what is the phase of the moon during a lunar eclipse
Lunar phase


the appearance of the Moon. However, it does affect accurate calculations of the times of lunar phases. It might be expected that once every month, when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun during a new moon, its shadow would fall on Earth causing a solar eclipse, but this does not happen every month. Nor is it true that during every full moon, the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon, causing a lunar eclipse. Solar and lunar eclipses are not observed "every" month because the plane
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April 2014 lunar eclipse


, including Australia and New Zealand. During the 5 hour, 44 minute-long eclipse, the Moon passed south of the center of the Earth's shadow. As a result, the northern part of the Moon was noticeably darker than the southern part. Totality lasted for 1 hour 18 minutes. The eclipse occurred during the ascending phase of the Moon's orbit, part of lunar saros 122. Mars was near opposition. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes within Earth's umbra (shadow). As the eclipse
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Eclipse


is much more common to observe a lunar eclipse from a given location. A lunar eclipse lasts longer, taking several hours to complete, with totality itself usually averaging anywhere from about 30 minutes to over an hour. There are three types of lunar eclipses: penumbral, when the Moon crosses only the Earth's penumbra; partial, when the Moon crosses partially into the Earth's umbra; and total, when the Moon crosses entirely into the Earth's umbra. Total lunar eclipses pass through all three phases. Even during a
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Saros (astronomy)


Moon (for a lunar eclipse). This can happen only when the Moon is new or full, respectively, and repeat occurrences of these lunar phases result from solar and lunar orbits producing the Moon's "synodic period" of 29.53059 days. During most full and new moons, however, the shadow of the Earth or Moon falls to the north or south of the other body. Eclipses occur when the three bodies form a nearly straight line. Because the plane of the lunar orbit is inclined to that of the Earth
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January 2019 lunar eclipse


impact during a total lunar eclipse. The eclipse was visible in its entirety from North and South America, as well as portions of western Europe and northwest Africa. From locations in North America, the eclipse began during the evening hours of January 20. Observers at locations in Europe and much of Africa were able to view part of the eclipse before the Moon set in the early morning (pre-dawn) hours of January 21. The penumbral phases of the eclipse changes the appearance of the Moon only slightly and is generally
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February 2008 lunar eclipse


eclipse as the moon being in a different phase, but the shadow from the eclipse changes much more rapidly. The bright star Regulus of Leo and the planet Saturn were prominent very near the moon during the total eclipse portion. Shortly before the eclipse began, Regulus was occulted by the moon in parts of the far Southern Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica. This lunar eclipse is part of series 133 of the Saros cycle, which repeats every 18 years and 11 days. Series 133 runs from the year 1557 until 2819. The previous
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New moon


In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the unaided eye, except when silhouetted during a solar eclipse. Daylight outshines the earthlight that dimly illuminates the new moon. The actual phase is usually a very thin crescent. The original meaning of the term "new moon", which is still sometimes used in non-astronomical contexts, was the first visible crescent of the Moon, after conjunction
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August 2007 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse occurred on August 28, 2007, lasting just over 90 minutes. The Moon entered the Earth's penumbra at 7:53:40 UTC. The first partial phase began in earnest at 8:51:16 UTC when the Moon entered the Earth's umbra. It exited the penumbra at 13:20:57 UTC. It is a relatively rare central eclipse where the moon passes in front of the center of the Earth's shadow. It was the "longest and deepest lunar eclipse to be seen in 7 years". The lunar eclipse was the second
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September 2015 lunar eclipse


. The Moon's brightness is exaggerated within the umbral shadow. The northern portion of the Moon was closest to the center of the shadow, making it darkest, and most red in appearance. The eclipse was visible over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and America. † The Moon was not visible during this part of the eclipse in this time zone. * The penumbral phase of the eclipse changes the appearance of the Moon only slightly and is generally not noticeable. This eclipsed moon appeared 12.9% larger in diameter
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Eclipse cycle


surface of the Earth and cause a solar eclipse. At full moon, when the Moon is in opposition to the Sun, the Moon may pass through the shadow of the Earth, and a lunar eclipse is visible from the night half of the Earth. Conjunction and opposition of the Moon together have a special name: syzygy (from "Greek" for "junction"), because of the importance of these lunar phases. An eclipse does not happen at every new or full moon, because the plane of the orbit
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January 2018 lunar eclipse


coincided with moonset. Along the U.S. Atlantic Seaboard, for instance, the Moon had only just begun to enter the darkest part of Earth's shadow, the umbra, at 6:48 a.m. EST when it disappeared from view below the west-northwest horizon. The duration of the total phase was 77 minutes, with the Moon tracking through the southern part of the Earth's shadow. During totality, the Moon's lower limb appeared brighter than the dark upper limb. The January 2018 lunar eclipse is the first ascending node eclipse of
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Earth phase


