Hobbies And Interests
Penumbra Shadow
The moon first enters the outer partial shadow called the penumbra. The moon's brightness gradually fades and appears to have a dimmer portion, which moves from left to right across the moon face as it travels deeper into the penumbra.
Umbra Shadow
When the moon moves into the umbra --- the darkest portion of the Earth's shadow --- it begins to appear as though a bite has been taken out of the moon. This "bite" grows until the moon is completely within the total eclipse phase. It becomes fully visible as a copper orange-red color once it's all the way inside the umbra shadow.The color comes from sunlight bent through the Earth's atmosphere and reaching the moon before being reflected back to Earth. Visual results may vary depending on the clarity of the sky and amount of light around the observation point.
Eclipse Duration
The process reverses as the moon leaves the shadow. A lunar eclipse lasts a total of about three hours from start to finish. The period of "totality" --- when the moon is in the umbra --- usually lasts about an hour, with some variation for each eclipse.
Moon Tidal Forces
The pull of the sun and moon add to the tidal effects anytime they're in line with the Earth. They subtract from the tidal pull when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other from Earth. Because a lunar eclipse only takes place during a full moon, tides are higher during this time.
Wildife and Eclipses
Centuries-old lore claims that wildlife behave differently during a lunar eclipse.
A study of the owl monkey conducted in 2010 by the University of Pennsylvania Department of Anthropology showed a pronounced change in monkey activity during a lunar eclipse. The study suggests this is due to the changing light levels as the eclipse proceeds.
People and Eclipses
A lunar eclipse only occurs during a full moon, so there's a widely held belief that such an eclipse affects people. However, science can find no such link that full moons and lunar eclipses have a measurable effect on humans.