The Bay area will get a chance to witness the last lunar eclipse of the year on Wednesday provided no rain or clouds cover the sky. It's not going to be a regular eclipse as the moon falls under the dim edge of the Earth's shadow creating a "penumbral lunar eclipse," says reports from MenloPark -Artherton Patch weather news.
The dim edge of the Earth's shadow is known as penumbra and the main part of the shadow is called umbra. The moon will pass through the penumbral or outer part of the Earth's shadow and as a result the moon will appear dimmer.
The eclipse can be detected between 6-7a.m. Pacific Time and will peak at 6.33 a.m. according to NASA. There is possibility clouds might cover the sky for the viewers in Bay Area.
"It really all depends on the clouds," Griffith Observatory's Anthony Cook wrote in an email to Patch, as reported by MenloPark -Artherton Patch news."The full moon, of course, is the easiest of all things to find at night. The eclipse will dim one side of it noticeably, but it will still be quite bright at mid-eclipse at 6:32 a.m., minutes before moon-set. The forecast is for cloudy conditions after midnight, which is still six hours before the eclipse is visible, so I'd say the chances are slim for a good view.
"In case it is clear, the best locations will have a clear view of the horizon to the west-northwest. Hills or buildings in that direction will obscure the view of mid-eclipse and moon-set. Assuming that clouds were not a factor, the best locations include hillsides with a clear view to the west, or westward facing beaches," he said.
In a report, EarthSky described the penumbral eclipse: "You won't see a dark bite taken out of the moon by Earth's shadow. And you won't see the moon turn blood red as during a total eclipse of the moon. A penumbral eclipse is more subtle than either of these. At the central part of the eclipse, you'll see a dusky shading covering about 90% of the moon's face."
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