Skywatchers in the Americas will be able to catch a rare celestial show as Earth’s shadow falls across the Moon on April 15th, visible in Puerto Vallarta starting at 1 AM.
The April 15 eclipse will be visible in the Pacific Ocean region, including Australia and New Zealand, as well as North and South America. The moon will pass south of the center of the Earth’s shadow. As a result, the northern part of the moon will be noticeably darker than the southern part. It will occur during the ascending phase of the moon’s orbit, part of lunar saros 122.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes within Earth’s umbra (shadow). As the eclipse begins, the Earth’s shadow first darkens the moon slightly. Then, the shadow begins to “cover” part of the moon, turning it a dark red-brown color (typically – the color can vary based on atmospheric conditions). The moon appears to be reddish due to Rayleigh scattering (the same effect that causes sunsets to appear reddish) and the refraction of that light by the Earth’s atmosphere into its umbra.
