Total lunar eclipse seen in RP skies on Aug. 28

Filipinos will be able to witness the year’s second total lunar eclipse next month, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) said yesterday.

In its astronomical diary for August, Pagasa said a total lunar eclipse will be visible in the country and other parts of the world on Aug. 28.

A lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth is between the sun and the moon so that the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon.

This eclipse will be visible in the Philippines as well as in the United States, the Pacific, eastern Asia and Australia, Pagasa said.

The eclipse will begin as the moon enters the penumbral stage at 3:52 p.m. and the umbral stage will begin at 4:50 p.m. It will end at 9:22 p.m. The moon will rise at 6:08 p.m. and set at 5:16 a.m. the following day.

The penumbra, a Latin word meaning “for almost-shadow,” is the portion of a shadow that results from the source of illumination being only partially blocked.

The umbra, Latin for “shadow,” is the darkest part of a shadow. From within the umbra, the source of light is completely blocked by the object causing the shadow.

“The totality will last for one and a half hours,” Pagasa said, adding that during this period, the moon’s color will change to a vivid red or orange.

Dr. Bernardo Soriano, Pag-asa’s space science chief, earlier said a total lunar eclipse usually happens once in every two years, adding that lunar eclipse can occur only during the full moon.

The first total lunar eclipse of 2007 happened last March 4.