. Earth and the Sun sometimes meet in the lunar sky, causing an eclipse. On Earth, one would see a lunar eclipse, when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow; meanwhile on the Moon, one would see a solar eclipse, when the Sun goes behind the Earth. Since the apparent diameter of the Earth is four times as large as that of the Sun, the Sun would be hidden behind the Earth for hours. Earth's atmosphere would be visible as a reddish ring. During the Apollo 15
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July 2018 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node on Friday, 27 July 2018. The Moon passed through the center of Earth's shadow in what was the first central lunar eclipse since 15 June 2011. It was also the second total lunar eclipse in 2018, after the one on 31 January. The eclipse occurred when the Moon was near its maximum distance from Earth, which caused the Moon to appear smaller than normal (a phenomenon sometimes called a micromoon), and to travel at its slowest speed in its
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Lunar eclipse


A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind Earth and into its shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned (in syzygy), with Earth between the other two. A lunar eclipse can occur only on the night of a full moon. The type and length of a lunar eclipse depend on the Moon's proximity to either node of its orbit. During a total lunar eclipse, Earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. The only light
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January 2019 lunar eclipse


year), it was referred to as a "super blood wolf moon"; blood refers to the typical red color of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. This was the last total lunar eclipse until May 2021. The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California captured video showing a meteor between the size of an acorn and tennis ball impacting the moon during the eclipse. The impact was observed during totality, at 4:41 UTC, on left side of the moon. It is one of the only documented cases of lunar
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December 2009 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse was visible on New Year's Eve, Thursday, December 31, 2009. It was the last and largest of four minor lunar eclipses in 2009. This lunar eclipse is also notable, because it occurred during a blue moon (a second full moon in December). The next eclipse on New Year's Eve and blue moon will occur on December 31, 2028. Only a small portion of the Moon entered the Earth's umbral shadow, but there was a distinct darkening visible over the Moon's
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January 2018 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse occurred on January 31, 2018. The Moon was near its perigee on January 30 and as such may be described as a "supermoon". The previous supermoon lunar eclipse was in September 2015. As this supermoon was also a blue moon (the second full moon in a calendar month), it was referred to as a "super blue blood moon"; "blood" refers to the typical red color of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. This coincidence last occurred on December 30,
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April 2014 lunar eclipse


's zenith was approximately southwest of the Galápagos Islands. The Moon left the umbra shadow at 9:33 and the penumbra shadow at 10:38. The peak umbral magnitude was 1.2907, at which moment the northern part of the moon was 1.7 arc-minutes south of the center of Earth's shadow, while the southern part was 40.0 arc-minutes from center. The gamma of the eclipse was -0.3017. The eclipse was a member of Lunar Saros 122. It was the 56th such eclipse. * The penumbral phase of the eclipse changes
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March 2007 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on March 3, 2007, the first of two eclipses in 2007. The moon entered the penumbral shadow at 20:18 UTC, and the umbral shadow at 21:30 UTC. The total phase lasted between 22:44 UTC and 23:58 UTC with a distinctive brick-red shade (L=3 to L=4 on the Danjon scale). The moon left the umbra shadow at 01:11 UTC and left the penumbra shadow at 02:24 UTC 2007-03-04. The second lunar eclipse of 2007 occurred on August 28. The
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Solar eclipses on the Moon


Solar eclipses on the Moon are caused when the planet Earth passes in front of the Sun and blocks its light. Viewers on Earth experience a lunar eclipse during a solar eclipse on the moon. These solar eclipses are only seen in the near side portion and smaller parts of the far side where Earth is seen during librations, these areas of the moon making up the visible portion of the Moon. Eclipses there are seen during the lunar sunrise and sunset and extend to the furthermost areas of the near side but mainly not in
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January 2018 lunar eclipse


7% larger in apparent diameter or 14% larger in area, than an average full moon. The previous supermoon lunar eclipse was the September 2015 lunar eclipse. The full moon of 31 January 2018 was the second full moon that calendar month (in most time zones), making it, under one definition of the term, a "blue moon". Additionally referencing the orange or red "blood" colors that occur during a lunar eclipse, media sources described the event as a "super blue blood Moon".
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June 2012 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on June 4, 2012. It was the first of two lunar eclipses occurring in 2012, the second eclipse set to happen on November 28. The moon was about one third covered by the Earth's northern umbral shadow at maximum eclipse. The portion of the moon inside the umbral shadow was illuminated by sunlight refracted through the Earth's atmosphere, rendering it much dimmer and with a reddish hue. This lunar eclipse, occurring during June's "Strawberry" full moon was completely visible over Australia
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Lunar eclipse


lunar eclipse was over, the substitute king was made to disappear (possibly by poisoning). In some Chinese cultures, people would ring bells to prevent a dragon or other wild animals from biting the Moon. In the nineteenth century, during a lunar eclipse, the Chinese navy fired its artillery because of this belief. During the Zhou Dynasty in the Book of Songs, the sight of a red Moon engulfed in darkness was believed to foreshadow famine or disease. Certain lunar eclipses have been referred to as "blood moons"
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Full moon


which has been referred to as a full moon cycle. When the Moon moves into Earth's shadow, a lunar eclipse occurs, during which all or part of the Moon's face may appear reddish due to the Rayleigh scattering of blue wavelengths and the refraction of sunlight through Earth's atmosphere. Lunar eclipses happen only during full moon and around points on its orbit where the satellite may pass through the planet's shadow. A lunar eclipse does not occur every month because the Moon's orbit is inclined 5.14° with respect to
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January 2018 lunar eclipse


