Press release

from Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Astronomers at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute announce that on the morning of November 13 there will be a very subtle penumbral eclipse of the Moon. However, this event will occur after the Moon has set here in the Carolinas and, therefore, will not be visible here.

For those viewing the event from the west coast about 92% of the Moon will be in the Earth’s shadow at maximum and that only in the penumbra, the very faint outer part of the shadow. Since this will occur in morning twilight in the west coast, even there this eclipse will not easily be detected with the naked eye. Observers in the western Pacific, the Far East and Australia and New Zealand where the eclipse will occur with the Moon up in a dark sky, will be able to view the eclipse.

What causes an eclipse of the Moon, also called a lunar eclipse? As the Moon orbits the Earth, it comes to Full Moon once every 29½ days. Most months when this happens the Moon passes above or below the Earth’s shadow and we don’t have an eclipse. But twice per year, roughly six months apart, the Moon can pass through the Earth’s shadow. On the morning of November 13 most of the Moon will pass through the bottom of the penumbra of the Earth’s shadow.

The next total lunar eclipse visible from the Americas will occur after midnight on the night of April 14-15, 2014. Viewers in the Carolinas will be able to see that eclipse from beginning (12:54 a.m.) to end (6:37 a.m.).

About PARI
PARI is a not-for-profit public foundation established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville, NC, PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research. For more information about PARI and its programs, visit http://www.pari.edu. Follow PARI on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Astronomy_PARI. “Like” PARI on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Pisgah.Astronomical.Research.Institute.