August 2009 lunar eclipse
Encyclopedia
| Penumbral Lunar Eclipse August 6, 2009 |
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 This subtle penumbral eclipse covered a fraction of the southern edge of the moon as shown in this animation by John Walker John Walker (programmer) John Walker is a computer programmer and a co-founder of the computer-aided design software company Autodesk, and a co-author of early versions of AutoCAD, a product Autodesk originally acquired from programmer Michael Riddle... , viewed from Lignières, Switzerland. |
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| Series (and member) Saros cycle The saros is a period of 223 synodic months , that can be used to predict eclipses of the Sun and Moon. One saros after an eclipse, the Sun, Earth, and Moon return to approximately the same relative geometry, and a nearly identical eclipse will occur, in what is referred to as an eclipse cycle... |
148 (3rd) |
| Duration (hr:mn:sc) | |
| Penumbral | 1:38:09 |
| Contacts | |
| P1 | 23:01:04 UTC (Aug 5) |
| Greatest | 0:39:11 UTC |
| P4 | 2:17:23 UTC |
 The moon's hourly motion west to east through the constellation of Capricornus and the northern edge of the Earth's penumbral shadow |
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A penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a...
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.
Visibility
The eclipse was completely visible over Africa and Europe and South America. It was seen rising over eastern North America and setting over Asia.
Lunar year cycles (354 days)
The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunations or 354 days (Shifting back about 10 days in sequential years). Because of the date shift, the Earth's shadow will be about 11 degrees west in sequential events.See also
- List of lunar eclipses and List of 21st century lunar eclipses
- :File:2009-08-06 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart