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."
Sourced from The Guardian
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