The Pacific Ocean was turned toward the Moon at the time of the eclipse. Central and eastern Asia (including most of Siberia), Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand and most of Australia got a good view of this moon show in the evening sky. For Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the eclipse was underway as the moon rose. Along the U.S. West Coast, the total phase began at 4:51 a.m. PST. The further east, the closer the start of the partial phases
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Lunar eclipse


central region of the shadow. However, since the Sun's diameter appears about one-quarter of Earth's in the lunar sky, the planet only partially blocks direct sunlight within the penumbra, the outer portion of the shadow. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through Earth's penumbra. The penumbra causes a subtle dimming of the lunar surface. A special type of penumbral eclipse is a total penumbral lunar eclipse, during which the Moon lies exclusively within Earth's penumbra. Total penumbral eclipses are rare, and
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June 2010 lunar eclipse


on June 15, 1992, and will next repeat on July 6, 2028. This series is winding down: The final total eclipse of this series was on May 14, 1938 and the final partial lunar eclipse will be on July 28, 2064. The entire umbral phase was visible after sunset Saturday evening throughout the Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines and Japan. The point where the moon was directly overhead at maximum eclipse lay over the South Pacific Ocean, far to the southwest of Hawaii. The lunar
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Eclipse season


an eclipse to occur. During the season, whenever there is a full moon a lunar eclipse will occur and whenever there is a new moon a solar eclipse will occur. If the Sun is close enough to a node, then a total eclipse will occur. Each season lasts from 31 to 37 days, and seasons recur about every 6 months. At least two (one solar and one lunar, in any order), and at most three eclipses (solar, lunar, then solar again, or vice versa)
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Lunar eclipse


duration of totality. A central lunar eclipse is a total lunar eclipse during which the Moon passes through the centre of Earth's shadow, contacting the antisolar point. This type of lunar eclipse is relatively rare. A selenelion or selenehelion occurs when both the Sun and an eclipsed Moon can be observed at the same time. This can occur only just before sunset or just after sunrise, when both bodies will appear just above the horizon at nearly opposite points in the sky. This arrangement has led to the phenomenon being also called
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April 1967 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on April 24, 1967, the first of two total lunar eclipses in 1967, the second being on October 18, 1967. This lunar eclipse is first of a "tetrad", four total lunar eclipses in series. The following tetrad is in 1985 and 1986, starting with a May 1985 lunar eclipse. The Surveyor 3 probe landed on the moon during this eclipse. It was visible from Asia, Australia, Pacific Ocean, North America, South America and Antarctica. This eclipse is
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April 1948 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on April 23, 1948. A tiny bite out of the Moon may have been visible at maximum, though just 2% of the Moon was shadowed in a partial eclipse which lasted for 34 minutes and 18 seconds. A shading across the moon from the Earth's penumbral shadow should have been visible at maximum eclipse. Lunar Saros 111, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 11 total lunar eclipses. The first total lunar eclipse of this
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April 2015 lunar eclipse


Earth's atmosphere into its umbra. The following simulation shows the approximate appearance of the Moon passing through Earth's shadow. The Moon's brightness is exaggerated within the umbral shadow. The southern portion of the Moon will be closest to the center of the shadow, making it darkest, and most red in appearance. † The Moon was not visible during this part of the eclipse in this time zone. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).
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June 1947 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on June 3, 1947. A tiny bite out of the Moon may have been visible at maximum, though just 2% of the Moon was shadowed in a partial eclipse which lasted for 34 minutes and 42 seconds. A shading across the moon from the Earth's penumbral shadow should have been visible at maximum eclipse. Lunar Saros series 139, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 79 lunar eclipse events including 27 total lunar eclipses. First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 1658
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April 2013 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on April 25, 2013, the first of three lunar eclipses in 2013. Only a tiny sliver (about 1.5%) of the Moon was covered by the Earth's umbral shadow at maximum eclipse, but the entire northern half of the Moon was darkened from being inside the penumbral shadow. This was one of the shortest partial eclipses of the Moon for the 21st century, lasting 27 minutes. This was the last of 58 umbral lunar eclipses of Lunar Saros 112. It was visible over
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August 2053 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse will take place on August 29, 2053. This eclipse is a relatively rare total penumbral lunar eclipse wherein the entire moon passes through the Earth's penumbra without any portion entering the umbra. This eclipse will be the first total penumbral lunar eclipse since the March 2006 lunar eclipse. This lunar eclipse will be followed by a last quarter moon on September 5, 2053 and also the solar eclipse of September 12, 2053. The entire eclipse will be visible in most of North America, Central America, and
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September 2015 lunar eclipse


than the April 2015 lunar eclipse, measured as 29.66' and 33.47' in diameter from earth's center, as compared in these simulated images. A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. This was the last supermoon lunar eclipse until 31 January 2018. The eclipse was one of four lunar eclipses in a short-lived series at the descending
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List of 17th-century lunar eclipses


