ISLAMABAD: First Lunar eclipse of the year 2020 will be during the night between January 10 and 11, will be witnessed in Pakistan and rest of the world but not in United States, Canada and majority of South American states, said Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (ISPA).
The lunar eclipse is expected from around 10.00 pm to 2.00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST).
The lunar eclipse, also known as the Wolf moon eclipse, is a celestial event that occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, which results in obstructing some or all of the Sun’s light from reaching the Moon, the ISPA reported.
The eclipse (Penumbral Lunar Eclipse) will be visible in Pakistan and various other countries. The ISPA official said that weather will be partly cloudy on night between 10 and 11 January.
During the eclipse, 90 per cent of the moon’s surface will partially covered by the Earth with only the outer part of the shadow appearing.
It will be a penumbral lunar eclipse which will be visible in Pakistan as well as in different cities of Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa. This is a penumbral lunar eclipse, and the Moon does not turn totally dark or go red in such eclipses.
It will not be visible in the United States, central Canada and a majority of South America.
In total, four such penumbral lunar eclipses are expected to take place in 2020 with the first one on January 10, 2020. In simple terms, a lunar eclipse takes place on a full moon when the Earth’s satellite passes through the planet’s shadow.
However in a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon is located in the Earth’s umbra or dark shadow, and this, in turn, makes the Moon appears red in color.
Nor is this a partial eclipse, where a small part of the Moon is inside the Earth’s umbra.
The other lunar eclipse this year will occur on June 5, July 5 and November 30.
Read more: Pakistan’s first eclipse in 20 years is on Thursday
