November 2020 lunar eclipse facts for kids
A penumbral lunar eclipse happened on November 30, 2020. This special event occurs when the Moon passes through the outer part of Earth's shadow, making the Moon look a little dimmer than usual. It was mostly seen by people in North America, but some parts of South America and Asia also got to see it.
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What is a Lunar Eclipse?
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon. When this happens, the Earth blocks the Sun's light from reaching the Moon. Imagine the Earth casting a big shadow into space. When the Moon moves into this shadow, we see a lunar eclipse.
There are three main types of lunar eclipses:
- Total lunar eclipse: The Moon goes completely into the darkest part of Earth's shadow, called the umbra. The Moon often turns a reddish color during this time.
- Partial lunar eclipse: Only a part of the Moon enters the umbra. This makes a bite-shaped shadow appear on the Moon.
- Penumbral lunar eclipse: This is what happened on November 30, 2020. The Moon only passes through the lighter, outer part of Earth's shadow, called the penumbra.
Understanding the Penumbral Eclipse
During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the Moon doesn't get completely dark or turn red. Instead, it looks just a little bit fainter or dusty. It can be hard to notice unless you are looking for it carefully. This is because the penumbra is not a very dark shadow. It's more like a faint shadow where some sunlight still reaches the Moon.
On November 30, 2020, the Moon passed through the penumbra. This means that the sunlight reaching the Moon was slightly dimmed by the Earth's outer shadow. People who watched it might have noticed a subtle shading on the Moon's surface, especially on one side.
Where Was It Seen?
This penumbral lunar eclipse was best seen across North America. This includes countries like the United States, Canada, and Mexico. People in parts of South America, like Peru and Ecuador, could also see it. In Asia, areas like Japan, South Korea, and parts of China also had a view of this celestial event.
The eclipse started in the early morning hours for North America and in the afternoon or evening for parts of Asia, depending on the time zone.
Images for kids
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Minneapolis, 1:45 UT and 9:24 UT
See also
In Spanish: Eclipse lunar de noviembre de 2020 para niños
