| Global Event: | Penumbral Lunar Eclipse |
|---|---|
| Local Type: | Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, in Rarotonga |
| Began: | Fri, May 5, 2023 at 5:14 am |
| Maximum: | Fri, May 5, 2023 at 6:55 am -0.100 Magnitude |
| Ended: | Fri, May 5, 2023 at 7:00 am |
| Duration: | 1 hour, 46 minutes | All times shown on this page are local time. |
May 5, 2023 — Penumbral Lunar Eclipse — Rarotonga
The animation shows what the eclipse approximately looked like in Rarotonga. Stages and times of the eclipse are outlined below. All times were local time (CKT) for Rarotonga.
| Time | Phase | Event | Direction | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:14 am Fri, May 5 | Penumbral Eclipse begins The Earth's penumbra start touching the Moon's face. |  260° | 22.4° | |
| 6:55 am Fri, May 5 | Maximum in Rarotonga This is the moment when the eclipse reaches its greatest magnitude while the entire Moon is above the horizon in Rarotonga. The true maximum point of this eclipse cannot be seen in Rarotonga because the Moon is below the horizon at that time. Moon close to horizon, recommend going to a high point. | 252° | 0.6° | |
| 7:00 am Fri, May 5 | Setting | Moonset Setting, but the combination of a very low moon and the total eclipse phase makes the Moon so dim before it sets, that it might disappear from view some time before it sets. | 251° | -0.2° |
| 7:22 am Fri, May 5 | Not directly visible | Maximum Eclipse Below horizon | 249° | -5.6° |
| 9:31 am Fri, May 5 | Not directly visible | Penumbral Eclipse ends Below horizon | 233° | -30.8° |
How to use altitude & direction to find in the sky
The curvature of the shadow's path and the apparent rotation of the Moon's disk is due to the Earth's rotation.
During this penumbral lunar eclipse, the Earth's main shadow did not cover the Moon. As the Earth's shadow (umbra) misses the Moon during a penumbral lunar eclipse, there were no other locations on Earth where the Moon appeared partially or totally eclipsed during this event. A penumbral lunar eclipse can be a bit hard to see as the shadowed part is only a little bit fainter than the rest of the Moon.
Cloud Coverage (May 5)
In the past, this day was cloudy 69% of the time (since 2000).
Lunar Eclipses
- When Is the Next Lunar Eclipse?
- Total Lunar Eclipse
- Why Does the Moon Turn Red?
- Partial Lunar Eclipse
- Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
- Can I See a Lunar Eclipse?
- Blood Moon - Total Lunar Eclipse
- Eclipse Seasons
- What Is a Tetrad?
- Magnitude of Eclipses
- Accuracy of Our Eclipse Calculations
- Why Two Dates for a Lunar Eclipse?
Eclipses and Transits Visible in Rarotonga
| Eclipse Visibility From Rarotonga | Visibility Worldwide | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2024 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse | Partial Lunar Eclipse |  | |
| Oct 2, 2024 Partial Solar Eclipse | Annular Solar Eclipse |  | |
| Mar 13–14, 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse | Total Lunar Eclipse |  | |
| Sep 7, 2025 Partial Lunar Eclipse | Total Lunar Eclipse |  | |
| Sep 21, 2025 Partial Solar Eclipse | Partial Solar Eclipse |  | Note: Click on the date link for details in Rarotonga, or the path map image for global details. |
Next annular eclipse visible in Rarotonga