March 2043 lunar eclipse

March 2043 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left
DateMarch 25, 2043
Gamma0.3849
Magnitude1.1161
Saros cycle123 (54 of 72)
Totality53 minutes, 24 seconds
Partiality214 minutes, 37 seconds
Penumbral359 minutes, 16 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P111:30:59
U112:43:16
U214:03:53
Greatest14:30:36
U314:57:17
U416:17:53
P417:30:15

A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, March 25, 2043,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.1161. 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 3.4 days before apogee (on March 29, 2043, at 1:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.[2]

This lunar eclipse is the first of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on September 19, 2043; March 13, 2044; and September 7, 2044.

Visibility

The eclipse will be completely visible over east Asia, Australia, and the western Pacific Ocean, seen rising over central and east Africa, eastern Europe, and west, central, and south Asia and setting over much of North America.[3]

Eclipse details

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

March 25, 2043 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 2.19197
Umbral Magnitude 1.11611
Gamma 0.38490
Sun Right Ascension 00h17m45.9s
Sun Declination +01°55'21.5"
Sun Semi-Diameter 16'02.4"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.8"
Moon Right Ascension 12h18m26.9s
Moon Declination -01°36'57.6"
Moon Semi-Diameter 14'54.5"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°54'42.9"
ΔT 81.0 s

Eclipse season

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 March–April 2043
March 25
Descending node (full moon)
April 9
Ascending node (new moon)
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 123
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 149

Eclipses in 2043

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Lunar Saros 123

Inex

Triad

Lunar eclipses of 2042–2045

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 eclipse on October 28, 2042 occurs in the previous lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 2042 to 2045
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma
113 2042 Apr 05
Penumbral
1.1080 118 2042 Sep 29
Penumbral
−1.0261
123 2043 Mar 25
Total
0.3849 128 2043 Sep 19
Total
−0.3316
133 2044 Mar 13
Total
−0.3496 138 2044 Sep 07
Total
0.4318
143 2045 Mar 03
Penumbral
−1.0274 148 2045 Aug 27
Penumbral
1.2060

Saros 123

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 123, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on August 16, 1087. It contains partial eclipses from May 2, 1520 through July 6, 1610; total eclipses from July 16, 1628 through April 4, 2061; and a second set of partial eclipses from April 16, 2079 through July 2, 2205. The series ends at member 72 as a penumbral eclipse on October 8, 2367.

The longest duration of totality was produced by member 37 at 105 minutes, 58 seconds on September 20, 1736. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[6]

Greatest First
The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1736 Sep 20, lasting 105 minutes, 58 seconds.[7] Penumbral Partial Total Central
1087 Aug 16
1520 May 02
1628 Jul 16
1682 Aug 18
Last
Central Total Partial Penumbral
1953 Jan 29
2061 Apr 04
2205 Jul 02
2367 Oct 08

Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[8] This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 130.

March 20, 2034 March 30, 2052

See also

References

  1. ^ "March 25–26, 2043 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2043 Mar 25" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2043 Mar 25". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 3 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. ^ "NASA - Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 123". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
  7. ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 123
  8. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros