An article heading Umbra, penumbra and antumbra is just a little unwieldly imo, especially when it is clear these terms are all based on -umbra. The Moon's umbra, penumbra, and antumbra. Eclipse Type Depends on Shadow Type. The penumbra gets larger as it goes away from the sun. Answer :- The difference s between an umbra and a penumbra are : Umbra- It is the portion of shadow where no light reaches from the source of light due to the opaque object. The first is called the umbra (UM bruh). The umbra is the region of a shadow from which the light source is completely obscured by the object casting the shadow. It is the dark center of the eclipse shadow. I'm exploring different types of shadows casted by objects. A penumbral lunar eclipse is usually difficult to notice. If there is more than one light source, there will be several shadows, with the overlapping parts darker, and various combinations of brightnesses or even colors. You can demonstrate this at home. I want to know if antumbra part of a shadow is darker than penumbra part. Within the Moon's penumbra, only part of the Sun's disk is obscured. Next time you're outside on a sunny day, look closely at your shadow. You can demonstrate this at home. Penumbra refers to the lighter shading that hangs on the outskirts of the umbra. The second shadow is called the penumbra (pe NUM bruh). It is the darkest part of the shadow. During an eclipse, two shadows are cast. During a solar eclipse, you would be in the umbra region if there would be darkness while you would be in the penumbra if you would see a “partial” sun. To understand why the Earth and the Moon have 3 types of shadows, let's start on a smaller scale. I'm exploring different types of shadows casted by objects. Because it is smaller than the Sun, the Moon casts 3 shadows: an umbra, a penumbra, and an antumbra. Penumbra is the name for the partial shadow of partial eclipse. Why does the central part of the shadow or the umbra is darker than the penumbra? I'm exploring different types of shadows casted by objects. Wiki User August 01, 2012 11:51PM. The penumbra gets larger as it goes away from the sun. Answer. The umbra is the darker area of complete shadow, while the penumbra is a lighter area that is only partly shadowed. The Moon's shadow cast on the Earth appears as a solar eclipse. It is much darker in the areas adjacent to the umbra than at the edges. Furthermore, I think there are parts of the penumbra that are darker than the antumbra, and vice versa. You could probably qualify the question by specifying that it is a fixed radial distance from the light source. All three ideas belong together as the diagram (if extended) would demonstrate. Why does the central part of the shadow or the umbra is darker than the penumbra? The second shadow is called the penumbra (pe NUM bruh). During an eclipse, two shadows are cast. Umbra means shadow, and penumbra means almost-shadow. If the Moon's shadow falls on Earth, we get to see a solar eclipse; the Earth's shadow falling on the Moon results in a lunar eclipse. an umbra, a penumbra, and an antumbra. Set up two lamps a couple of feet apart. Perhaps an overcast day. The penumbra is not a true shadow. Please try again later. However, the penumbralshadow's light level is not uniform. It is completely dark. It is the dark center of the eclipse shadow. Because the length of the umbra is just too short and the angles wrong for it to be due to a small, distant light source such as the sun. This means that the penumbra has a considerably lighter shade than theumbra, where the Sun is completely covered. The umbra is a central cone of darkness which tapers away from the Earth or Moon, whilst the penumbra is an outer cone of partial shadow which diverges instead of tapering. The umbra is the shadow's dark center portion, while the penumbra and the antumbra are different types of half-shadows.