On the evening of May 5th, eyes fixed on the sky for the penumbral lunar eclipse, which from Italy will only be visible in the final stages.
The event, less striking than total or partial eclipses but still fascinating, will begin around 17:15, when the Moon will enter the penumbral cone projected by the Earth, i.e. in the outer part of the Earth's shadow.
The lunar disk will not darken but will only appear weakly veiled: the climax will be reached at 19:24, when the Moon will still be below the horizon for us, while it will be clearly visible from Antarctica, Asia, Russia, Oceania and central-eastern Africa .
The exit from the penumbra cone at 21:32 will mark the end of the phenomenon.
To fully enjoy the show, it will be possible to follow the live online offered by the Virtual Telescope from 8.45 pm, which will also be broadcast by ANSA's Science and Technology Channel.
"The penumbral eclipse is an elusive but undoubtedly interesting show, even if only to test oneself in grasping the slight decrease in brightness of the lunar disk due to the shielding of sunlight determined by the Earth", explains astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, head science of the Virtual Telescope.
"Italy is not in an ideal position to follow the event, however, from moonrise until 21:30 it will be possible to try observation, with the naked eye or with binoculars", adds the expert.
"The evidence of the shadow is modest, and the brightness of the full moon can make it more difficult to appreciate, but certainly not impossible: the effect is more visible in the end than you think."
