Delighted stargazers captured stunning images on Friday evening as the first full moon of 2020, also known as the ‘wolf moon’, coincided with a lunar eclipse.
Astronomical enthusiasts witnessed the celestial event, also known as a penumbral lunar eclipse, with the moon passing through the earth’s shadow.
The phenomenon, which began at 5pm, saw the moon move into the Earth’s penumbra, or outer shadow, causing the earth’s natural satellite to look darker than normal.
The ‘wolf moon’ rises above Menwith Hill near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on Friday evening. The phenomenon, which began around 5pm, saw the first full moon of the decade passing through the Earth’s outer shadow
The moon setting over Stonehenge in Wiltshire, with an orange glow, ahead of Friday night’s lunar eclipse. There are between two and five lunar eclipses per year and approximately a third of them will be a penumbral eclipse
A weather vane seen silhouetted against the Moon in Almazan, Spain. There are three types of lunar eclipse: partial, total and penumbral and each occurs about a third of the time, according to experts
The full moon pictured over a bird’s nest on top of the historical military hospital wall in Edirne, Turkey. The next full moon, also known as the snow moon, will occur next month on February 9
The January full Moon is called a Wolf Moon as it is when the wolf packs were said to first emerge after a long winter in native American culture.
But those expecting the moon to turn red, a phenomenon dubbed the blood moon, were disappointed.
Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: ‘Unfortunately, we won’t get one of those until 2021, though there are another three penumbral eclipses to look forward to in 2020.’
The next full moon will occur on February 9, which is also known as snow moon.
There are three types of lunar eclipse: partial, total and penumbral and each occurs about a third of the time, according to experts.
A total eclipse is where the inner part of the Earth’s shadow (the umbra) lands on the face of the satellite and at the half way point the entire moon is in shadow.
There are between two and five lunar eclipses per year and approximately a third of them will be a penumbral eclipse, say astronomers.
The penumbra eclipses happen when the Sun, Moon and Earth are imperfectly aligned, causing the outer shadow of the earth (penumbra) to cast over the moon.
The full moon during the penumbral lunar eclipse is seen in Kathmandu, Nepal. In January, the full moon is labelled the ‘wolf moon’, as it is said to be when wolves emerge after a long winter
The January Full Moon, called the Wolf Moon, rises over Glastonbury Tor. All four lunar eclipses in 2020 will penumbral, with the others happening in June, July and November. However they won’t all be as visible as January’s
The celestial phenomenon pictured over the village of Klinovka, Simferopol District in Crimea, Russia. The next total lunar eclipse won’t be until May 2021, but there will be an annual and total solar eclipse this year
This also blocks the sun meaning parts of the light cannot reflect onto the moons surface, making it appear darker in the sky.
‘Since the penumbra is much fainter than the dark core of the Earth’s shadow, the umbra, a penumbral eclipse of the Moon is often difficult to tell apart from a normal Full Moon’, according to Time and Date.
A partial eclipse is where the umbra takes a chunk out of the moon, getting larger as it passes across the face – but never enough to completely obscure it completely.
All four lunar eclipses in 2020 will penumbral, with the others happening in June, July and November. However they won’t all be as visible as January’s.
The next total lunar eclipse won’t be until May 2021, but there will be an annual and total solar eclipse this year.
The annual eclipse will be in June and the total coverage will happen in December.