What Is a Lunar Eclipse?

A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon goes into the Earth's shadow, also known as an eclipse. This occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are all above or very near the horizon of the Earth, and on the night of a new moon only. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon appears as just one large dark spot on the sky during this type of eclipse. When the Moon is in the eclipse, it is referred to as the "one-lights-on" or "one-sun" stage. This represents the first phase of a total solar eclipse.

The other phase of the eclipse is the "totality" phase. During this stage, the entire solar eclipse will be over and the Moon will completely disappear from the Earth's surface. The only object that will be visible is the sun, which is a red star. It is also possible for the moon to be slightly visible during this phase of the eclipse. For people on the ground, this phase of the eclipse can appear to be nearly complete, but as the eclipse approaches full swing, there will be many different stars, moons, and crescent moons in the sky.

The four main phases of a lunar eclipse are called the eclipse phases. These names refer to the time before, during, and after the new moon. A total lunar eclipse will last about two hours, 50 minutes, and will occur during the first part of the new moon. A first quarter, a second quarter, a full moon, a new or full, and a gibbous moon will all appear in the sky at the same time. The gibbous moon is the one that is directly between the Sun and the Moon, and its orbit is more circular than any other moon.

Once the eclipse reaches totality, the sky will turn completely black as the Moon turns completely invisible. The colors associated with this phase of an eclipse are brown, pink, orange, red, and even blue. While this stage of the eclipse is not too far away, it is still a very long way away from the Earth. The duration of totality can reach a few seconds, half a second, or a few seconds.

During the next stage of the lunar eclipse, the Moon's shadow will cover the Earth. This is the darkening of the earth, and as the Moon sets it will disappear entirely. By the time the shadow has completely disappeared, it will leave behind millions of dark spots on the surface of the earth. These dark spots on the surface of the earth are called eclipse scarring. The length of the eclipse varies, but it can last anywhere between a few seconds to several minutes. After the eclipse has ended, the sky will turn back to a light gray.

Because the alignment of the Sun and the Moon is not perfect, there is always a slight tilt to the Earth. This slight tilt causes the planet to move across the plane of the ecliptic. In the case of lunar eclipses, the Moon is placed about half a degree off the horizontal plane of the ecliptic. The tilt causes the Moon's shadow to appear on the lunar surface. As the Moon recedes from the horizon, it becomes smaller.

During a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon is covered by the Moon's shadow at the same time. When this happens, it is called a totality. It is not uncommon for the Moon to be covered by the shadow for more than one minute. Larger eclipses can last up to 10 seconds, but those that last longer than that are called partial totality.

During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon appears to be red. This comes from the reflection of sunlight reaching the earth from the Moon's surface. If you are facing away from the Sun, your Moon will appear to be a lighter red. If you are facing towards or near the Sun, your Moon will be a darker red.