Hyderabad: Penumbral lunar eclipse today; won’t be visible in city

Hyderabad: A penumbral lunar eclipse is scheduled to occur between 8.42 pm on May 5 and 1.04 am on May 6; it won’t be visible in the city.

According to members of the Planetary Society of India (PSI), the eclipse is not noticeable to bare eyes as it passes from a lighter shadow of earth called Penumbra then darker shadow called Umbra, said Raghunandan Kumar, PSI director.

As eclipses provide opportunities for scientific research, using an astronomical telescope involving imaging techniques with a keen eye, one may observe slight changes on the disk of the moon as seen from earth.

However, the eclipse will not be noticeable because it passes through the lighter outer shadow (penumbra) of earth. Sky-watchers may witness moon darkening a bit, but it won’t disappear, he added.