Last Lunar Eclipse Of 2020: How To Watch November Lunar Eclipse

November is coming to an end, and with it, the lunar eclipses for the year as well. Tomorrow (November 30), one can witness the last penumbral lunar eclipse of 2020, which also happens to coincide with Karthik Purnima, an Indian celebration. If you wish to witness the lunar eclipse, here's everything you need to know about it.

Last Lunar Eclipse 2020: How To Watch?

Space enthusiasts and sky gazers will likely be joined by people worldwide to view the last lunar eclipse of 2020. However, we in India might not be so lucky to enjoy the night view of the sky. That's because the Moon will be below the horizon when the eclipse occurs.

According to astronomers and experts, the eclipse is expected to start around 1:02 PM in the afternoon, peak at around 3:12 PM, and conclude by 5:23 PM Indian time. In other words, it will be peak afternoon to late evening with the Sun blazing the sky when the last lunar eclipse occurs in India.

Nevertheless, people living in North and South America, Australia, Europe, and select parts of Asia can witness the full glory of the last lunar eclipse of 2020. If you wish to have a good view of the sky event, you can Livestream it on several platforms.

Last Lunar Eclipse 2020 Explained

As noted, tomorrow's lunar eclipse is a penumbral one. Penumbra means half-shadow. The penumbral lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon are imperfectly aligned with each other. Here, the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the Sun's rays from reaching the Moon's surface.

When this happens, the Moon is completely immersed in the penumbral cone of the Earth. In other words, the Earth covers all or part of the Moon with the outer part of its shadow. That said, it should also be noted that the penumbra is duller than the dark core of the Earth's shadow and it makes a penumbral eclipse difficult to differentiate from a normal full Moon!