Lunar Eclipse November 28 2012

Eclipse Facts

The Lunar Eclipse of November 28 2012 occurs between 12:14 UT and 16:40 UT, strongest at 14:32 (For West Coast US -8 hours, E Coast -5 hours, Europe + 1 hour, E. Australia +11 hours). It is a penumbral eclipse, meaning that the Moon passes through the Earth’s penumbra, which is the outside area of the Earth’s shadow. This means that the obscuration of the Moon is partial.

Lunar Eclipses occur with a Full Moon. At Full Moon, we see the whole of the Moon (well, one side of it!) because the Sun’s light falls upon it. Seen from the Earth, the Moon is in the opposite part of the sky to the Sun. So when the Sun is in the constellation of Sagittarius as it is now, then during that Sagittarius month, when the Full Moon occurs, we know that the Moon is in the part of the sky covered by what ancient humans named the constellation of Gemini.

A couple of times a year the planets line up at Full Moon so that the Earth is directly in between the Sun and the Moon, thus temporarily eclipsing the Moon. So lunar eclipses are seen at night, when the Full Moon is temporarily and in this case partially obliterated by the shadow of the Earth. This effect is possible because: “The Sun’s distance from Earth is about 400 times the Moon’s distance, and the Sun’s diameter is about 400 times the Moon’s diameter. Because these ratios are approximately the same, the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size.” (thank you, Wikipedia).

Lunar eclipses last a few hours, whereas solar eclipses last just a few minutes. Lunar eclipses can be seen from anywhere on the planet where it is night at the time of the eclipse, unlike solar eclipses which can only be seen from a specific region.

Effects of Eclipses

As ancient civilisations observed, eclipses magnify and “bring” change: Solar Eclipses focus more on beginnings, Lunar Eclipses on endings. If your birthday is on this Lunar Eclipse, or a day or two either side, something of significance in your life may well end over the next three months. Around the Eclipse itself you may get clarity around what this is and either start or continue a process that will, some months down the line, lead you into a new life. Eclipses also function strongly at the collective level: there are often births and deaths of public figures around eclipses (events concerning the British Royal family, for example, have a particularly strong correlation with eclipses), and changes in direction politically and culturally can be noted at eclipse times.

Astrology of this Eclipse

The Full Moon is exact at 14:46 UT (9:46 am EST, 6:46 am PST, Nov 29 at 1:46 am in Australia), at 6.47 Gemini. Although there are some very difficult and challenging astrological aspects around at this eclipse, the Moon is exactly conjunct Jupiter (11:54 Gemini) just hours after the Full Moon. This is a very beneficial sign and offers the possibility of good fortune, some kind of lucky break, especially for those born in late May and late November. For everyone, this is a spiritual signature, an indication that qualities like compassion and generosity come to the fore in human consciousness.

The Full Moon is square Neptune and Chiron just before exact Fullness, indicating a pressure to be compassionate and take actions that benefit the needy. Some event may arise that requires this response. It also indicates the need to watch for delusional thinking, and not to let extremes of imagination and emotion take over from common sense.

The trine between Venus/Saturn and Neptune/Chiron that has been operating for the past week is highlighted here, offering the possibility of a breakthrough in the world stage regarding care of the planet and for each other. On the other hand, Mars and Pluto are conjunct in Capricorn: a potentially violent and destructive combination. But they do make a mini grand trine by sextiling both ends of the Saturn/Neptune trine, so globally something is possible here, a new perspective around violence and discord. There is just a chance that the ceasefire in Gaza holds, or that in some way the grave difficulties in that region make at least a shift in a more peaceful direction.

All the planets except Mercury (currently at 18 Scorpio and moving forwards now) are in the early degrees of the signs, giving an unusual number of exact aspects between them. This often means increased levels of activity and of psychological processing. If you have any planets, especially personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars), around 5-9 degrees of any signs, you are getting a big hit of energy right now. Use it wisely!