May 2031 lunar eclipse

May 2031 lunar eclipse
Penumbral eclipse
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left
DateMay 7, 2031
Gamma−1.0694
Magnitude−0.0892
Saros cycle112 (66 of 72)
Penumbral237 minutes, 21 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P11:52:06
Greatest3:41:03
P45:49:27

A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 7, 2031,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.0892. 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 2 days before perigee (on May 9, 2031, at 3:35 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]

Visibility

The eclipse will be completely visible over eastern North America, South America, Antarctica, and west Africa, seen rising over western North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.[3]

Eclipse details

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

May 7, 2031 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 0.88267
Umbral Magnitude −0.08921
Gamma −1.06949
Sun Right Ascension 02h55m49.7s
Sun Declination +16°44'40.2"
Sun Semi-Diameter 15'51.2"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7"
Moon Right Ascension 14h54m58.0s
Moon Declination -17°47'29.4"
Moon Semi-Diameter 16'18.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°59'52.0"
ΔT 74.5 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.

Eclipse season of May–June 2031
May 7
Ascending node (full moon)
May 21
Descending node (new moon)
June 5
Ascending node (full moon)
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 112
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 138
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 150

Eclipses in 2031

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Lunar Saros 112

Inex

Triad

Lunar eclipses of 2031–2034

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 June 5, 2031 occurs in the previous lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 2031 to 2034
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma Saros Date
Viewing
Type
Chart
Gamma
112 2031 May 07
Penumbral
−1.0694 117 2031 Oct 30
Penumbral
1.1774
122 2032 Apr 25
Total
−0.3558 127 2032 Oct 18
Total
0.4169
132 2033 Apr 14
Total
0.3954 137 2033 Oct 08
Total
−0.2889
142 2034 Apr 03
Penumbral
1.1144 147 2034 Sep 28
Partial
−1.0110

Saros 112

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 112, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 20, 859 AD. It contains partial eclipses from August 3, 985 AD through March 8, 1346; total eclipses from March 18, 1364 through August 27, 1616; and a second set of partial eclipses from September 7, 1634 through April 25, 2013. The series ends at member 72 as a penumbral eclipse on July 12, 2139.

The longest duration of totality was produced by member 36 at 99 minutes, 51 seconds on June 2, 1490. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.[6]

Greatest First
The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1490 Jun 02, lasting 99 minutes, 51 seconds.[7] Penumbral Partial Total Central
859 May 20
985 Aug 03
1364 Mar 18
1436 Apr 30
Last
Central Total Partial Penumbral
1562 Jul 16
1616 Aug 27
2013 Apr 25
2139 Jul 12

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.

Metonic series

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.

This series has 9 events centered on May 6th and October 30th: (saros number)

Ascending node Descending node
  1. 2031 May 07.160 - penumbral (112)
  2. 2050 May 06.937 - total (122)
  3. 2069 May 06.380 - total (132)
  4. 2088 May 05.677 - partial (142)
  5. 2107 May 07.186 - penumbral (152)
  1. 2031 Oct 30.323 - penumbral (117)
  2. 2050 Oct 30.139 - total (127)
  3. 2069 Oct 30.148 - total (137)
  4. 2088 Oct 30.125 - partial (147)

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 partial solar eclipses of Solar Saros 119.

April 30, 2022 May 11, 2040

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "May 6–7, 2031 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2031 May 07" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2031 May 07". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 21 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. ^ "NASA - Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 112". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
  7. ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 112
  8. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros