Lunar eclipse visible on June 4

MANILA, Philippines - A partial lunar eclipse will be visible in the country on June 4, a weather bureau chief said yesterday.

“The umbral eclipse magnitude will be 37.6 percent and will also be visible primarily in west parts of America, Pacific Ocean, Antarctica, eastern Asia, Japan and Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean),” Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) administrator Nathaniel Servando said.

According to Servando, the eclipse can be viewed along the eastern horizon from 4:46 p.m. (Manila time) to 9:19 p.m.

A lunar eclipse happens when the earth is between the sun and the moon so that the shadow of the earth falls on the moon.

The major phases of the eclipse are as follows: penumbral eclipse at 4:46 p.m.; partial eclipse at 6:59 p.m.; greatest eclipse at 7:03 p.m.; partial eclipse at 8:07 p.m. and penumbral eclipse at 9:19 p.m.

“Lunar eclipses are safe to watch, hence, observers need not use any kind of protective filters for the eyes. A pair of binoculars will help magnify the view and will make the red coloration of the moon brighter,” Servando noted.

The term “penumbra” comes from a Latin word that means “almost-shadow” or the portion of a shadow that results from the source of illumination being only partially blocked.

“Umbra,” on the other hand, is Latin for “shadow” or the darkest part of a shadow, where the source of light is completely blocked by the object, which creates a shadow.