Scott Underwood: You've got eclipse questions? I've got answers

Scott Underwood, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·3 min read

Mar. 12—If you haven't heard that Madison County will be in the path of a total solar eclipse April 8, you must be living on Mars.

But did you know that the county will experience another eclipse before April's ballyhooed celestial spectacle?

Less than two weeks from today, on March 25, an eclipse of the moon will occur.

A "penumbral" lunar eclipse that is.

Before you mark March 25 on your calendar, I should mention that you probably won't notice this eclipse, even if you're looking for it.

I'll let timeanddate.com explain: "A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place when the moon moves through the faint, outer part of earth's shadow, the penumbra. This type of eclipse is not as dramatic as other types of lunar eclipses and is often mistaken for a regular full moon."

You'll get better moon shows Sept. 17-18 (partial eclipse) this year, with the coup de grâce — totally lunar, dude — coming the night of March 13-14, 2025.

But even that will pale, literally, compared to this April's total solar eclipse. The moon, if you haven't noticed, only reflects a little of the sun's light, so a lunar eclipse means what would have been a moonlit night is simply a darker night.

In contrast, the total solar eclipse will so thoroughly blot out light from the sun that nocturnal birds and insects, not to mention vampires, will instantly go into night mode in the middle of the afternoon.

The difference between a solar eclipse and lunar eclipse seems pretty easy to understand, though I've been surprised recently by questions I've heard regarding the April 8 eclipse.

Q: Is the moon made out of cheddar or Colby cheese?

A: It's made of Swiss. What d'you think those holes are, idiot!

Q: If I stare at the April 8 solar eclipse, will I turn into a werewolf?

A: No, that only happens with a lunar eclipse, doofus!

Perhaps a more scientific answer would shed light on the difference between eclipses.

I'll let NASA explain: "A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, causing the moon to cast a shadow on Earth. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is between the sun and the moon, causing Earth to cast a shadow on the moon."

Well, in that case, what happens when the sun passes between the moon and the earth, you might ask.

Another stupid question. Think about it: The earth is flat, so it would turn on its side and let the sun go past. (Just grab onto a tree or something, and you'll be OK.)

But it does lead me to an interesting story about how the moon was formed in the first place.

I'll let space.com explain this one: "Recent evidence indicates it (the moon) formed when a huge collision (with something the size of Mars — the planet, not the candy bar) tore off a chunk of the primitive molten Earth, sending the raw ingredients for the moon into orbit. ...

"While this is the dominant theory in the scientific community, there are several other ideas for the moon's formation. These include the concept that Earth captured the moon (romantic, isn't it?), that the moon fissioned (sounds both painful and smelly!) out of the earth or even that Earth may have stolen the moon from Venus (scandalous!)."

However violent its origins, come April 8, we can thank the moon for being precisely in the right place at the right time to cast its shadow on the sun's totality in central Indiana.

As for March 25's "penumbral" lunar eclipse?

If you're not a vampire or werewolf, forget about it.

Editor Scott Underwood's column appears Tuesdays. Like him on Facebook. Contact him at scott.underwood@heraldbulletin.com or 640-4845.