As of: March 16, 2024, 9:51 p.m
By: Tanja Banner
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If you don't look closely, you'll hardly notice the first lunar eclipse of 2024.
This is mainly due to two factors.
Munich – The first lunar eclipse of 2024 will hardly cause a stir.
The full moon will be visible in the firmament on March 25th.
It seems quite small because it is more than 400,000 kilometers away from our planet.
But that is not the reason why the lunar eclipse on March 25, 2024 is rather inconspicuous.
Two other factors are responsible for this.
This lunar eclipse is only a partial penumbral eclipse.
This means that the full moon only enters the Earth's penumbra.
This is nowhere near as clearly visible as the Earth's umbra, which during a "normal" lunar eclipse lies darkly over the bright full moon and "nibbles" on it.
The penumbra acts like a gray veil that stretches across the moon - without the knowledge that a lunar eclipse is taking place, it would hardly be noticeable with the naked eye.
Partial penumbral lunar eclipse on March 25, 2024 will only be visible briefly
Another aspect that makes the partial penumbral eclipse unspectacular is the timing of the event: The full moon enters the Earth's penumbra early in the morning of March 25th - and in Germany disappears over the horizon just a few minutes later.
So if you want to observe the partial penumbral eclipse, you have to wait for the right moment and have a clear view of the western horizon, where the full moon will already be very low.
Time on March 25, 2024 |
Event |
|---|---|
5:53 a.m |
Earth's penumbra begins to fall over the full moon |
6:14 a.m |
The full moon sets in Munich |
8:12 a.m |
Maximum darkening (not visible in Germany) |
10:32 a.m |
Penumbral eclipse has ended (not visible in Germany) |
Source: timeanddate.de |
At the time of maximum darkening, which reaches the penumbral eclipse at 8:12 a.m., the moon is no longer visible in Germany.
However, the lunar eclipse can be observed wherever the moon is still in the sky at this time.
The celestial phenomenon can be seen in the USA, Canada and much of South and Central America, among other places.
In the United States, a total solar eclipse can be observed just two weeks later.
A penumbral lunar eclipse looks different than a “normal” eclipse
Anyone who observes the penumbral eclipse on March 25th will quickly notice that the moon looks different than during a “normal” lunar eclipse.
The full moon neither appears “nibbled” nor does it take on a red color and become a “blood moon”.
However, in March, around 96 percent of the moon will be covered by the Earth's penumbra - the entire full moon will then look a little grayer than usual.
During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the full moon only enters the earth's penumbra - it does not appear "nibbled on" and does not become a red "blood moon".
(Archive image) © IMAGO/Norbert Neetz
The next lunar eclipse in Germany will be visible on October 28, 2024.
There will only be a minimal eclipse of the full moon in the German sky - but this will be more visible than the partial penumbral eclipse on March 25th.
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