Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: April 24, 2005

Geographic Region: eastern Asia, Australia, Pacific Ocean, Americas

The year's first lunar eclipse is a deep penumbral event visible from most of the Western Hemisphere. First and last penumbral occurrences occur at 07:50 UT and 12:00 UT, respectively. Observers in eastern North America will experience moonset before the eclipse ends, but those further west will be able to witness the entire event.

Penumbral eclipses are difficult to observe. Nevertheless, a subtle yet distinct shading should be visible across the northern half of the Moon, especially during the one hour period centered on maximum. Greatest eclipse occurs at 09:55 UT with a penumbral eclipse magnitude of 0.890. The northern limb actually passes within 4.4 arc-minutes of the umbra while the southern limb remains outside the penumbra throughout the event.

Eclipse map and predictions courtesy of Fred Espenak - NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
For more information on solar and lunar eclipses, see Fred Espenak's Eclipse Home Page:

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html