The following is a list of 17th-century lunar eclipses. This list of 250 lunar eclipses was calculated by Fred Espenak of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned (in "syzygy") exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. The
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Saros (astronomy)


a similar example for solar saros see solar saros 136. After a given lunar or solar eclipse, after 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros) an eclipse will occur that is lunar instead of solar, or vice versa, with similar properties. For example, if the Moon's penumbra partially covers the southern limb of the Earth during a solar eclipse, 9 years and 5.5 days later a lunar eclipse will occur in which the Moon is partially covered by the southern limb of the Earth's penumbra. Likewise,
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January 1999 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on January 31, 1999, the first of two lunar eclipses in 1999. This was a relatively rare total penumbral lunar eclipse with the moon passing entirely within the penumbral shadow without entering the darker umbral shadow. BRThis simulated view compares this penumbral eclipse (left) to the full moon (right) as it appeared an hour before the eclipse. Lunar Saros series 114, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 13 total lunar eclipses. First
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June 1983 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on June 25, 1983. The Earth’s shadow on the moon was clearly visible in this eclipse, with 33% of the Moon in shadow; the partial eclipse lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes. It was completely visible over Australia, Pacific and the Americas. Lunar Saros series 139, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 79 lunar eclipse events including 27 total lunar eclipses. First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 1658 Dec 09 First Partial Lunar Eclipse: 1947 Jun
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History of science and technology in China


old calculation technique for the mean sun was inaccurate compared to the apparent sun, since the latter was ahead of it in the accelerated phase of motion, and behind it in the retarded phase. Shen supported and expanded upon beliefs earlier proposed by Han dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE) scholars such as Jing Fang (78–37 BCE) and Zhang Heng (78–139 CE) that lunar eclipse occurs when the earth obstructs the sunlight traveling towards the moon, a solar eclipse is the moon's obstruction of sunlight reaching earth, the moon is
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August 2017 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place at the Moon’s descending node on August 7/8, 2017, the second of two lunar eclipses in 2017. The Moon was only slightly covered by the Earth's umbral shadow at maximum eclipse. The moon inside the umbral shadow was a subtle red, but hard to see in contrast to the much brighter moon in the outer penumbral shadow. The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 occurred fourteen days later, in the same eclipse season. It was the first total solar eclipse visible in the
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October 1987 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on October 7, 1987. The Moon approached within 1% of the Earth's umbral shadow at maximum eclipse; 99% of the Moon's disc was partially shaded by the Earth, with the overall eclipse lasting 4 hours and 14 minutes. While less dramatic than a partial eclipse (as no part of the Moon was in complete shadow), a shading across the Moon should have been readily visible to observers. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years
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December 2011 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on December 10, 2011. It was the second of two total lunar eclipses in 2011, the first having occurred on June 15. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is positioned just right in its orbit to pass through Earth's shadow. Asia, Australia, and other areas of the Pacific had the best visibility. European countries only saw a partial eclipse of a rising moon, while northwestern North America saw a partial eclipse of a setting moon. The eclipse was seen over the Philippines
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September 1996 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on Friday, September 27, 1996, the second of two lunar eclipses in 1996, the first being on Thursday, April 4. This is the 41st member of Lunar Saros 127. The previous event is the September 1978 lunar eclipse. The next event is the October 2014 lunar eclipse. It was visible from all of North and South America, Europe and Africa. During its totality, the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite's SPIRIT-III instrument took the image of the Moon
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Spherical Earth


coastline or mountain when viewed from a ship or from across a large lake or flat terrain. The shadow of the Earth on the Moon during a lunar eclipse is always a dark circle that moves from one side of the Moon to the other (partially grazing it during a partial eclipse). This could be produced by a flat disc that always faces the Moon head-on during the eclipse, but this is inconsistent with the fact that the Moon is only rarely directly overhead during an eclipse. For each eclipse, the
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Lunar eclipse


Mesopotamians believed that a lunar eclipse was when the Moon was being attacked by seven demons. This attack was more than just one on the Moon, however, for the Mesopotamians linked what happened in the sky with what happened on the land, and because the king of Mesopotamia represented the land, the seven demons were thought to be also attacking the king. In order to prevent this attack on the king, the Mesopotamians made someone pretend to be the king so they would be attacked instead of the true king. After the
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January 2019 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse occurred on January 21, 2019 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). For observers in the Americas, the eclipse took place between the evening of Sunday, January 20 and the early morning hours of Monday, January 21. For observers in Europe and Africa, the eclipse occurred during the morning of January 21. The Moon was near its perigee on January 21 and as such can be described as a "supermoon". As this supermoon was also a wolf moon (the first full moon in a calendar
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May 1453 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse occurred on 22 May 1453. It was seen during the Fall of Constantinople (the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire), during the siege that lasted from Thursday, 5 April 1453 until Tuesday, 29 May 1453), after which the city fell to the Ottomans. The lunar eclipse was considered to be fulfilling a prophecy for the city's demise. It is said a blood moon took place during the eclipse. The partial eclipse was visible from, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania
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Selenographic coordinates


