December 2009 lunar eclipse
Encyclopedia
| Partial Lunar Eclipse December 31, 2009 |
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Near maximum eclipse from Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
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 The southern edge of the moon will completely darken as the moon moves through the Earth's umbral shadow |
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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... |
115 (57 of 72) |
| Duration (hr:mn:sc) | |
| Partial | 0:59:58 |
| Penumbral | 4:11:03 |
| Contact times (UTC) | |
| P1 | 17:17:08 |
| U1 | 18:52:43 |
| Greatest | 19:22:39 |
| U4 | 19:52:41 |
| P4 | 21:28:11 |
 The moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Gemini Gemini (constellation) Gemini is one of the constellations of the zodiac. It was one of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. Its name is Latin for "twins", and it is associated with the twins Castor and Pollux in Greek mythology... |
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A partial 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...
was visible on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
, 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
Blue moon
A blue moon can refer to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Most years have twelve full moons that occur approximately monthly. In addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year of 12 lunations...
(a second full moon in December). The next eclipse on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
and blue moon
Blue moon
A blue moon can refer to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Most years have twelve full moons that occur approximately monthly. In addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year of 12 lunations...
will occur on December 31, 2028
December 2028 lunar eclipse
A total lunar eclipse will take place on December 31, 2028.-Saros series:This is the 19th of 26 total lunar eclipses in series 125. The previous occurrence was on December 21, 2010 and the next will occur on January 12, 2047....
.
Only a small portion of the Moon entered the Earth's umbral shadow, but there was a distinct darkening visible over the Moon's southern surface at greatest eclipse.
Visibility
It was visible from all of AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the lunar eclipse was started last January 1, 2010, when it was very visible at mid-dawn until before sunrise.
 This simulation shows the view of the earth as viewed from the center of the moon at greatest eclipse. The partially eclipsed sun is visible above the north pole. |
Lunar year (354 days)
This eclipse is the one of four lunar eclipses in a short-lived series. The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunationLunation
Lunation is the mean time for one lunar phase cycle . It is on average 29.530589 days, or 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes and 3 seconds...
s 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:2009-12-31 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart
External links
- Hermit eclipse: 2009-12-31
- http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar-eclipse-december-31-2009.html Eclipse enthusiasts in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia can celebrate New Year’s Eve by observing a partial lunar eclipse on December 31, 2009. The event’s duration will be about four hours.