Editor's Note (Aug 8, 2017, 11.26am CST): the eclipse has already passed, but if you caught it on camera and want to share your photos with us please send them to editor.prd@urbanatomy.com.
Hey stargazers and night photographers, this one's for you: a partial lunar eclipse will be visible from every city in China tonight (provided the weather is clear), as the Earth moves between the sun and moon, casting a shadow on the moon’s surface.
The action will begin at approximately 1.22am on August 8 (after midnight tonight), peak at around 2.20am and conclude at 3.18am China Standard Time.
This partial lunar eclipse has been called a prelude to the upcoming total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, which will unfortunately only be visible from North America (some are calling it the ‘Great American Eclipse’).
During an ‘eclipse season’ – like we’re experiencing right now – a lunar eclipse occurs whenever there is a full moon and a solar eclipse occurs when there is a new moon.
So just how rare are eclipses? Every calendar year has a minimum of four, two solar and two lunar, though they aren’t always visible to everyone. It is possible to have more than four in one year, however: 2018 and 2019 will see five eclipses, while 2020 will have six. In 2038, we can look forward to seven total eclipses, which hasn’t happened since 1982.
Click here to see an animation of tonight’s partial lunar eclipse, visible from most parts of South and East Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia.
[Cover image via timeanddate.com]
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