Capturing the Lunar Eclipse

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned with Earth between the other two, which can happen only on the night of a full moon when the Moon is near either lunar node. This results in the Moon moving into the Earth's shadow, creating this glorious phenomenon. The diagram below is a good visualization of the science behind a lunar eclipse.

What is a Lunar Eclipse?

When dealing with lunar eclipses, there are three primary types: A penumbral eclipse, a partial lunar eclipse, and a total lunar eclipse. 

A penumbral lunar eclipse is when the moon enters Earth's penumbral shadow, darkening the moon from our view. This type of eclipse doesn't result in the famous blood moon color, but it's still cool to see the moon changing brightness over a short period of time. 

A partial lunar eclipse is when the moon enters the Earth's umbra shadow but not being completely immersed in it. Although this type of eclipse results in a reddish tint, it only covers approximately half or less of the moon.

A total lunar eclipse is when the moon enters the umbra shadow of the Earth completely, displaying the full red "blood" color from the surface of the Earth. This reddish hue results from the sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere, lighting up the moon's disk. 

When and Where?

Experiencing any kind of lunar eclipse is a breathtaking moment that anyone can enjoy, you just have to know the time and place. There are many resources on the web for when to view one; however, many are overwhelming with unnecessary information. I found that the chart below from NASA and Space.com gives you all the essential information on the next lunar eclipses.

Sadly there won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2025, but you can view many partial and penumbral lunar eclipses before then. Even though these aren't as spectacular as a total lunar eclipse, they still give you that jaw-dropping sight of how incredible our planetary system is.

The Beaver Blood Moon

When I read that this was the final total lunar eclipse for three years, I was committed to taking a photo of this event. So, before the start of my school day, I brought all of my gear with me at 4 AM to my high school's parking lot and took photos of each phase. I am truly delighted I did, as this was the most captivating night sky occurrence I have witnessed in my life. 

My photo of the Beaver Blood Moon of 2022 below was captured using an unmodified Canon Rebel EOS T3i (600D) DSLR camera and a refractor telescope (100mm Aperture, 900mm focal length).

Related Articles:

The Moon (Astrodrews)

Lunar Eclipses 2021-2030 (NASA)