Editing Lunar eclipse (section)

=== Total lunar eclipse ===
[[File:2007-03-03 - Lunar Eclipse small-43img.gif|thumb|left|Timelapse of the total lunar eclipse on 4 March 2007.]]
When the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow, a total lunar eclipse occurs.{{Sfn|Link|1969|p=2}} Just prior to complete entry, the brightness of the lunar limb—the curved edge of the Moon still being hit by direct sunlight—will cause the rest of the Moon to appear comparatively dim. The moment the Moon enters a complete eclipse, the entire surface will become more or less uniformly bright, being able to reveal stars surrounding it. Later, as the Moon's opposite limb is struck by sunlight, the overall disk will again become obscured. This is because, as viewed from the Earth, the brightness of a lunar limb is generally greater than that of the rest of the surface due to reflections from the many surface irregularities within the limb: sunlight striking these irregularities is always reflected back in greater quantities than that striking more central parts, which is why the edges of full moons generally appear brighter than the rest of the lunar surface. This is similar to the effect of [[velvet]] fabric over a convex curved surface, which, to an observer, will appear darkest at the center of the curve. It will be true of any planetary body with little or no atmosphere and an irregular cratered surface (e.g., Mercury) when viewed opposite the Sun.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://astronomy.com/magazine/stephen-omeara/2018/11/copy-of-lunar-limb-magic|title=Lunar Limb Magic|work=Astronomy.com|date=27 November 2018}}</ref>