Diksia.com - Indonesians can watch the penumbral lunar eclipse phenomenon tonight. The penumbral lunar eclipse phenomenon will occur on May 5-6, 2023 and can be seen across Indonesia.
BRIN Space Research Center researcher Rhorom Priyatikanto said that the penumbral lunar eclipse will be observed around midnight on May 5-6, 2023 in Indonesia.
The eclipse begins on May 5, 2023 at 21:15 WIB with the peak of the eclipse at 23:24 WIB and ends on May 6, 2023 at 01:30 WIB.
“The entire region of Indonesia has a section. The penumbral lunar eclipse phenomenon can be observed in the region of Indonesia around midnight, which will occur on May 5-6, 2023.”
“The eclipse begins at 21:15 WIB on May 5, 2023 and ends at 01:30 WIB the next day and peaks at 23:24 WIB,” he explained, quoted from brin.go.id.
Rhorom explained that penumbral lunar eclipses occur when the full moon disk enters Earth’s penumbra.
The penumbra occurs when only part of the sunlight is blocked by the earth.
In addition, Rhorom explained that this event was one of the results of the dynamic movement of the positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon.
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs only during the full moon phase and can be predicted in advance because the positions of the moon, earth, and sun are nearly aligned.
“But all three are not aligned enough to produce a total lunar eclipse,” he explained.
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when some of the sunlight is blocked by Earth. In other words, the moon enters the penumbra of the earth. As the moon enters the penumbra, its brightness gradually decreases.
This penumbral lunar eclipse process is the position of the Moon, Sun and Earth in an alignment where the Moon enters only the Earth’s penumbra.
“Therefore, when the eclipse peaks, the moon appears dimmer than the full moon,” he explained.
In addition, Rhorom also explained the difference between the umbra and the penumbra during a lunar eclipse.
“That is, if there is a portion of the moon that enters the umbra, then that portion receives no sunlight except for a small portion that is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere, and conversely, the portion that enters the penumbra always receives nor sunlight.” . ,” he said.
If you are lucky, in addition to the penumbral lunar eclipse, you can also observe the phenomenon of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, which usually occurs simultaneously between April 19 and May 28.
“The Eta Aquariid meteor shower typically occurs when Earth enters the meteoroid/dust stream from the remnants of Halley’s Comet that passed decades ago. Although they occur together, these two phenomena are unrelated,” Rhorom said.
How to see the penumbral lunar eclipse
However, Rhorom revealed that the penumbral lunar eclipse is difficult to view without the help of a camera.
“Because it’s only a faint full moon, this eclipse doesn’t resemble a partial or total eclipse where the moon appears reddish,” he explained.
To watch the penumbral lunar eclipse, people can check local weather conditions and take time to watch the sky tonight.
For the public wanting to record this phenomenon, digital cameras make documentation easier.
The Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) has also published the schedule for the penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5-6, 2023 on its official website.
- The solar eclipse begins (P1) on 12/22/09 WIB, 12/23/08 WITA, 12/00/09 WIT.
- The peak of the penumbral lunar eclipse occurs at 00:22:52 WIB, 01:22:52 WITA, 02:22:52 WIT.
- Then the solar eclipse (P4) ends at 02:33:36 WIB, 03:33:36 WITA, 04:33:36 WIT.
The duration of the eclipse from the beginning of the eclipse phase (P1) to the end of the eclipse (P4) is 4 hours 21 minutes 28 seconds.
BMKG said that all phases of the lunar eclipse were observed in Indonesia.
The penumbral lunar eclipse of May 5, 2023 is the 24th of 73 members of the Saros 141 series.
The previous lunar eclipse associated with this eclipse was the penumbral lunar eclipse of April 24, 2005.
The next lunar eclipse associated with this lunar eclipse is the partial lunar eclipse on May 16, 2041.
In 2023 there will be 4 (four) eclipses, namely 2 (two) solar eclipses and 2 (two) lunar eclipses.
The details are as follows:
- Hybrid Solar Eclipse (GMH) of April 20, 2023 observable from Indonesia.
- Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (GBP) May 5-6, 2023 observable from Indonesia.
- Annular Solar Eclipse (GMC) on October 14, 2023 which cannot be observed from Indonesia.
- Partial Lunar Eclipse (GBS) of October 29, 2023 observable from Indonesia.
Lunar position data for each phase of the eclipse in each city in Indonesia can be viewed in the PDF attachment, which can be downloaded from the link below.
