People around the world viewed the penumbral eclipse of the moon on November 28, 2012. As usual, some who stood under the eclipsed moon in a clear sky – gazing upward – swore they could not see an eclipse happening. That’s because a penumbral eclipse is a very subtle kind of eclipse. It happens when the lighter penumbral shadow of Earth falls on the moons face. Read more about today’s penumbral eclipse here. And yet this light penumbral shadow on the moon is a beautiful sight to behold, for those with the patience to look. The photos below, from EarthSky Facebook friends, show the subtle beauty of this kind of eclipse.
Raj Hardia in Indore, India caught this photo of the eclipse soon after it began. The shadow on the moon is coming from the left in this photo. It’s very, very subtle.As the eclipse progressed, and more and more of Earth’s light penumbral shadow covered the moon, Raj Hardia in India was able to capture this view. The shadow is still coming in from the left, but now it covers more of the moon. Thank you, Raj! Awesome photos.We received a number of photos from Japan today, of the eclipsed moon. Here’s one from Daniel Smith in Yokosuka, Japan. This photo is oriented so that Earth’s shadow is coming into the moon from the top. Thank you, Daniel.In the U.S. on November 28, the moon set while the eclipse was in progress. So the further west you live in North America, the more of the eclipse you saw. This photo is from EarthSky Facebook friend Dan Gauss in Deming, New Mexico. He saw the moon set as the eclipse was in progress, prior to mid-eclipse. Thank you, Dan.Some who did not see the eclipse enjoyed seeing the moon near Jupiter on the night of November 27-28, 2012. This photo is from EarthSky Facebook friend Birgit Boden in northern Sweden. Jupiter is the bright object to the left of the moon in this photo. Thank you, Birgit!
Bottom line: Photos from EarthSky Facebook friends of the penumbral eclipse of the moon on November 28, 2012.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Like what you read? Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
