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Glite Dictionary
penumbral

penumbral

9.9
A light shadow at the edge of a dark shadow during an eclipse
  • adjective
  • /pəˈnʌmbrəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : penumbral
  • The penumbral phase of the eclipse is difficult to observe because the changes in brightness are very subtle.

Like I can't be in the penumbral area, as you say.

Examples

  • During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow, creating a subtle shading effect.

  • In astronomy, the penumbral zone is where only part of the light is blocked, often resulting in a dimming of the light.

  • Like I can't be in the penumbral area, as you say.

    Robinson Erhardt

  • So this is where the penumbral part of the eclipse comes in.

How Obscured

total eclipse
  • Specialized
3 4.4
annular eclipse
  • Specialized
1 7.6
eclipse
  • Specialized
87 5.2
penumbral
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

penumbral positive

Morphology

penumbral = penumbra (transparent) = penumbra + al

The adjective is a regular -al derivation from the noun 'penumbra', with the meaning 'relating to the penumbra' directly recoverable from the base.

Etymology

Penumbral comes from the Latin parts paene 'almost' and umbra 'shadow', and you can see the same umbra in the word umbrella. That's why penumbral describes the faint, partial shadow at the edge of a full shadow during an eclipse, where the light is only partly blocked.