NIGERIANS are expected to witness
two major developments in the sky
within 17 days: a partial or rather
penumbral lunar eclipse around
midnight today, and a total solar
eclipse on Sunday.
According to reports from
Discovery.com and World Time and
Date, for the partial lunar eclipse,
what viewers can observe is the
slight darkening of the moon’s lower
part as it passes through the lighter
shadow right after it has risen.
The 2013 penumbral lunar eclipse
will be visible as well throughout the
Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia. A
report from Discovery.com says: “For
observers in Africa, Europe and
western Asia, the eclipse will occur in
the middle of the night when the
moon is high overhead. The partial
shading will be visible as the slight
reddish dimming of the normally
bright full moon.”
According to World Time and Date,
the world will experience a solar
eclipse on November 3, 2013. Most
parts of northern Nigeria, including
Kaduna, are expected to experience
total solar eclipse unlike other parts
of the country like Lagos, which will
experience only partial solar eclipse.
The last time Nigeria experienced a
total solar eclipse was on March 29,
2006, when most Nigerians watched
in amazement as the earth
experienced total darkness for a split
second.
According to Wikipedia, a lunar
eclipse occurs when the moon passes
directly behind the earth into its
umbra (shadow). This can occur only
when the sun, earth, and moon are
aligned (in ‘syzygy’) exactly, or very
closely so, with the earth in the
middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can
only occur in the night of a full moon.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when
only a portion of the moon enters the
umbra.
Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only
be viewed from a certain relatively
small area of the world, a lunar
eclipse may be viewed from anywhere
on the night side of the earth. A lunar
eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas
a total solar eclipse lasts for only a
few minutes at any given place, due
to the smaller size of the moon’s
shadow. Also, unlike solar eclipses,
lunar eclipses are safe to view
without any eye protection or special
precautions, as they are no brighter
(indeed dimmer) than the full moon
itself.
The Guardian learnt that the partial
eclipse would be visible in most parts
of Nigeria between 10.53 p.m. today
and 2.48 a.m. October 19, 2013.
During the lunar eclipse today, part of
the moon will skirt through only the
outer edge of the earth’s shadow in
what scientists call a penumbral
lunar eclipse.
The experts stated in the Space.com
report: “Earth’s natural satellite will
pass through our planet’s faint outer
shadow, known as the penumbra, on
Friday, with the time of deepest
eclipse occurring at 7.50 p.m. EDT
(2350 GMT). The effect of such a
penumbral eclipse will be subtle
compared to the dramatic spectacle
of a total lunar eclipse, but it’s still
worth craning your neck skyward.”
According to Alan MacRobert of Sky
and Telescope, the unusual shading
on the lower part of the moon “should
be fairly plain.” MacRobert noted on
his report that viewers would be able
to notice lesser traces of the
penumbral shading for approximately
45 minutes before and after the mid-
eclipse if they looked for the
penumbral shadow “moving from
east to west across the disc.”
source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/national-news/135986-nigerians-await-partial-lunar-eclipse-today