Quarter, after one fourth of a lunar day. At this location the selenographic colongitude at sunrise is defined as 0°. Thus, by the time of the Full Moon the colongitude increases to 90°; at Last Quarter it is 180°, and at the New Moon the colongitude reaches 270°. Note that the Moon is nearly invisible from the Earth at New Moon phase except during a solar eclipse. The low angle of incidence of arriving sunlight tends to pick out features by the sharp shadows they cast, thus
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Blood moon prophecy


. On April 15, 2014, there was a total lunar eclipse which was the first of four consecutive total eclipses in a series, known as a tetrad; a second one took place on October 8, 2014, the third one on April 4, 2015, and the remaining one took place on September 27, 2015. It is one of eight tetrads to take place during the 21st century AD. As with most lunar eclipses, the moon appeared red during the April 15, 2014, eclipse. The red color
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June 1965 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on June 14, 1965. At maximum eclipse, a small bite out of the Moon should have been visible. The eclipse lasted for 1 hour and 40 minutes, with just 18% of the Moon in shadow at maximum. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 146. Lunar Saros series 139, repeating every 18 years and 11 days
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Full moon


the ecliptic plane of Earth; thus, the Moon usually passes north or south of Earth's shadow, which is mostly restricted to this plane of reference. Lunar eclipses happen only when the full moon occurs around either node of its orbit (ascending or descending). Therefore, a lunar eclipse occurs about every six months, and often two weeks before or after a solar eclipse, which occurs during new moon around the opposite node. Full moons are traditionally associated with insomnia (inability to sleep), insanity (hence the
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Earth phase


mission, an attempt was made to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle's TV camera to view such an eclipse, but the camera or its power source failed after the astronauts left for Earth. Terrestrial solar eclipses, on the other hand, would not be as spectacular for lunar observers because the Moon's umbra nearly tapers out at the Earth's surface. A blurry dark patch would be barely visible. The effect would be comparable to the shadow of a golf ball cast by sunlight on an object away. Lunar observers with telescopes
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May 1957 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on Monday, May 13, 1957, the third of fourteen total lunar eclipses of Lunar Saros 130. The Moon was plunged into darkness for 1 hour and 18 minutes, in a deep total eclipse which saw the Moon 30% of its diameter inside the Earth's umbral shadow. The visual effect of this depends on the state of the Earth's atmosphere, but the Moon may have been stained a deep red colour. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 32 minutes in total.
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Michael van Langren


of the Moon as they appear and disappear, not only during eclipses of the Moon but also in the course of the entire lunation. This led him to make a map of the Moon (published in 1645), and he planned to produce maps of the Moon at thirty different phases, but never realized this plan. He was the first to assign names to various lunar features, but few of these names were widely accepted because they mostly corresponded to Catholic monarchs, scientists and artists. He also published his observations of
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Lunar phase


of the Moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted by about 5° with respect to the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun (the plane of the ecliptic). Thus, when new and full moons occur, the Moon usually lies to the north or south of a direct line through the Earth and Sun. Although an eclipse can only occur when the Moon is either new (solar) or full (lunar), it must also be positioned very near the intersection of Earth's orbital plane about the Sun
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October 2014 lunar eclipse


during this part of the eclipse in this time zone. The eclipse is the one of four total lunar eclipses in a short-lived series at the descending node of the Moon's orbit. The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunations, or 354 days (shifting back about 10 days in sequential years). Because of the date shift, Earth's shadow will be about 11° west in sequential events. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros
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April 1903 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on April 12, 1903. This nearly total lunar eclipse of Saros cycle 130 preceded the first total eclipse on April 22, 1921. The Moon was almost covered by the Earth's shadow in a very deep partial eclipse, which lasted 3 hours and 17 minutes. With 97% of the Moon in shadow at maximum eclipse, this was quite a memorable event. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This
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August 2009 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on August 6, 2009, the third of four lunar eclipses in 2009. The moon's small entry into the Earth's penumbral shadow will produce an extremely subtle dimming of the moon's southern edge, difficult to observe visually. This is the third eclipse this season. First eclipse this season: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse 7 Jul 2009 Second eclipse this season: Total Solar Eclipse 22 Jul 2009 The eclipse was completely visible over Africa and Europe and South America. It was seen rising over eastern North
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Lunar month


to return to the same star. A draconic or draconitic month is also known as a nodal or nodical month. The name "draconic" refers to a mythical dragon, said to live in the lunar nodes and eat the Sun or Moon during an eclipse. A solar or lunar eclipse is possible only when the Moon is at or near either of the two points where its orbit crosses the ecliptic plane; i.e., the satellite is at or near either of its orbital nodes. The orbit of the Moon lies in a
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May 1939 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on May 3, 1939. A shallow total eclipse saw the Moon in relative darkness for 1 hour and 2 minutes. The Moon was 18% of its diameter into the Earth's umbral shadow, and should have been significantly darkened. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 27 minutes in total. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two solar eclipses of Solar Saros 137
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Saros (astronomy)


