The third lunar eclipse of the year 2020 will take place tonight, July 4. People in certain regions should be able to see the penumbral lunar eclipse which is also known as the "buck moon" lunar eclipse. It is is also coincidently the US Independence Day and people there would luckily be able to witness the unique phenomenon.

Similar to the two lunar eclipses which happened in January and June, this one would also be a penumbral lunar eclipse.

Lunar Eclipse July 2020: What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth comes in between Moon and Sun. This rare phenomenon causes the moon to be covered by the earth shadow. The intensity and extent to which the earth's shadow covers the moon divides lunar eclipses into three different types. These three types of lunar eclipses are - Total, Partial, and Penumbral.

A penumbral lunar eclipse is hard to distinguish from a normal full moon as the satellite only moves through the faint outer part of the Earth's shadow thus only causing a slight darkening of the moon.

Will the Lunar Eclipse July 2020 be visible from India?

Unlike the previous two lunar eclipses, this one would not be visible to the people of India. However, regions west of the country such as North America, South America and parts of Europe and Africa would be able to witness the Lunar Eclipse July 2020.

When will Lunar Eclipse July 2020 be visible?

The eclipse will start from 11:07 pm on July 4 and will be most prominent at 12:29 am on July 5 when the faint shadow completely engulfs the Moon. The eclipse will end at 1:54 am on July 5, 2020. The whole event around will take 2 hours and 45 minutes

How to watch Lunar Eclipse July 2020 from India

Though, the Lunar Eclipse July 2020 might not be physically visible to the citizens of the country it does not mean they have to miss it altogether. Lives streams of the event would be available online on platforms such as Youtube and the website Virtual Telescope.