How Often Do Lunar Eclipses Occur – A lunar eclipse is one of the most breathtaking astronomical events – our natural satellite is swallowed by the Earth’s shadow and turns red. Find out what types of lunar eclipses there are, why they occur, and when the next lunar eclipse will occur.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth completely or partially blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon. This can only happen during the full moon phase. If the Earth, Moon and Sun form a straight line, a total lunar eclipse occurs. If their alignment is not accurate enough, observers will see a partial or penumbral lunar eclipse—or none at all.
How Often Do Lunar Eclipses Occur
There are three types of lunar eclipses: total, partial, and penumbral. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
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A total lunar eclipse is the most spectacular of the three types. This happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon are precisely aligned in space. The Earth is located between the Moon and the Sun and covers the entire Moon with the inner part of its shadow, called the umbra. Interestingly, our natural satellite does not disappear completely during a total eclipse, but instead turns dark red. Why is this happening?
Although the Earth blocks all direct sunlight, a small fraction of the light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the Moon’s surface. Our planet’s atmosphere scatters blue light, but lets red light through. This is why the lunar disk turns red. Because of its characteristic reddish hue, a total lunar eclipse is often called a Blood Moon.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only part of the Moon is covered by the Earth’s umbrella. This happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon are not perfectly aligned. During this type of eclipse, only part of the Moon becomes dark and reddish.
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the penumbra – the outer part of the Earth’s shadow. It is the least noticeable type of eclipse: to a discerning observer, the Moon will appear just a little darker than usual.
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Both lunar and solar eclipses involve three celestial bodies: the Sun, Earth, and Moon. Here are the main differences between these two astronomical events.
Interesting fact: eclipses always come in pairs. A solar eclipse occurs approximately two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
If you tend to confuse solar and lunar eclipses, remember this: when the Sun goes down, we call it a solar eclipse, and when the Moon goes dark, we call it a lunar eclipse.
The next lunar eclipse will occur on May 5, 2023. It will be a penumbral lunar eclipse. The eclipse will be visible from eastern and southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The maximum phase of the eclipse will occur at 13:22. EDT (17:22 GMT).
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The next total lunar eclipse will occur on March 14, 2025. It will be visible from the Americas, most of Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The phase of totality will begin at 2:26 AM EDT (06:26 GMT) and reach its maximum at 2:58 EDT (06:58 GMT).
If you want to find out about all the lunar eclipses that will happen in the next decade, use the eclipse calendar created by NASA. You can also check out our infographic, where we list five upcoming eclipses with their timelines and visibility maps.
List of 5 upcoming lunar and solar eclipses, their dates, timelines and visibility maps. Find out if you can see them from your location!
As we have already mentioned, a lunar eclipse always occurs at the time of the full moon. However, not every Full Moon comes with a Lunar Eclipse. Here’s why: The Moon’s orbit is tilted about five degrees relative to Earth’s orbit, so our natural satellite usually passes above or below Earth’s shadow during a full moon. On average, two lunar eclipses occur each year. The maximum number of lunar eclipses in a year is five, although this happens quite rarely. The last time there were five lunar eclipses in one calendar year was 1879; the next such event will occur in 2132.
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On average, a total lunar eclipse occurs every 2.5 years at any given location. Total lunar eclipses account for about 35% of all lunar eclipses.
According to NASA, at least two partial lunar eclipses occur each year. To get this number, NASA had to count in partial phases of total lunar eclipses. If we consider partial lunar eclipses, they usually occur once a year or once every two years. About 30% of all lunar eclipses are partial.
Unlike solar eclipses, which only last a few minutes, lunar eclipses can last for hours. This is because the Earth’s shadow is quite large compared to the size of the Moon. A total lunar eclipse can last up to two hours, and a partial lunar eclipse can last even longer.
The longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century occurred on July 27, 2018. The totality phase lasted 102 minutes and 57 seconds. The next total lunar eclipse of similar length will not occur until 3107 and will last 106 minutes and 13 seconds.
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The longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years occurred on November 19, 2021. It lasted 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds. Before it, on February 18, 1440, there was a partial eclipse of a similar length (3 hours, 28 minutes and 46 seconds). The partial lunar eclipse of November 2021 will remain the longest for another 648 years until the eclipse on February 8, 2669 (3 hours, 30 minutes and 2 seconds).
You don’t need any special equipment to view the lunar eclipse – although you can use binoculars to see more detail on the moon’s red-shadowed surface. All you need to enjoy this astronomical event is a clear sky and an unobstructed horizon. To find out when the eclipse starts in your location, use the Eclipse Guide app.
Lunar eclipses are visible from anywhere in the world where the Moon is above the horizon. In other words, you only need to be on the night side of the Earth at the time of the eclipse to see it. Check out our infographic to find out where you can see the upcoming eclipses.
Lunar eclipses do not occur every month on a full moon because the orbits of the Moon and the Earth are not in the same plane. Most of the time, the Moon passes above or below the Earth’s shadow during a full Moon. Watch our video to better understand why lunar eclipses don’t happen every month.
Lunar Eclipses And Solar Eclipses For 2023
A “red moon” and “blood moon” are simply alternative names for a total lunar eclipse. An eclipsed Moon appears red because sunlight is refracted and scattered by Earth’s atmosphere, and only red-colored light reaches the surface of the Moon. Read our article on the Blood Beaver Moon happening on November 8, 2022.
Unlike viewing a solar eclipse (for which you need special solar filters), viewing a lunar eclipse is absolutely safe for your eyes. This is because the moon does not emit its own light, but only reflects sunlight.
During each lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow on the Moon is always circular and does not change its shape with the rotation of the planet. The only shape that always casts a perfectly circular shadow is a sphere. Read our article to learn more ways to prove that the Earth is round.
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You may hear that lunar eclipses can increase the risk of skin diseases, adversely affect pregnant women or be harmful to digestion. However, there is no scientific evidence that lunar eclipses have any physical effect on humans.
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Conclusion: Now you know why lunar eclipses happen, what types they can be and how they differ from solar eclipses. If you want to test your knowledge about eclipses, try our challenging quiz. We wish you clear skies and happy stargazing!
Can solar eclipses be seen from the Moon? When was a solar eclipse first captured on video? Test your knowledge of solar and lunar eclipses with this quiz.
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Only during the full moon and the new moon is the Moon in line with the Earth and the Sun. If the Earth is in the middle, the Moon is ‘full’ and completely illuminated by the sun. Only then, if the alignment is perfect, we win
Eclipses [the earth’s shadow falling on the moon]; if Moon is inside
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