Lunar eclipse to grace SA's night sky as part of eclipse season this October

 In October, a lunar eclipse will be seen in South Africa as part of the eclipse season.

The first of two eclipses occuring this month, the solar eclipse, will take place this coming Saturday, October 14. Australians will be able to see the lunar eclipse on Sunday, October 28.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun and blocks out the Sun's light for those of us on Earth who are fortunate enough to be in the right place to experience it. Because the Moon's diameter is smaller than the Sun's during a solar eclipse, it appears to have a ring of fire-like brightness around the borders.

The majority of the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America will be the lucky ones to enjoy this cosmic event, which is unfortunate for us Australians because we will not be able to see the solar eclipse this Saturday from Down Under. The 'ring of fire' effect will begin in the United States and be visible to people in the path between Oregon and Texas. It will start around 9:13 am PT at the Oregon coast and end in Texas at about 12:03 pm CT.

On the 28th and 29th of October, there will be a partial lunar eclipse, which may be seen from anywhere on the night side of the Earth provided the conditions are right. This is the eclipse that we will experience here in South Africa  It's a clear day. A partial lunar eclipse happens when part of the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow, darkening it somewhat but not entirely as in a total lunar eclipse. Every six months or so, during the full moon phase, when the Moon is closest to the Earth, there occurs a lunar eclipse.

The majority of Asia, Africa, and Europe will be able to watch this partial lunar eclipse in its entirety. It will also rise over the Eastern Americas and set over Australia. The partial lunar eclipse will be visible for us in Adelaide on October 29. It will start with a slight darkening of the Moon's brightness (penumbral eclipse) at roughly 4:31 am and end at 6:05 am. The The maximum eclipse will occur at 6:44 am, however as it will be behind the horizon here in South Africa, we won't be able to see it.