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February 2054 lunar eclipse

February 2054 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left
DateFebruary 22, 2054
Gamma−0.3242
Magnitude1.2781
Saros cycle124 (51 of 74)
Totality72 minutes, 8 seconds
Partiality200 minutes, 53 seconds
Penumbral314 minutes, 45 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P14:12:25
U15:09:19
U26:13:41
Greatest6:49:46
U37:25:49
U48:30:12
P49:27:09

A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Sunday, February 22, 2054,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.2781. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. 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 two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. Occurring about 1.2 days before perigee (on February 21, 2054, at 2:55 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]

This lunar eclipse will be the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on August 18, 2054 (total); February 11, 2055 (total); and August 7, 2055 (partial).

Visibility

The eclipse will be completely visible over North and South America, seen rising over much of Africa and Europe and setting over northeast Asia and eastern Australia.[3]

Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]

February 22, 2054 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 2.25022
Umbral Magnitude 1.27805
Gamma −0.32419
Sun Right Ascension 22h23m02.4s
Sun Declination -10°05'18.4"
Sun Semi-Diameter 16'10.2"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9"
Moon Right Ascension 10h22m40.9s
Moon Declination +09°46'14.8"
Moon Semi-Diameter 16'38.0"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°01'02.7"
ΔT 87.8 s

Eclipse season

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.

Eclipse season of February–March 2054
February 22
Ascending node (full moon)
March 9
Descending node (new moon)
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 124
Partial solar eclipse
Solar Saros 150

Eclipses in 2054

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Lunar Saros 124

Inex

Triad

Lunar eclipses of 2053–2056

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.[5]

The penumbral lunar eclipses on June 27, 2056 and December 22, 2056 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 2053 to 2056
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma
114 2053 Mar 04
Penumbral
−1.0530 119 2053 Aug 29
Penumbral
1.0165
124 2054 Feb 22
Total
−0.3242 129 2054 Aug 18
Total
0.2806
134 2055 Feb 11
Total
0.3526 139 2055 Aug 07
Partial
−0.4769
144 2056 Feb 01
Penumbral
1.0682 149 2056 Jul 26
Partial
−1.2048

Saros 124

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 124, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 73 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on August 17, 1152. It contains partial eclipses from March 21, 1513 through June 15, 1639; total eclipses from June 25, 1657 through April 18, 2144; and a second set of partial eclipses from April 29, 2162 through July 14, 2288. The series ends at member 73 as a penumbral eclipse on October 21, 2450.

The longest duration of totality was produced by member 39 at 101 minutes, 27 seconds on August 30, 1765. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.[6]

Greatest First
The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1765 Aug 30, lasting 101 minutes, 27 seconds.[7] Penumbral Partial Total Central
1152 Aug 17
1513 Mar 21
1657 Jun 25
1711 Jul 29
Last
Central Total Partial Penumbral
1909 Nov 27
2144 Apr 18
2288 Jul 14
2450 Oct 21

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.

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[8] This lunar eclipse is related to two solar eclipses of Solar Saros 131.

February 16, 2045 February 28, 2063

See also

References

  1. ^ "February 21–22, 2054 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2054 Feb 22" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2054 Feb 22". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "NASA - Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 124". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
  7. ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 124
  8. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros