Lunar Eclipse (Red Moon) in the Philippines

“Red Moon” occurred last Tuesday night, August 28, 2007 and it was visible in some parts of the Philippines. The eclipse started as the moon enters the earth’s penumbra (outer shadow) at 3:52 p.m. An hour later, the moon entered the earth’s umbra (inner shadow), culminated in a total eclipse at 5:52 p.m. The total eclipse lasted about 90 minutes. This is based on media.

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon’s disk can take on various colors ranging from bright orange and blood red to dark brown and very dark gray.

At around 5:50 p.m., the moon’s silvery color turned into somewhat orange. Since the moon had risen at around 6:08 p.m., I haven’t seen the initial phase of the eclipse. By 6:08 p.m., the eclipse was almost midway through.

The penumbra or outer shadow is a zone where the earth blocks some, but not all, of the Sun’s rays. The umbra or inner shadow is a region where the earth blocks all direct sunbeams from reaching the moon.

A total lunar eclipse also occurred on last March 4, 2007.