- The third
lunar eclipse in 2020 will happen on 5 July 2020. - The July 5 lunar eclipse will not be visible from India as it will occur during daytime.
- The third lunar eclipse of the year 2020 will be a penumbral one like the other three lunar eclipses of the year.
Time, date and schedule of the lunar eclipse July 5, 2020
The third lunar eclipse of 2020 which will be a penumbral one will happen on July 5. This time around the eclipse won’t be visible from India, during the event, it will be morning in the country. The eclipse will start at 8:37 am and will attain its maximum phase at 9:59 am. At approximately 11:22 am, the eclipse will come to an end. The total duration of the penumbral lunar eclipse will be around 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Visibility of the lunar eclipse from India
Even though the eclipse won’t be visible from India, other parts of the world will be able to view the lunar phenomenon. Countries in the African continent, Northern America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Antarctic and the Indian Ocean will be privy the penumbral lunar eclipse of July 5.
What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth, Moon and Sun come in a straight alignment. When the Earth moves in between the Moon and the Sun, it blocks the Sun’s rays falling on the Moon and the shadow of the Earth is cast on the Moon for a brief period of time. This causes the lunar eclipse.
Depending on the position and the distance of the three heavenly bodies, any one of the three eclipses can happen — total, partial or penumbral.
On July 5, there will be a penumbral eclipse in the sky. During this process, there is no partial or total hiding of the Moon. Instead, only a dark shading occurs on the Moon’s face as seen from the Earth. This is because only the penumbra or the outer part of the Earth’s shadow is cast on the Moon.
Such an eclipse can be difficult to differentiate from an ordinary Full Moon.