Despite all the turmoil on earth in 2020, this year has proven to be an eventful one in space. We've already witnessed three supermoons and in May, SpaceX made history as the first rocket launched into space by a private company.
Now in June, it looks like it's going to be another exciting month for stargazers as two eclipses are expected to grace the skies. The first, a partial penumbral lunar eclipse will take place early in the morning of June 6. Later in the month, on June 21, an annular solar eclipse will occur. Both eclipses will be visible to stargazers in Asia.
Watch out for these eclipses that will be visible in the Philippines this June:
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
Between June 5 and 6, the earth will align between the sun and the moon, and this alignment will create a shadow on the moon. The alignment won't be perfect, which is why it's called a penumbral (meaning partial) lunar eclipse.
The eclipse will begin on June 5 at around 5:45 p.m. UTC time. In the Philippines, that will be around June 6 at 1:45 a.m. The three-hour eclipse will reach its maximum point at 3:24 a.m.
Annular Solar Eclipse
On June 21, an annular solar eclipse will occur when the moon will align itself between the sun and the earth, creating a visible "ring of fire" as only the outer ring of the sun will be seen. Annular is derived from the Latin word "annulus," which means "ring."
The best place to view this solar eclipse will be in Africa, North India, and China, but other parts of Asia as well as regions in Europe and Australia will still be able to get a partial view of this eclipse. In the Philippines, the eclipse will be visible on June 21 from around 11:45 a.m. until 5:34 p.m.
Better mark your calendars and set your alarms, so you don't miss out on all the exciting astral sights you can see this month!