There was a full moon and a lunar eclipse early Monday morning at about 3 a.m., and while it was a subtle eclipse, our News 5 overnight photographer captured the moment part of the Earth's shadow was cast on the Moon.
The March full Moon is also known as the worm moon, as it occurs when the worms begin to come out of the ground each spring. It became full around 3 a.m. Monday.
There was also a lunar eclipse early Monday morning. A lunar eclipse occurs during a full moon when Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, and Earth’s shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it. However, this is not a total lunar eclipse but a subtler eclipse called a penumbral eclipse.
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the outer part of Earth's shadow, the penumbra, while the more spectacular variety of lunar eclipses happens when the Moon passes through Earth's inner shadow or umbra. That's when we see a dark "bite" taken out of the Moon, or in the case of a total lunar eclipse, a reddish, so-called "blood moon." Penumbral eclipses will cause a slight decrease in the Moon's brightness tonight.
The 30-second time-lapse video below was taken by News 5 overnight photographer Mike Vielhaber over six minutes at about 3 a.m.:
As you can tell from the video, it is difficult to see, but you can see the difference if you look before the eclipse and then at the peak.
At the peak, observers can sometimes see a subtle gradient in brightness across the Moon's face.
Also, here's a special fun fact: Even faint lunar eclipses like the one tonight are always accompanied by a solar eclipse either a couple of weeks before or after. And on April 8, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the area!
Malley's Chocolates is the latest local business to get in on the solar eclipse-mania with their "Eclipse Ahoy!" treats:
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