Lunar Eclipse July 2020 timings in India: What time will the penumbral reach its peak?

People are bracing up for the next lunar eclipse of 2020 that is set to occur this month. The last eclipse took place on June 5 and was the second of four penumbral lunar eclipses of the year. Now, it’s time for the third eclipse of the season which will also be penumbral. There are three different types of lunar eclipses which include total, partial and penumbral.

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In the case of a penumbral lunar eclipse, the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun are aligned imperfectly where the Moon goes through the Earth's diffused outer shadow called the penumbra. The moon is shaded by the shadow of the Earth very subtly, which makes it difficult for people to observe the effect. People also often mistake it for a regular full moon due to the faint shadow. This is one of the reasons why the phenomenon is considered to be mainly of academic interest as it can’t always be noticed. The penumbral lunar eclipse is set to begin this month on July 4.

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What is the best time to observe the phenomenon?

The penumbral lunar eclipse will unveil on July 5 at 8:37 AM IST before finally ending on July 9 at 11:22 AM IST. The penumbral will reach its peak at 9:59 AM IST on July 5. The phenomenon will last for approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The best time to observe the penumbral eclipse is when it reaches its peak, however, it would be bright sunshine in India during this time of the day. The Penumbral will be visible from several other parts of the world which include all the Latin American countries, much of North American countries like the USA, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Western European countries like UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, much of South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, most of the African countries and Antarctica. To get the exact Lunar Eclipse 2020 time for your city, you can visit the link here.

For those living in India and such other regions, you can catch the event on YouTube and other social media channels that host a live stream of the penumbral eclipse.

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Image credits: @swapnill | Unsplash