The eclipse in the province capitals

You can select the province in the map below to obtain the sequence of the eclipse as it will be seen from its capital city, with the times expressed in official time.

The image loaded by default corresponds to the Madrid eclipse sequence, and can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Details

A very low magnitude (0.08) partial eclipse will occur on Setember 18 and will be visible in some of its phases in: Asia, Europe, Europe, Africa and America. The area in which the partial phase will be visible is delimited by the inner part of the curves labeled iS and fS.

he eclipse will be visible as partial throughout Spain.

Click here to see the evolution of the eclipse from each Spanish province capital.

Types of eclipses

A lunar eclipse is a phenomenon in which the Earth prevents the light of the Sun from reaching the Moon, creating a cone of shadow that obscures the Moon. The totally eclipsed Moon acquires a characteristic reddish color due to the dispersion of the refracted light by the Earth's atmosphere.

Unlike solar eclipses, which can be seen only from a relatively small part of the Earth and last only a few minutes, a lunar eclipse can be seen from any part of the Earth where it is nighttime and last for several hours.

Types of eclipses

Due to the angular size of the Sun, the shadow cast by the Earth consists of two zones: the umbra and the penumbra. In the umbra there is no direct solar radiation, while in the penumbra solar radiation is only partially blocked. Eclipses are therefore classified into total, partial and penumbral eclipses. An observer will say that he or she has seen a total eclipse when the Moon is completely located in the umbral zone. When only part of the Moon is in the umbra, the eclipse is partial. If the Moon is located in the penumbra, the eclipse will be penumbral, and only a subtle darkening of the lunar surface will occur.

When do eclipses occur?

The plane through which the Moon orbits the Earth (shown in blue in the figure below) is tilted 5º with respect to the plane through which the Earth (and Moon) orbits the Sun (shown in yellow). Because eclipses require the near-perfect alignment of the three celestial bodies, eclipses occur very few times during the year. The Moon takes about one month to complete one revolution around the Earth, so if the two planes coincided we would have 12 eclipses of the Sun and 12 eclipses of the Moon each year. In practice, the number of eclipses that occur each year is between 4 and 7, including those of the Sun and Moon. In many cases the eclipses are partial (or even penumbral only for lunar eclipses), and visible from a fraction of the Earth's surface. When the Moon is close to the Sun in the sky, in the new Moon phase, there is a possibility of a solar eclipse. When the Moon is in the opposite direction of the Sun, visible all night in full Moon phase, there is a possibility of a lunar eclipse.

Basic information

During the night of Setember 18, 2024 it will be possible to observe a small partial lunar eclipse that will be visible throughout Spain. The observation of the eclipse can be made with the naked eye and does not involve any danger or require any special instrumentation.

In the tab "From the province capitals" you can consult the evolution in each of them.