are separated by one saros is called a saros series. It corresponds to: The 19 eclipse years means that if there is a solar eclipse (or lunar eclipse), then after one saros a New Moon (resp. Full Moon) will take place at the same node of the orbit of the Moon, and under these circumstances another eclipse can occur. The earliest discovered historical record of what is known as the saros is by Chaldean (neo-Babylonian) astronomers in the last several centuries BC. It was later
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April 1921 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on April 22, 1921. This was the first total lunar eclipse of Saros cycle 130. A shallow total eclipse saw the Moon in relative darkness for 40 minutes and 6 seconds. The Moon was 7% of its diameter into the Earth's umbral shadow, and should have been significantly darkened. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 22 minutes in total. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This
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November 1957 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on Thursday, November 7, 1957. The Moon barely edged into total eclipse for 27 minutes and 54 seconds. With the Moon just 3% of its diameter into the Earth's umbral shadow, the Moon may have been quite bright, but even so, this should have been worth seeing. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 27 minutes in total. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This
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Danjon scale


, and different observers may determine different values. In addition, different parts of the Moon may have different L values, depending on their distance from the center of the Earth's umbra. Many factors can affect the appearance of the Moon during a lunar eclipse. The Moon's path through the Earth's umbra is important, but so too are the current conditions of the Earth's atmosphere. While the Earth's shadow blocks any direct light from striking the Moon during a lunar eclipse, some light is refracted through the Earth
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Blood moon prophecy


The blood moon prophecies are a series of prophecies in the Bible preached by Christian preachers John Hagee and Mark Biltz, which state that a tetrad (a series of four consecutive lunar eclipses—coinciding on Jewish holidays—with six full moons in between, and no intervening partial lunar eclipses) which began with the April 2014 lunar eclipse is the beginning of the end times as described in the Bible in the Book of Joel, Acts 2:20, and Revelation 6:12. The tetrad ended with the lunar eclipse on September 27–28, 2015
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December 1983 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on December 20, 1983. At the maximum eclipse, 89% of the Moon’s disk was partially shaded by the Earth, which caused a slight shadow gradient across its disc; this subtle effect may have been visible to careful observers. No part of the Moon was in complete shadow. The eclipse lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes overall. Lunar Saros series 144, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 20 total lunar eclipses. First
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December 1965 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on December 8, 1965. At maximum eclipse, 88% of the Moon's disc was partially shaded by the Earth, which caused a slight shadow gradient across its disc; this subtle effect may have been visible to careful observers. No part of the Moon was in complete shadow. The eclipse lasted 4 hours and 1 minute overall. Lunar Saros series 144, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 20 total lunar eclipses. First Penumbral
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May 1958 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on May 3, 1958. This was the first partial lunar eclipse of Saros cycle 140. While technically a partial eclipse, the Moon barely clipped the Earth's umbral shadow, which may have been very difficult to observe in practice; though a shading across the moon from the Earth's penumbral shadow should have been visible at maximum eclipse. The partial eclipse lasted for 21 minutes exactly. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half
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Chronology of Jesus


It could not have been a solar eclipse, since this could not take place during the full moon at Passover, and in any case solar eclipses take minutes, not hours. In 1983, astronomers Humphreys and Waddington noted that the reference to a solar eclipse is missing in some versions of Luke and argued that the solar eclipse was a later faulty scribal amendment of what was actually the "lunar" eclipse of AD 33. This is a claim which historian David Henige describes as "undefended" and "indefensible". Humphreys
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Lunar eclipse


the lunar eclipse as evidence. Some Hindus believe in the importance of bathing in the Ganges River following an eclipse because it will help to achieve salvation. Similarly to the Mayans, the Incans believed that lunar eclipses occurred when a jaguar would eat the Moon, which is why a blood moon looks red. The Incans also believed that once the jaguar finished eating the Moon, it could come down and devour all the animals on Earth, so they would take spears and shout at the Moon to keep it away. The ancient
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July 2018 lunar eclipse


orbit around Earth. This was the longest total lunar eclipse that will occur in the 21st century. Totality lasted approximately one hour and 43 minutes, a period "just short of the theoretical limit of a lunar eclipse (one hour and 47 minutes)". The Moon remained at least partially in Earth's shadow for four hours. This lunar eclipse coincided with Mars being nearly as close as possible to Earth, a concurrence that happens once every 25,000 years. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes within Earth's umbra
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August 1989 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place at 0308 UT (GMT) on August 17, 1989, the second of two total lunar eclipses in 1989. The moon passed through the center of the Earth's shadow. It was seen completely over South America, and rising over North America, and setting over Africa, and Europe. This eclipse is the second of four lunar year eclipses occurring at the moon's ascending node. The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunations or 354 days (Shifting back about 10 days in sequential years
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Lunar standstill


