There's a lunar eclipse tonight! But it might not be as exciting as it sounds. The lunar eclipse is expected to be a lackluster one. However it will be broadcasted live online for those who don't want to or can't see it live.
According to Space.com, North America will be able to see the lunar eclipse on May 24, but it might not be worth seeing.
During the penumbral lunar eclipse, the moon will only pass into the Earth's outer shadow, or the penumbral, which produces a very faint eclipse compared to the sharp, dark shadow on the umbra.
"It will thus be impossible to notice anything out of the ordinary concerning the moon's overall appearance," SPACE.com's skywatching columnist Joe Rao explained in a viewing guide today. "It will, in fact look like any other full moon."
There was also a partial eclipse last month in April when the full moon barely touched the umbra. It caused a sliver of darkness to cover the moon's northern hemisphere.
Tonight's lunar eclipse will be broadcasted in a live webcast by the Slooh Space Camera. Slooh odren shows live special events from remotely operated telescopes. The live webcast begins at 11:37 p.m. EDT (0337 May 25 GMT).
Tonight's eclipse can be seen from the American and western Africa. It begins at 11:53 p.m. EST and ends just before 12:27 a.m. EST. The peak time of the eclipse, when the moon will be at its deepest point into Earth's shadow, will occur at 12:10 a.m.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. This occurs during the full moon phase. When the moon is perfectly aligned with Earth, it is directly in the Earth's shadow, which causes a total lunar eclipse.
To see the live webcast of the eclipse, check out the Slooh Space Camera here: https://www.slooh.com/
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
