January 1954 lunar eclipse

January 1954 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left
DateJanuary 19, 1954
Gamma−0.4357
Magnitude1.0322
Saros cycle133 (23 of 71)
Totality28 minutes, 12 seconds
Partiality202 minutes, 53 seconds
Penumbral341 minutes, 12 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P123:41:17
U10:50:22
U22:17:43
Greatest2:31:50
U32:45:55
U44:13:15
P45:22:29

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, January 19, 1954,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.0322. 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 6.4 days before apogee (on January 25, 1954, at 12:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over much of North and South America, west Africa, and Europe, seen rising over western North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over southern and east Africa and much of Asia.[3]

Eclipse details

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

January 19, 1954 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 2.08525
Umbral Magnitude 1.03216
Gamma −0.43573
Sun Right Ascension 20h02m25.4s
Sun Declination -20°28'09.9"
Sun Semi-Diameter 16'15.3"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9"
Moon Right Ascension 08h01m54.0s
Moon Declination +20°04'36.5"
Moon Semi-Diameter 15'26.2"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°56'39.0"
ΔT 30.7 s

Eclipse season

See also: Eclipse cycle

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 January 1954
January 5
Ascending node (new moon)
 January 19
Descending node (full moon)
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 121		 Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 133

Eclipses in 1954

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Lunar Saros 133

Inex

Triad

Lunar eclipses of 1951–1955

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 March 23, 1951 and September 15, 1951 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the lunar eclipses on June 5, 1955 (penumbral) and November 29, 1955 (partial) occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 1951 to 1955
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma
103 1951 Feb 21
 Penumbral
 − 108 1951 Aug 17
 Penumbral
 −1.4828
113 1952 Feb 11
 Partial
 0.9416 118 1952 Aug 05
 Partial
 −0.7384
123 1953 Jan 29
 Total
 0.2606 128 1953 Jul 26
 Total
 −0.0071
133 1954 Jan 19
 Total
 −0.4357 138 1954 Jul 16
 Partial
 0.7877
143 1955 Jan 08
 Penumbral
 −1.0907

Saros 133

It was part of Saros series 133.

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[6] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 140.

January 14, 1945 January 25, 1963

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "January 18–19, 1954 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1954 Jan 19" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1954 Jan 19". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 22 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. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros