THUNDER MOON
The
July full moon,
also known as the "Buck Moon" or "Thunder Moon,"
occurs just after midnight on Sunday (July 5), with the moon reaching
full phase at 12:44 a.m. EDT (0444 GMT). A penumbral lunar eclipse
starts just 14 minutes earlier, according to Nasa skycal,
and the moon will be within a few degrees of Jupiter, the largest
planet.
The
subtle eclipse will be visible to observers from western Europe,
Africa, most of North America, all of South America, and as far west
as New Zealand. In parts of Africa and Europe the eclipse will occur
at moonset, whereas in the westernmost regions such as New Zealand
and Hawaii it will occur at moonrise. In the Americas the eclipse
will be visible towards the middle of the night when the moon is
highest in the sky, though this will vary with longitude.
A lunar eclipse occurs
when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun and
passes through Earth's shadow. A penumbral eclipse
is one in which the moon doesn't reach the darker part of the Earth's
shadow; if you were standing on the moon you would see the Earth only
partially eclipse the sun. Instead of getting completely dark, as
during some partial and all total eclipses, the moon dims and
sometimes looks a little bit more brown-gray than the usual white. In
this case the moon will be approximately half-covered by the penumbra
at maximum eclipse.
