The eclipse of April 25-26, 2013 featured a very brief partial eclipse of the moon, as shown on the photo above. See how the top part of the moon appears darkened for part of the eclipse? As seen from parts of Earth (but not North or South America), Earth’s dark umbral shadow barely clipped the full moon for 27 minutes, causing this third-shortest partial lunar eclipse in the 21st century. Before and after the partial eclipse, there was a deep penumbral eclipse of the moon.
There are two more lunar eclipses later this year, but both are penumbral only. During the April 25-26 eclipse, Earth’s dark umbral shadow was located mostly to one side of the moon, as shown in the photo above. That was the last time Earth’s umbral shadow will touch the moon’s face until the total lunar eclipse of April 15, 2014.
Chris Comfort, Technology Manager, oversees EarthSky's systems and infrastructure, and the development and maintenance of EarthSky.org. He loves working with a company dedicated to nature and science. His favorite thing about EarthSky? The wonderful images of nature coming in from EarthSky's global photographic community.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. 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. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. 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.
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