Image: APA/BARBARA GINDL
The moon rises in Vienna at 8.15 p.m. – and thus after the maximum of the eclipse. The degree of eclipse is just enough for observation. However, in order to be able to see something in the bright evening sky, “the viewing conditions have to be first class,” emphasizes the Viennese Working Group for Astronomy (WAA).
Lunar eclipses only occur on a full moon. Sun, earth and moon are on a line and the earth’s satellite wanders through the umbra or penumbra of the earth. The moon can appear completely (total lunar eclipse) or only partially (partial lunar eclipse) in this shadow. Because the three celestial bodies are only approximately in a straight line during a penumbral eclipse, the moon only moves through the outer, lighter part of the earth’s shadow, the penumbra. The lunar surface is still exposed to direct sunlight.
No clouds, good visibility and clear atmosphere
Therefore, the dimming in a penumbral eclipse is not very pronounced and is easily overlooked. In addition, during the current lunar eclipse, the sun only sets one minute before the moon rises, so it is still very bright. For WAA boss Alexander Pikhard, the necessary “first-class visibility conditions” are “no clouds, good visibility and a very clear atmosphere”. At 9.34 p.m. the moon emerges from the penumbra again, at this point in time the darkening is no longer perceptible.
Better odds on October 28th
The second lunar eclipse of the year occurs on October 28, and there you can see much more: It is a partial lunar eclipse that will be visible in full. The maximum eclipse will be reached at 10:14 p.m., 13 percent of the lunar disc will then be in the umbra of the earth.
Source: Nachrichten