Sites in Ohio. A major lunar standstill occurs when the Moon's declination reaches a maximum monthly limit, stopping at 28.725° north or south. An eclipse season near the March equinox has solar and lunar eclipses at an odd-numbered saros, while another eclipse season near the September equinox has solar and lunar eclipses at an even-numbered saros. A minor lunar standstill occurs when the Moon's declination reaches a minimum monthly limit, stopping at 18.134° north or south. An eclipse season near the March equinox has solar
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June 1993 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on Friday, June 4, 1993, the first of two total lunar eclipses in 1993, the second being on Monday, November 29. The Moon was plunged into darkness for 1 hour and 36 minutes, in a deep total eclipse which saw the Moon 56% of its diameter inside the Earth's umbral shadow. The visual effect of this depends on the state of the Earth's atmosphere, but the Moon may have been stained a deep red colour. The partial eclipse lasted for 3
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Eclipse


the Earth's surface, the Sun can be eclipsed by bodies other than the Moon. Two examples include when the crew of Apollo 12 observed the in 1969 and when the "Cassini" probe observed in 2006. Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. This happens only during a full moon, when the Moon is on the far side of the Earth from the Sun. Unlike a solar eclipse, an eclipse of the Moon can be observed from nearly an entire hemisphere. For this reason it
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April 1995 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on Saturday, April 15, 1995, the first of two lunar eclipses in 1995, the second being with a penumbral lunar eclipse on Sunday, October 8. This is the first of four lunar year eclipses at the descending node of the moon's orbit. Lunar Saros series 112, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 72 lunar eclipse events including 15 total lunar eclipses. First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 859 May 20 First Partial Lunar Eclipse: 985 Aug 03 First
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Lunar eclipse


when these occur, the portion of the Moon closest to the umbra may appear slightly darker than the rest of the lunar disk. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a portion of the Moon enters Earth's umbra, while a total lunar eclipse occurs when the entire Moon enters the planet's umbra. The Moon's average orbital speed is about , or a little more than its diameter per hour, so totality may last up to nearly 107 minutes. Nevertheless, the total time between the first and the last contacts of
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March 2006 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on March 14, 2006, the first of two lunar eclipses in 2006. This was a relatively rare total penumbral lunar eclipse with the moon passing entirely within the penumbral shadow without entering the darker umbral shadow. It was completely visible over Africa and Europe, seen rising over eastern North America, all of South America, and setting over western Asia. BRA simulated view of the earth from the center of the moon at maximum eclipse. The eclipse belongs to Saros series 113, and is the
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August 1942 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on August 26, 1942. The moon passed through the center of the Earth's shadow. This is the 38th member of Lunar Saros 127. The previous event is the August 1924 lunar eclipse. The next event is the September 1960 lunar eclipse. Lunar saros series 127, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 72 lunar eclipse events including 54 umbral lunar eclipses (38 partial lunar eclipses and 16 total lunar eclipses). Solar Saros 134 interleaves with this lunar saros
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October 2005 lunar eclipse


A partial lunar eclipse took place on October 17, 2005, the second of two lunar eclipses in 2005. A tiny bite out of the Moon may have been visible at maximum, though just 6% of the Moon was shadowed in a partial eclipse which lasted for 56 minutes exactly and was visible over east Asia, Australasia, and most of North America. A shading across the moon from the Earth's penumbral shadow should have been visible at maximum eclipse. It was visible from Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Australia and
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January 1981 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on January 20, 1981. This was a relatively rare total penumbral lunar eclipse with the moon passing entirely within the penumbral shadow without entering the darker umbral shadow. Lunar Saros series 114, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 13 total lunar eclipses. First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 0971 May 13 First Partial Lunar Eclipse: 1115 Aug 07 First Total Lunar Eclipse: 1458 Feb 28 First Central Lunar Eclipse: 1530 Apr 12 Greatest Eclipse of Lunar
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January 1963 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on January 9, 1963. This was a relatively rare total penumbral lunar eclipse with the moon passing entirely within the penumbral shadow without entering the darker umbral shadow. Lunar Saros series 114, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 13 total lunar eclipses. First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 0971 May 13 First Partial Lunar Eclipse: 1115 Aug 07 First Total Lunar Eclipse: 1458 Feb 28 First Central Lunar Eclipse: 1530 Apr 12 Greatest Eclipse of Lunar
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May 2069 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse will take place on May 6, 2069. The eclipse will be a dark one with the southern tip of the moon passing through the center of the Earth's shadow. This is the first central eclipse of shove Saros series 132. It is the first of two total lunar eclipses in 2069, the second occurring at the descending node of the moon's orbit will be on October 30th which will also be a central total eclipse. The eclipse will be visible after sunset over Australia and begin before sunset
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December 2010 lunar eclipse


eclipse was the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern Winter Solstice (Southern Summer Solstice) since 1638, and only the second in the Common Era. This eclipse occurred at the descending node of the moon's orbit. Lunar eclipses are always paired with a solar eclipse either 2 weeks before or after at new moon in the opposite node. In this case, it was followed by a partial solar eclipse at the ascending node on January 4, 2011, visible from Europe, northern Africa, and
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April 2005 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on April 24, 2005, the first of two lunar eclipses in 2005. At maximum eclipse, 87% of the Moon's disc was partially shaded by the Earth, which caused a slight shadow gradient across its disc; this subtle effect may have been visible to careful observers. No part of the Moon was in complete shadow. The eclipse lasted 4 hours and 6 minutes overall, and was visible from east Asia, Australia, and the Americas. This is the 23rd member of Lunar
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September 2015 lunar eclipse


