Clouds obscure partial lunar eclipse across Bavaria

Clouds blocked views of Friday morning’s partial lunar eclipse in many parts of Bavaria, while a break in the cloud cover allowed people in Munich to see the event, BR reported.

The Moon entered Earth’s umbra at 4:34 a.m., when it was still high in the dark sky. The eclipse reached its peak at 6:13 a.m., according to the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and the Association of Stargazers in Heidelberg.

As the Moon became increasingly obscured, dawn began to break. It left Earth’s umbra at 7:52 a.m., marking the end of the event.

No protective glasses were needed because the Moon’s reflected sunlight was too weak to damage eyesight. Where visibility was clear, the eclipse could be seen with the naked eye. The low Moon also appeared especially large because of the so-called Moon illusion, in which viewers perceive it in relation to objects such as mountains, trees or buildings on the horizon.

A penumbral lunar eclipse is expected on the night of February 21 next year. In that type of eclipse, the Moon does not enter Earth’s umbra and the dimming is often barely visible. The next total lunar eclipse is not expected until December 31, 2028.