A total lunar eclipse, on the other hand, occurs when the Earth is between the sun and the moon. As a full moon passes through the Earth's deepest shadow, sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere is projected onto the moon. The physics is similar to the colour of the sun during a sunset. Cue a beautiful reddish, orange or copper-colored moon. A total solar eclipse can only happen during the day, and a total lunar eclipse can only occur at night.
Unlike a total solar eclipse, where only a very tiny strip of the Earth's surface experiences totality, the whole of the night side of Earth can see at least some of the total lunar eclipse. So instead of just a few people taking part in this event, half of planet Earth will be able to see Wednesday's celestial event.
However, solar and lunar eclipses have much in common. The moon orbit is inclined to the Earth's orbit by a few degrees, so it rarely intersects the ecliptic, which is the line that the sun appears to trace in the sky. When its orbit does cross the ecliptic, the moon is in the right place to create one type of eclipse.
Consequently, it often causes another type of eclipse exactly two weeks later. That's the case with this total lunar eclipse. As regular as clockwork, a solar eclipse will occur on February 15, Sadly, it's only a partial solar eclipse, and it will only be visible in Antarctica and just slightly from the southern tip of South America. The total lunar eclipse is completely safe to look at with the naked eye. There is absolutely no need to worry about eye safety for this eclipse — it's really nothing like a solar eclipse in that regard.
There are various phases to this eclipse, including the partial phase and a total phase, but all of them are safe to view with your eyes. Mountain, a. Central, a. Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and the rest of the Pacific Islands will be able to see the entire eclipse from start to finish. By Stephanie Dube Dwilson. Updated May 25, at am. It will happen when the moon is very close to Earth in its orbit, qualifying it as a "supermoon. Hawaii and Alaska will be in a good position for viewing, but much of the western US will have a shot at catching some of the action.
An eclipse occurs when one cosmic object like a moon moves into the shadow of another like a planet. Eclipses aren't just an Earth-related phenomenon. But for our Earth-bound viewing purposes, eclipses here involve a combination of the sun, our planet and the moon.
From the lab to your inbox. Get the latest science stories from CNET every week. Eclipses, especially total eclipses, can be rare viewing events thanks to the complex dance of orbits, timing and visibility. Remember the Great American total eclipse fever of in the US? The US will have to wait until for the next total eclipse of the sun. If you have the chance to catch any eclipse, be sure to take it.
NASA maintains a handy list of upcoming solar eclipses that includes the date, time, duration, type of eclipse and where it will be visible. The same site also hosts a table for lunar eclipses. You might not have to miss an eclipse just because you're in the wrong geographic area. Observatories around the world often offer livestreams of big eclipse events. The Virtual Telescope Project also shares eclipse action when feasible. A solar eclipse is like a cosmic photobomb.
It happens when the moon gets in between us and the sun, throwing a shadow onto our planet and making it look like part or all of the sun has disappeared into darkness. A total eclipse happens when the moon completely blocks out the sun. A partial eclipse is when the moon blocks just part of the sun's disk, taking just a bite out of the sun.
There are two parts to the moon's shadow, the penumbra and the umbra. People in the path of the penumbra see a partial eclipse. Those covered by the umbra are treated to a total eclipse.
Check out this NASA illustration to see how it works.
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