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May 1966 lunar eclipse

May 1966 lunar eclipse
Penumbral eclipse
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left
DateMay 4, 1966
Gamma1.0554
Magnitude−0.0727
Saros cycle111 (64 of 71)
Penumbral245 minutes, 57 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P119:08:27
Greatest21:11:29
P423:14:24

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 4, 1966,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.0727. 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 2.75 days after perigee (on May 1, 1966, at 15:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over Africa, Europe, the western half of Asia, and Antarctica, seen rising over South America and the Atlantic Ocean and setting over east Asia and 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]

May 4, 1966 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 0.91576
Umbral Magnitude −0.07272
Gamma 1.05536
Sun Right Ascension 02h45m54.8s
Sun Declination +16°01'34.2"
Sun Semi-Diameter 15'51.5"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7"
Moon Right Ascension 14h47m34.9s
Moon Declination -15°04'18.1"
Moon Semi-Diameter 16'02.6"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°58'52.9"
ΔT 36.8 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 May 1966
May 4
Descending node (full moon)
May 20
Ascending node (new moon)
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 111
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 137

Eclipses in 1966

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Lunar Saros 111

Inex

Triad

Lunar eclipses of 1966–1969

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 eclipse on August 27, 1969 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 1966 to 1969
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma
111 1966 May 04
Penumbral
1.0554 116 1966 Oct 29
Penumbral
−1.0600
121 1967 Apr 24
Total
0.2972 126 1967 Oct 18
Total
−0.3653
131 1968 Apr 13
Total
−0.4173 136 1968 Oct 06
Total
0.3605
141 1969 Apr 02
Penumbral
−1.1765 146 1969 Sep 25
Penumbral
1.0656

Metonic series

The metonic cycle repeats nearly exactly every 19 years and represents a Saros cycle plus one lunar year. Because it occurs on the same calendar date, the Earth's shadow will in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.

Metonic events: May 4 and October 28
Descending node Ascending node
  1. 1966 May 4 - Penumbral (111)
  2. 1985 May 4 - Total (121)
  3. 2004 May 4 - Total (131)
  4. 2023 May 5 - Penumbral (141)
  1. 1966 Oct 29 - Penumbral (116)
  2. 1985 Oct 28 - Total (126)
  3. 2004 Oct 28 - Total (136)
  4. 2023 Oct 28 - Partial (146)
  5. 2042 Oct 28 - Penumbral (156)

Saros 111

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 111, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on June 10, 830 AD. It contains partial eclipses from September 14, 992 AD through April 8, 1335; total eclipses from April 19, 1353 through August 4, 1533; and a second set of partial eclipses from August 16, 1551 through April 23, 1948. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on July 19, 2092.

The longest duration of totality was produced by member 35 at 106 minutes, 14 seconds on June 12, 1443. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[6]

Greatest First
The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1443 Jun 12, lasting 106 minutes, 14 seconds.[7] Penumbral Partial Total Central
830 Jun 10
992 Sep 14
1353 Apr 19
1389 May 10
Last
Central Total Partial Penumbral
1497 Jul 14
1533 Aug 04
1948 Apr 23
2092 Jul 19

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 118.

April 30, 1957 May 11, 1975

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "May 4–5, 1966 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1966 May 04" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1966 May 04". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  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 111". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
  7. ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 111
  8. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros