July 2020 lunar eclipse

July 2020 lunar eclipse
Penumbral eclipse
During moonrise in Springfield, OR at 4:22 UTC
DateJuly 5, 2020
Gamma−1.3638
Magnitude-0.6422
Saros cycle149 (3 of 72)
Penumbral165 minutes
Contacts (UTC)
P13:07:23
Greatest4:30:00
P45:52:23

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Sunday, July 5, 2020,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.6422. 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. The Moon's apparent diameter was near the average diameter because it occurred 5.3 days after perigee (on June 29, 2020, at 22:10 UTC) and 7.5 days before apogee (on July 12, 2020, at 15:30 UTC).[2]

This eclipse was the third of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 2020, with the others occurring on January 10, June 5, and November 30.

Visibility

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


Visibility map

Eclipse details

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

July 5, 2020 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 0.35600
Umbral Magnitude −0.64219
Gamma −1.36387
Sun Right Ascension 06h59m10.5s
Sun Declination +22°44'23.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter 15'43.9"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.6"
Moon Right Ascension 18h59m12.6s
Moon Declination -24°03'16.2"
Moon Semi-Diameter 15'45.6"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°57'50.4"
ΔT 69.7 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.

Eclipse season of June–July 2020
June 5
Descending node (full moon)
 June 21
Ascending node (new moon)
 July 5
Descending node (full moon)
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 111		 Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 137		 Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 149

Eclipses in 2020

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Lunar Saros 149

Inex

Triad

Lunar eclipses of 2016–2020

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, 2016 and September 16, 2016 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the penumbral lunar eclipses on June 5, 2020 and November 30, 2020 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 2016 to 2020
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma
109 2016 Aug 18
 Penumbral
 1.5641 114
 2017 Feb 11
 Penumbral
 −1.0255
119
 2017 Aug 07
 Partial
 0.8669 124
 2018 Jan 31
 Total
 −0.3014
129
 2018 Jul 27
 Total
 0.1168 134
 2019 Jan 21
 Total
 0.3684
139
 2019 Jul 16
 Partial
 −0.6430 144
 2020 Jan 10
 Penumbral
 1.0727
149 2020 Jul 05
 Penumbral
 −1.3639

Saros 149

It is part of Saros cycle 149.[citation needed]

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 partial solar eclipses of Solar Saros 156.

July 1, 2011 July 11, 2029

See also

References

  1. ^ "July 4–5, 2020 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2020 Jul 05" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2020 Jul 05". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 17 November 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