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DeutschAugust 1951 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | August 17, 1951 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.4828 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.8455 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 108 (71 of 72) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 93 minutes, 36 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Friday, August 17, 1951,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.8455. 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 1.9 days after perigee (on August 15, 1951, at 5:05 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
This eclipse was the third of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 1951, with the others occurring on February 21, March 23, and September 15.
Visibility
[edit]The eclipse was completely visible over eastern and central North America, South America, western Europe, and much of Africa, seen rising over northwestern North America and setting over Eastern Europe, east Africa, and the Middle East.[3]
| Center of moon | Lunar north pole |
|---|---|
 |  |
Eclipse details
[edit]Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 0.11962 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.84547 |
| Gamma | −1.48284 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 09h43m00.9s |
| Sun Declination | +13°43'00.9" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'47.8" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 21h45m34.5s |
| Moon Declination | -15°03'57.5" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'22.1" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°00'04.5" |
| ΔT | 29.7 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.
| August 17 Ascending node (full moon) | September 1 Descending node (new moon) | September 15 Ascending node (full moon) |
|---|---|---|
|  |  |
| Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 108 | Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 134 | Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 146 |
Related eclipses
[edit]Eclipses in 1951
[edit]- A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 21.
- An annular solar eclipse on March 7.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 23.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 17.
- An annular solar eclipse on September 1.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 15.
Metonic
[edit]- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 5, 1955
Tzolkinex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 6, 1944
Half-Saros
[edit]- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 12, 1942
Tritos
[edit]- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 17, 1962
Lunar Saros 108
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 5, 1933
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 27, 1969
Inex
[edit]- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 27, 1980
Triad
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 15, 1864
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 17, 2038
Lunar eclipses of 1951–1955
[edit]| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date viewing | Type chart | Saros | Date viewing | Type chart | |
| 103 | 1951 Feb 21 | Penumbral | 108 | 1951 Aug 17 | Penumbral | |
| 113 | 1952 Feb 11 | Partial | 118 | 1952 Aug 5 | Partial | |
| 123 | 1953 Jan 29 | Total | 128 | 1953 Jul 26 | Total | |
| 133 | 1954 Jan 19 | Total | 138 | 1954 Jul 16 | Partial | |
| 143 | 1955 Jan 8 | Penumbral | ||||
| Last set | 1951 Mar 23 | Last set | 1951 Sep 15 | |||
| Next set | 1955 Nov 29 | Next set | 1955 Jun 5 | |||
Metonic series
[edit]This is the third of five Metonic lunar eclipses.
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.
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date | Type | Saros | Date | Type | |
| 103 | 1951 Feb 21.88 | Penumbral | 108 | 1951 Aug 17.13 | Penumbral | |
 |  | |||||
| 113 | 1970 Feb 21.35 | Partial | 118 | 1970 Aug 17.14 | Partial | |
 |  | |||||
| 123 | 1989 Feb 20.64 | Total | 128 | 1989 Aug 17.13 | Total | |
 |  | |||||
| 133 | 2008 Feb 21.14 | Total | 138 | 2008 Aug 16.88 | Partial | |
 |  | |||||
| 143 | 2027 Feb 20.96 | Penumbral | 148 | 2027 Aug 17.30 | Penumbral | |
 |  | |||||
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).[5] This lunar eclipse is related to one partial solar eclipse of Solar Saros 115.
| August 12, 1942 |
|---|
 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "August 16–17, 1951 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1951 Aug 17" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1951 Aug 17". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
[edit]- 1951 Aug 17 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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