March 2024 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 From Richmond, Virginia, 7:18 UTC | |||||||||
| Date | March 25, 2024 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.0609 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.1304 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 113 (64 of 71) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 279 minutes, 9 seconds | ||||||||
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A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Monday, March 25, 2024,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.1304. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the Moon's near side passes into the Earth's penumbra. 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. Occurring about 2.2 days after apogee (on March 23, 2024, at 11:45 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
This was the deepest penumbral eclipse overall since May 5, 2023, and the deepest for North and South America since February 11, 2017.[3]
Visibility
[edit]The eclipse was completely visible over North and South America, seen rising over eastern Australia and northeast Asia and setting over west Africa and western Europe.[4]
 
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Eclipse details
[edit]Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[5]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 0.95767 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.13044 |
| Gamma | 1.06098 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 00h18m49.9s |
| Sun Declination | +02°02'16.6" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'02.2" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 12h20m41.3s |
| Moon Declination | -01°12'05.6" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'44.3" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'05.4" |
| ΔT | 71.2 s |
Eclipse season
[edit]This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.
| March 25 Descending node (full moon) |
April 8 Ascending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
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| Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 113 |
Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 139 |
Related eclipses
[edit]Eclipses in 2024
[edit]- A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 25.
- A total solar eclipse on April 8.
- A partial lunar eclipse on September 18.
- An annular solar eclipse on October 2.
Metonic
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 5, 2020
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 12, 2028
Tzolkinex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2017
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 7, 2031
Half-Saros
[edit]- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 20, 2015
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 30, 2033
Tritos
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 25, 2013
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 22, 2035
Lunar Saros 113
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 14, 2006
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 5, 2042
Inex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 15, 1995
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 4, 2053
Triad
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 25, 1937
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 25, 2111
Lunar eclipses of 2024–2027
[edit]This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[6]
The penumbral lunar eclipse on July 18, 2027 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
| Lunar eclipse series sets from 2024 to 2027 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||||
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
| 113
|
2024 Mar 25
|
Penumbral
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1.0610 | 118
|
2024 Sep 18
|
Partial
|
−0.9792 | |
| 123 | 2025 Mar 14
|
Total
|
0.3485 | 128 | 2025 Sep 07
|
Total
|
−0.2752 | |
| 133 | 2026 Mar 03
|
Total
|
−0.3765 | 138 | 2026 Aug 28
|
Partial
|
0.4964 | |
| 143 | 2027 Feb 20
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Penumbral
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−1.0480 | 148 | 2027 Aug 17
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Penumbral
|
1.2797 | |
Saros 113
[edit]This eclipse is a part of Saros series 113, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on April 29, 888 AD. It contains partial eclipses from July 14, 1014 through March 10, 1411; total eclipses from March 20, 1429 through August 7, 1645; and a second set of partial eclipses from August 18, 1663 through February 21, 1970. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on June 10, 2150.
The longest duration of totality was produced by member 38 at 103 minutes, 6 seconds on June 5, 1555. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[7]
| Greatest | First | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1555 Jun 05, lasting 103 minutes, 6 seconds.[8] | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| 888 Apr 29 |
1014 Jul 14 |
1429 Mar 20 |
1483 Apr 22 | |
| Last | ||||
| Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral | |
| 1609 Jul 16 |
1645 Aug 07 |
1970 Feb 21
|
2150 Jun 10 | |
Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
| Series members 52–71 occur between 1801 and 2150: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 53 | 54 | |||
| 1807 Nov 15 | 1825 Nov 25 | 1843 Dec 07 | |||
| 55 | 56 | 57 | |||
| 1861 Dec 17 | 1879 Dec 28 | 1898 Jan 08 | |||
| 58 | 59 | 60 | |||
| 1916 Jan 20 | 1934 Jan 30 | 1952 Feb 11 | |||
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| 61 | 62 | 63 | |||
| 1970 Feb 21 | 1988 Mar 03 | 2006 Mar 14 | |||
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| 64 | 65 | 66 | |||
| 2024 Mar 25 | 2042 Apr 05 | 2060 Apr 15 | |||
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| 67 | 68 | 69 | |||
| 2078 Apr 27 | 2096 May 07 | 2114 May 19 | |||
| 70 | 71 | ||||
| 2132 May 30 | 2150 Jun 10 | ||||
Tritos series
[edit]This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
| Series members between 1904 and 2200 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 Mar 02 (Saros 102) |
1915 Jan 31 (Saros 103) |
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| 1969 Aug 27 (Saros 108) |
1980 Jul 27 (Saros 109) |
1991 Jun 27 (Saros 110) |
2002 May 26 (Saros 111) | ||||||
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| 2013 Apr 25 (Saros 112) |
2024 Mar 25 (Saros 113) |
2035 Feb 22 (Saros 114) |
2046 Jan 22 (Saros 115) |
2056 Dec 22 (Saros 116) | |||||
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| 2067 Nov 21 (Saros 117) |
2078 Oct 21 (Saros 118) |
2089 Sep 19 (Saros 119) |
2100 Aug 19 (Saros 120) |
2111 Jul 21 (Saros 121) | |||||
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| 2122 Jun 20 (Saros 122) |
2133 May 19 (Saros 123) |
2144 Apr 18 (Saros 124) |
2155 Mar 19 (Saros 125) |
2166 Feb 15 (Saros 126) | |||||
| 2177 Jan 14 (Saros 127) |
2187 Dec 15 (Saros 128) |
2198 Nov 13 (Saros 129) | |||||||
Half-Saros cycle
[edit]A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[9] This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 120.
| March 20, 2015 | March 30, 2033 |
|---|---|
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "March 24–25, 2024 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ Hermit Eclipse: Saros cycle 113
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2024 Mar 25" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2024 Mar 25". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "NASA - Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 113". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
- ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 113
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
[edit]- Saros cycle 113
- 2024 Mar 25 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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