and April 4, 2015. The Moon appeared larger than normal, because the Moon was just 59 minutes past its closest approach to Earth in 2015 at mid-eclipse, sometimes called a supermoon. The Moon's apparent diameter was larger than 34' viewed straight overhead, just off the coast of northeast Brazil. The total lunar eclipse was darker than expected, possibly due to ash left behind from eruptions of the Calbuco volcano in April 2015. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes within Earth's umbra (shadow)
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February 2008 lunar eclipse


event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series. This is the fourth of five Metonic lunar eclipses. A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 140. The moon entered the penumbral shadow at 0:36 UTC, and the umbral shadow at 1:43. Totality lasted for 50 minutes, between 3:01 and 3:51. The moon left the umbra shadow at 5:09 and left the
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Magnitude of eclipse


by viewing location. An eclipse may be annular in one location and total in another. These mixed-type eclipses are called hybrid. The effect on a lunar eclipse is quite similar, with a few differences. First, the eclipsed body is the Moon and the eclipsing 'body' is the Earth's shadow. Second, since the Earth's shadow at the Moon's distance always is considerably larger than the Moon, a lunar eclipse can never be annular but is always partial or total. Third, the Earth's
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May 1975 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse took place on May 25, 1975. The Moon was plunged into darkness for 1 hour and 28 minutes in a deep total eclipse which saw the Moon 43% of its diameter inside the Earth's umbral shadow. The visual effect of an eclipse depends on the state of the Earth's atmosphere, but the Moon may have been stained a deep red colour. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 35 minutes in total. The eclipse was a dark one with the norhern tip of the moon passing
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Eclipse season


and the Moon's orbit was also perfectly circular and centered around the Earth, and both orbits were coplanar (on the same plane) with each other, then two eclipses would happen every lunar month (29.53 days). A lunar eclipse would occur at every full moon, a solar eclipse every new moon, and all solar eclipses would be the same type. An eclipse season is the only time when the Sun (from the perspective of the Earth) is close enough to one of the Moon's nodes to allow
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Eclipse cycle


solar eclipse, or the opposite node for a lunar eclipse. Up to three eclipses may occur during an eclipse season, a one- or two-month period that happens twice a year, around the time when the Sun is near the nodes of the Moon's orbit. An eclipse does not occur every month, because one month after an eclipse the relative geometry of the Sun, Moon, and Earth has changed. As seen from the Earth, the time it takes for the Moon to return to a node, the
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May 1984 lunar eclipse


A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on May 15, 1984. This was a deep penumbral eclipse, with the southern limb of the Moon close to the Earth’s shadow. This was the first eclipse of 1984 (first of three penumbral lunar eclipses). The second occurred on June 13th, and the third occurred on November 8th. Lunar Saros 111, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 11 total lunar eclipses. The first total lunar eclipse of this series was on
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Total penumbral lunar eclipse


A total penumbral lunar eclipse is a lunar eclipse that occurs when the moon becomes completely immersed in the penumbral cone of the Earth without touching the umbra. The path for the moon to pass within the penumbra and outside the umbra is very narrow. It can only happen on the Earth's northern or southern penumbral edges. In addition, the size of the penumbra is sometimes too small where the moon enters it to contain the moon. The width of the Earth's penumbra is determined by the sun's angular diameter at the
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Lunar eclipse


reflected from the lunar surface has been refracted by Earth's atmosphere. This light appears reddish for the same reason that a sunset or sunrise does: the Rayleigh scattering of bluer light. Due to this reddish color, a totally eclipsed Moon is sometimes called a blood moon. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly 2 hours, while a
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Eclipse


the Earth around the Sun, and the Moon's orbit around the Earth were both in the same plane with each other, then eclipses would happen each and every month. There would be a lunar eclipse at every full moon, and a solar eclipse at every new moon. And if both orbits were perfectly circular, then each solar eclipse would be the same type every month. It is because of the non-planar and non-circular differences that eclipses are not a common event. Lunar eclipses can be viewed from
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January 2019 lunar eclipse


crater in the western part of the moon. The location of the impact may be somewhere in the lunar highlands, south of Byrgius crater, according to Justin Cowart, a graduate student in geosciences at Stony Brook University in New York who first saw the flash of light. “A [meteoroid] about this size hits the moon about once a week or so,” said Cowart. This may be the first time that a collision, during a total lunar eclipse, was captured on video. “I have not heard
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Solar eclipse


twice every draconic month (27.212220 days) while a new moon occurs one every synodic month (29.530587981 days). Solar (and lunar) eclipses therefore happen only during eclipse seasons resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses each year; no more than two of which can be total eclipses. Total eclipses are rare because the timing of the new moon within the eclipse season needs to be more exact for an alignment between the observer (on Earth) and the centers of the Sun and Moon.
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Lunar eclipse


total solar eclipse lasts only up to a few minutes at any given place, due to the smaller size of the Moon's shadow. Also unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any eye protection or special precautions, as they are dimmer than the full Moon. For the date of the next eclipse, see the section "Recent and forthcoming lunar eclipses". Earth's shadow can be divided into two distinctive parts: the umbra and penumbra. Earth totally occludes direct solar radiation within the umbra, the
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