Penumbral Lunar Eclipse over the Yucatan July 4

“A penumbral eclipse of the Moon will be recorded in the Yucatan Peninsula a, whose partiality will begin next Saturday, July 4, and will end at dawn on Sunday, 5th”, reported the Yucatecan astronomer Eddie Ariel Salazar Gamboa.

He stressed that the witnesses to this astronomical phenomenon will be Jupiter and Saturn, who in days past held a love triangle with the Moon.

He commented this is the third of the four eclipses that will be visible this year, since the first was recorded on January 10, the second was on June 5, and the fourth will be on November 30th.

He mentioned that the Moon itself is an opaque and visible body but it shines because it is illuminated by the Sun, the same thing happens with Earth.

A penumbral eclipse creates only a dark shading on the moon’s face. If the moon passes through the dark central shadow of Earth – the umbra – a partial or total lunar eclipse takes place. If the moon only passes through the outer part of the shadow (the penumbra), a subtle penumbral eclipse occurs.

The academic from the Technological Institute of Mérida (ITM) pointed out that among the existing conditions for an eclipse to occur is that the Moon has to be full, and there needs to be an alignment between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon.

Since the Earth is also an opaque body, when receiving the rays of the Sun it projects two cones of shadow, one of penumbra and the other of umbra, the latter “the darkest”, with a length of 217 terrestrial rays, and because the average distance between the Moon and Earth is 60 terrestrial radii, the satellite fits well in the cone, even more, knowing that the diameter of the Moon is 0.27 times that of our planet.

The coordinator of the Astronomy Club “Hipatia” of the ITM added that this eclipse will be penumbral and partial so that the light from our natural satellite will be less bright than in other full moons.

He explained that the phenomenon will begin at 22:07 on Saturday 4, will have its maximum at 23:31, whose gloom will cover 35 percent of the Moon’s face, and will end at 2:52 in the morning of Sunday 5.

The emeritus professor of the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY) added that the Moon will rise over the horizon at 7:37 p.m. and will hide at 6:30 a.m., it will be in its full phase at 11:31 p.m., that is to say, at the right time of maximum bias.

He cataloged this astronomical event as doubly interesting since on that day our satellite will have another casual approach with Jupiter and Saturn, who will meet in the constellation Sagittarius.

He recalled that last Tuesday the 9th the love triangle occurred between the natural satellite, the Jovian giant (Jupiter), and “The Lord of the rings” (Saturn), who were in the constellations of Archer and Capricorn.

Salazar Gamboa pointed out that the Dresden codex (Maya codex) can still be used to forecast eclipses, among other astronomical phenomena.

“There is no doubt, the Dresden Codex is still useful,” said the professor, establishing that from the first eclipse recorded this year to the next there are five lunations or 147 days, and the third is only one lunation.

Subsequently, for the next event, to occur on November 30, there are five lunations.

One Lunation or Lunar Calendar is a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. For other definitions, including a description of a month in the calendars of different cultures around the world.

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