even be able to witness the eclipse. From Georgia following a slanted line north to Minnesota and regions west will all be within the viewing area. Western Brazil, western Venezuela, and South American countries west of these locations will also see the beginning of the eclipse.
Locations that will see the entire partial eclipse include Pacific islands such as Hawaii, Polynesia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and most of Japan and the Philippines.
Locations such as eastern China, the east coast of Russia, Indonesia, Thailand and surrounding countries, will all witness the end of the partial eclipse.
On the west coast of the United States, the umbral eclipse begins at 3:16 a.m. PDT, the point of deepest eclipse occurs at 4:38 a.m. PDT, and the eclipse ends at 6:00 a.m. PDT. For these observers, the moon will set before the entirety of the eclipse has occurred.
Put in Universal Time, the umbral eclipse begins at 10:16 UT, the moment of greatest eclipse is at 11:38 UT, and the umbral eclipse ends at 12:59 UT. To convert from Universal Time to the time at various locations, use this world clock time conversion tool.
For locations in eastern Asia, the moon will be rising already in eclipse.
What Is a Partial Lunar Eclipse?
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon enters a portion of Earth's shadow. Normally during a full moon, the moon shines brightly because sunlight hits it, but occasionally the moon will pass into Earth's shadow and dim during an eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse, the moon passes all the way into Earth's shadow and the sun's light is cut off completely from the lunar surface. This eclipse will be a partial lunar eclipse, and only the northern half of the moon will enter into Earth's shadow. But the half-lit moon will not appear the same as a moon at half-full phase. A different half of the moon will be dimmed and the moon may take on a strange color during a partial eclipse.
The Next Lunar Eclipse
On December 20 and 21, 2010, a total lunar eclipse will occur and be visible for residents in all of North America, northwestern South America, and northeastern Russia. A portion of the eclipse will be seen by western Europe and Africa and eastern Australia and northeastern Asia.
Source:
Celestron's The Sky Software
NASA eclipse web site (eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov)
Kelly Whitt - I have been a professional writer for more than a decade, covering many topics from science-based articles to do-it-yourself home ...
