|   | 
Credit & Copyright: Laurent Laveder  
(PhotoAstronomique.net)  
  
  
Explanation:
During September 7th's lunar eclipse,  
the Moon slid  
through the Earth's shadow.  
  
Extending  
into space, Earth's cone-shaped shadow has two distinct  
parts, the lighter, outer part or penumbra, and the darker,  
inner shadow called the umbra.  
  
For this eclipse, the lunar disk  
just grazed the  
shadow's dark inner umbra.  
  
As a result, only a small part of the Moon was noticeably  
eclipsed, but  
the  
performance still attracted the attention of  
Moon watchers along the Earth's night side.  
  
In this  
creative scene, eclipse enthusiasts have  
matched the curve of a hoop to  
the eclipsed portion of the Moon - demonstrating the apparent  
size and position of the lunar disk relative to the umbra  
and penumbra.  
  
Of course, it's only  
shadow play.  
  
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: lunar eclipse
Publications with words: lunar eclipse
See also:
