NEWS · C1 Level - Part 2

A Total Lunar Eclipse

We start today with the total lunar eclipse visible across the Western Hemisphere last night and early this morning.

Level: C1 · 29 sentences

Transcript

  1. We start today with the total lunar eclipse visible across the Western Hemisphere last night and early this morning.
  2. A lunar eclipse, that's when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.
  3. A total lunar eclipse is when the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of one of the Earth's shadows.
  4. That's right! One of the Earth's shadows.
  5. Did you know the Earth has two of them?
  6. According to NASA, its darker inner shadow is known as the umbra,
  7. and the lighter outer shadow is called the penumbra. So...
  8. The tilt of the Moon around the Earth and these two different shadows behind which the Moon might pass
  9. they create three different types of lunar eclipses.
  10. One is called the penumbra eclipse,
  11. when the Moon passes through the lighter outer penumbra shadow.
  12. NASA says this type of eclipse is so subtle that if you didn't know it was happening, you might not even notice.
  13. Another is called a partial eclipse, which happens at least twice per year.
  14. That's when the Moon only gets covered by part of the Earth's umbra.
  15. Only part of it is shaded in darkness by the Earth.
  16. Finally, the biggest and rarest of them all: the total lunar eclipse.
  17. These are often separated by years
  18. because they require a precise alignment of the Moon, Earth, and Sun.
  19. While we might think that a total lunar eclipse would completely black out the Moon,
  20. the Moon actually takes on a deep red hue as the Moon shifts deeper into the umbra.
  21. This is why it's sometimes referred to as a Blood Moon.
  22. The Moon turns red because the atmosphere filters out color at the opposite end of the visible spectrum - the blue light.
  23. The short wavelengths of blue don't travel as far as the long red wavelengths, so...
  24. they scatter before reaching our eyes, leaving behind this red glow.
  25. Not everyone on Earth can see a lunar eclipse at the same time.
  26. You'll need to be in an area facing the Moon during the moments it's shaded by Earth.
  27. But unlike a solar eclipse,
  28. you don't need any special equipment to enjoy a lunar eclipse.
  29. They are safe to watch at any stage, although a pair of binoculars might make it more fun.