A penumbral lunar eclipse will happen from 8.42 pm on May 5 to 1.04 am on May 6, but people in Hyderabad won’t be able to see it. The Planetary Society of India (PSI) said that the eclipse is not noticeable to bare eyes, as it passes through two shadows of the earth: a lighter one called Penumbra and a darker one called Umbra. Raghunandan Kumar, PSI director, said that using an astronomical telescope involving imaging techniques, one may observe slight changes on the disk of the moon as seen from earth.
Even though eclipses provide opportunities for scientific research, this particular eclipse will not be noticeable because it passes through the lighter outer shadow (penumbra) of earth. Sky-watchers may witness the moon darkening a bit, but it won’t disappear, Kumar added.
