Can You Safely Watch a Lunar Eclipse?
It can take two hours for the Moon to completely pass through the Earth's inner shadow.
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Transcript
Here’s what happens during a lunar eclipse.
The Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow so that the Earth is sitting in between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the Sun’s light.
It can take two hours for the Moon to completely pass through the Earth's inner shadow, a distance of about 6,000 miles, or about 9,000 kilometers.
At totality in a full eclipse, when the Earth's shadow completely covers the Moon, the only light that reaches the Moon is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, kind of like what we see at sunset. This can make the Moon look red.
As the eclipse ends, the Earth casts a rounded shadow on the Moon, which is different than the shadow during the monthly phases. This phenomenon actually helped to convince the ancient Greeks that the Earth was round.
Even though the Moon orbits the Earth about once a month, lunar eclipses usually only happen a few times a year, and only at a full moon. That's because the Moon's orbit often passes above or below the Earth's shadow, not through it.
A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere when the moon is visible in the sky. And, since we’re not gazing directly into the sun, it is safe to look at. Happy gazing!
The Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow so that the Earth is sitting in between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the Sun’s light.
It can take two hours for the Moon to completely pass through the Earth's inner shadow, a distance of about 6,000 miles, or about 9,000 kilometers.
At totality in a full eclipse, when the Earth's shadow completely covers the Moon, the only light that reaches the Moon is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, kind of like what we see at sunset. This can make the Moon look red.
As the eclipse ends, the Earth casts a rounded shadow on the Moon, which is different than the shadow during the monthly phases. This phenomenon actually helped to convince the ancient Greeks that the Earth was round.
Even though the Moon orbits the Earth about once a month, lunar eclipses usually only happen a few times a year, and only at a full moon. That's because the Moon's orbit often passes above or below the Earth's shadow, not through it.
A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere when the moon is visible in the sky. And, since we’re not gazing directly into the sun, it is safe to look at. Happy gazing!