When is the next eclipse? After April 8's solar eclipse, we still have a lunar one
There's more than one type of eclipse, but to see some of them you'll have to stay up late to get the best view.
If you happened to be out around midnight on March 24-25, you might have caught a glimpse at the latest lunar eclipse that graced the skies. The penumbral lunar eclipse was a very slight lunar eclipse, compared to a partial or total, where the moon passes through the outermost edge of the Earth's shadow.
Even if you didn't get a chance to see the last lunar eclipse you won't have to wait 20 years to catch another one like with the April 8 solar eclipse. A partial one is only a couple of months away.
When is the next lunar eclipse?
According to Space.com, the next lunar eclipse with be a partial one on Sept. 17.
It is expected to begin around 7:41 p.m. CT with the maximum point at 9:44 p.m. The partial lunar eclipse is expected to end around 11:47 p.m. CT. This one will be visible over Europe, much of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic and Antarctica, according to TimeandDate.com.
What is a lunar eclipse?
There are actually three types of lunar eclipse. On March 25, night sky viewers got a glimpse of the penumbral lunar eclipse, which isn't as impressive as the other two.
Total lunar eclipse: This is where the Earth's shadow is cast across the entire lunar surface. People will have to wait until March 2025 to get a glimpse of this one, according to NASA.
Partial lunar eclipse: A partial lunar eclipse is when only part of the moon enters Earth's shadow and will appear dark on the side of the moon facing Earth. How partial it is just depends on how the sun, Earth and moon align, according to NASA.
When is the next solar eclipse after April 8?
After April 8, we will have to wait a bit before we see another solar eclipse in the U.S.
According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When is the next eclipse? There is more than one in 2024