Lunar eclipse overshadows November

On November 30, the moon will appear darker than normal worldwide, beginning the start of the lunar eclipse.

Photo by uploader from Pixabay Pete Linforth

On November 30, the moon will appear darker than normal worldwide, beginning the start of the lunar eclipse.

Harum Taha, Staff Writer

The dark sky will radiate a strange light on Earth around the middle of the night in late November.  The moon that is hovering over the world somehow will be different and unilluminated.

On Nov. 30, the moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow. Since the moon will not go directly behind the Earth, it won’t be changing into blue or red, causing mixed feelings for some fans.

“The upcoming eclipse is a penumbral eclipse, which isn’t really super exciting but nevertheless interesting,” astronomy club sponsor Whitney Faries said. “You may see a darker or grayer moon, but it will not disappear partially or completely.”

According to TimeandDate, the eclipse will reach its maximum height at 4:42 a.m. If viewing and weather conditions are clear, viewers can enjoy the lunar eclipse for another hour until the moon sets at 5:40 a.m., but the eclipse itself is estimated to last until 6:53 a.m.

“If the sky is cloudy or if there is any light pollution, the eclipse will not be visible as much as expected,” Faries said. “It may be difficult to see things like eclipses if you are standing in a very bright location, like the middle of D.C.”

Forbes reported that most of the people across the world will be able to see this moon, making it the rarest type of eclipse to happen this year since it is one of the few lunar eclipses to transpire worldwide. 

“I believe much of Europe, Asia, Australia, North America and South America will be experiencing this penumbral lunar eclipse,” senior and astronomy club member Tarun Anbunami said. “I find the eclipse pretty cool since globally, [we will] be experiencing this together.” 

There will be at most four other lunar eclipses that will occur and reach Virginia in the year 2021. There will be two lunar eclipses: one occurring on May 26 and the other on Nov. 18 through 19. In addition to two solar eclipses where one will take place on June 10 and the other on Dec. 4. These upcoming eclipses have many astronomy and stargazing lovers excited. 

“I would encourage people to begin understanding what eclipses are because if they are interested in space, we must understand things that happen around our home planet,” Anubunami said. “Most of the time, scientists are able to discover more based on what they learn by observing nearby celestial objects, and so should we.”