Starwatch: Partial lunar eclipse offers small-scale drama
by Stuart Clark from on (#6QRPS)
An especially modest eclipse, covering just 3.5% of the moon's surface, is still a wonderful sight to behold
On 18 September, a partial lunar eclipse will occur. Nowhere near as dramatic as a total eclipse of the sun, it can still be a fascinating sight.
Lunar eclipses are caused by the Earth passing between the sun and the moon. This casts the Earth's shadow on to the moon's surface. This week, the shadow does not entirely cover the moon, hence it is called a partial eclipse not a total one.
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