A lunar eclipse will soon be visible (in part): how to observe it?

See my news
Follow News

Astronomy enthusiasts, note the date: this Wednesday September 18, 2024 will take place, in the middle of the night, a lunar eclipseIn France, “it will be unspectacular,” according to Gilles Dawidowicz, vice-president of the French Astronomical Society (SAF).

If the weather conditions are to allow the phenomenon to be seen, it is only a partial eclipse.

Our natural satellite will only pass through the Earth’s penumbra and not through its shadow, which will make the eclipse difficult to observe. Let’s take stock.

What is a lunar eclipse?

The phenomenon occurs during the phases of full moon. And, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, September 19, the “harvest moon” (“harvest moon” in English), a particularly bright full moon is expected.

“When Earth is directly between the Moon and the Sun, Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon’s surface, obscuring it and sometimes turning it a bright red within hours,” explains NASA, the federal agency responsible for most of the United States’ civil space program.

This time it will be a partial eclipse, that is to say an imperfect alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon. The shadow will not completely cover the Moon.

Where and when to see the eclipse?

To see it, you will have to stay up late. The show will start at 2 h 41 (Paris time), and will end at 6:47 a.m. But, in order not to miss the main thing, it is around 4am you will have to be at the windowin the hope of seeing the Moon partially disappear.

The “harvest moon” will appear in the twilight at 4:34 a.m. Then, shortly after, “we will reach the maximum” of the eclipse, specifies Gilles Dawidowicz, at 4:44 a.m.

On its website, the Cité de l’Espace nevertheless speaks of a “(very) discreet” eclipse. “Certainly, the Moon will be plunged into the Earth’s penumbra, but this is not noticeable to the naked eye,” it is stated.

For a more impressive spectacle, we will surely have to wait until next total lunar eclipsescheduled according to the website of the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Calculation, for March 14, 2025.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to My News.