Japan Lunar Eclipse
by Dr. Paul E Cizdziel
A lunar eclipse takes place during full Moon, when our moon passes through Earth’s shadow. These alignments don’t happen at every new and full Moon because the lunar orbit is tipped about 5° to Earth’s orbital plane and only occasionally do the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up exactly enough for an eclipse to occur.
Three types of lunar eclipse are possible — total, partial, and penumbral — depending on how deeply the full Moon plunges into or near the umbra, our planet’s dark, central shadow.
If the Moon goes all the way in, we see a total lunar eclipse that’s preceded and followed by partial phases. If the Moon ventures just partly into the umbra, only partial phases occur. You will see some of the Moon in almost full sunlight, and some of it steeped in the deep, red-tinged umbral shadow. And if its disk passes just outside the umbra, the Moon still encounters the weak penumbral shadow cast by Earth. However, penumbral eclipses are not so dramatic.
Fortunately, every lunar eclipse is observable anywhere on Earth where the Moon is above the horizon. However, whether we can observe it or not depends entirely on the cloud cover at that moment in time.
During the late night of September 7 or more specifically the very early morning hours of September 8, a full lunar eclipse will be visible here in Japan and all across Asia. The total eclipse phase will start on September 8 (Monday) at 02:30 a.m. and last for 82 minutes, ending at 03:53 a.m.
If you miss this one, the next total eclipse will occur on March 3, 2026 followed by another on December 31, 2028.
Keep looking up!
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A note from our Science Advisor, Dr Paul E Cizdziel
The Ad Astra room on the 10th floor of Laurus International Primary & Secondary School is primarily dedicated to space science education, an increasingly important part of modern education. This field of science covers everything from amateur photographers (like myself), to aerospace engineering, government agencies, research institutions, and a rapidly expanding and opportunity-rich commercial sector. My intention with this blog is to periodically provide information of general interest to students and parents on current topics across all these categories.