Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: November 28, 2012

On November 28, 2012 the moon will star in its own sky show during a penumbral lunar eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes on the opposite side of Earth from the sun, but only goes through the outer region of the planet's shadow. November 28, 2012 brings us our second and last lunar eclipse of the 2012 year! As a penumbral eclipse, we can expect to see the moon become veiled, or vaguely shadowed by the penumbral shadow of the earth. This means that the moon will not be completely covered, but there will be a visual distinction between the bright moon and the covered moon.

Can I see the eclipse?

The absolute best viewing areas for viewing the entire penumbral eclipse are:

• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Australia
• East Asia

However, the western portions of America and Canada will be able to view most of the eclipse, as the moon will set after the mid-point of the eclipse. Locations between the west coast and east coast of America and Canada will vary, depending on moonset times, and those along the west coast will miss the eclipse entirely, due to the moon setting before the eclipse starts.

What time will the eclipse start?

Listed below are the key times listed for the November 2012 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse:

• Penumbral eclipse starts – 12:14:58 UT
• Greatest eclipse – 14:33:00 UT
• Penumbral eclipse ends - 16:51:02 UT