What is a total lunar eclipse?
Lunar eclipses occur on the full moon (purnima) and are of three types: total, partial and penumbral. A total lunar eclipse is when the Moon entirely passes through the earth’s dark shadow or umbra, which means “shaded area.” (Our word “umbrella” comes from the latin root, “umbra”). A partial lunar eclipse is when the Moon partially passes through the umbra. A penumbral lunar eclipse is when the Moon passes outside the umbra in a region called the penumbra, which means “almost shaded area.” The penumbra receives some partial rays of the Sun, which makes the penumbral lunar eclipse the weakest of the three types and is very difficult to detect, even with a telescope. About 35% of lunar eclipses are of the penumbral type, while about 30% are partial eclipses which can easily be seen with the naked eye. 35% or so are total eclipses, which are the most dramatic and intense from an astrological point of view. Why isn’t there a lunar eclipse every month on the full Moon? This is because the
