There are three types of Lunar Eclipses – a total lunar eclipse, a partial lunar eclipse and a penumbral lunar eclipse. On the 25th April 2013 it will be a partial lunar eclipse that takes place, which will be visible from Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe. The 25th May will see a penumbral lunar eclipse which will only be seen from Africa and the Americas. A further penumbral lunar eclipse will take place on 18th Oct 2013, visible from Asia, Africa, The Americas and Europe. But we will have to wait until 2014 for a full lunar eclipse – when two take place, one on the 15th April and the other on 8th Oct although neither will be seen from Europe.
Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth’s shadow blocks the sun’s light, which otherwise reflects off the moon. It can only happen at a full moon, essentially when the sun, earth and moon are perfectly aligned. However it does not happen every full moon, as the moon’s orbit around Earth is on a slightly different plane to the Earth’s orbit around the sun. During a lunar eclipse two shadows of the moon are cast – The Umbra (a full dark shadow) and The Penumbra (a partial outer shadow). The moon passes through these shadows in stages over several hours.
The moon was formed about 4.5 billion years ago and ever since it has been inching away from our planet at a rate of about 4cm a year. At the current time the alignment of the moon to the earth allows the shadow to create perfect lunar eclipses, but in time this will not happen.
A Total Lunar Eclipse: The moon will not completely disappear but an eerie darkness will be cast; refracted sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere will give a dim glow.
A Partial Lunar Eclipse: During the partial phase, the sun, Earth and moon are not quite perfectly aligned, and the Earth’s shadow will appear as if it has taken a chunk out of the moon.
A Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: Unless you are a seasoned astrologer a penumbral lunar eclipse will probably pass you by with no visible effects, because the moon is in Earth’s faint outer (penumbral) shadow.
Whilst a Penumbral lunar eclipse does not provide much excitement a blood-red moon might! The moon can turn red or copper during the total portion of an eclipse. This happens as a result of some light passing through the Earth’s atmosphere and bending towards the moon whilst the moon is in total shadow. The colour will depend on the amount of clouds and dust in the atmosphere at the time.
A lunar eclipse of any sort can have a profound effect on our lives and how we feel about things. An eclipse like a lunar tide brings to the surface any hidden issues, but it can be a positive time allowing people to make intuitive and insightful decisions, although they should bear in mind that emotions are heightened during this period.
The moons position in your chart will determine how much of an impact any given eclipse will have on you, but generally speaking full moon energy focuses a person on anything lacking / absent from their life or if they are holding back in some way. Often relationship issues will come to the fore at this time in particular problems with connecting. In contrast the sun’s position expresses an ability to release yourself from things that are holding you back, an opportunity for greater understanding and better life balance comes in to reach.
Tweet