December 2009 lunar eclipse
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox lunar eclipse A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Thursday, December 31, 2009,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 0.0779. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when one part of the Moon is in the Earth's umbra, while the other part is in 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 only about 20 hours before perigee (on January 1, 2010, at 15:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
This eclipse was the last of four lunar eclipses in 2009, with the others occurring on February 9 (penumbral), July 7 (penumbral), and August 6 (penumbral).
This lunar eclipse was also notable, because it occurred during a blue moon (a second full moon in December) and was near perigee (making it a supermoon). The next eclipse on New Year's Eve and blue moon will occur on December 31, 2028.
Only a small portion of the Moon entered the Earth's umbral shadow, but there was a distinct darkening visible over the Moon's southern surface at greatest eclipse.
Visibility
The eclipse was completely visible over Europe, Asia, and much of Africa, seen rising over eastern North America and setting over Australia and the Pacific Ocean.[3]
| File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2009Dec31.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2009Dec31.png Hourly motion shown right to left |
File:Lunar eclipse chart-2009Dec31.png The Moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Gemini. |
| File:Visibility Lunar Eclipse 2009-12-31.png Visibility map | ||
Images
Gallery
File:-20091231sequence.jpg
Progression from Degania A, Israel
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Sheffield, England, 19:14 UTC
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Qingdao, China, 19:16 UTC
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Laguja, Estonia, 19:21 UTC
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Beijing, China
At maximum, 19:22 UTC -
Tokyo, Japan, 19:32 UTC
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Chennai, India, 19:33 UTC
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Barcelona, Spain, 19:34 UTC
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Athens, Greece, 19:34 UTC
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Helsinki, Finland, 19:47 UTC
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Nonthaburi, Thailand, 19:59 UTC
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Belfort, France
Combined images
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Eclipse details
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 | 1.05719 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 0.07793 |
| Gamma | 0.97660 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 18h44m37.2s |
| Sun Declination | -23°02'33.1" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'15.9" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 06h45m22.4s |
| Moon Declination | +24°01'10.3" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'36.6" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°00'57.6" |
| ΔT | 66.1 s |
Eclipse season
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". 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.
| December 31 Descending node (full moon) |
January 15 Ascending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2009Dec31.png | File:SE2010Jan15A.png |
| Partial lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 115 |
Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 141 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 2009
- An annular solar eclipse on January 26.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 9.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 7.
- A total solar eclipse on July 22.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 6.
- A partial lunar eclipse on December 31.
Metonic
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 14, 2006
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 18, 2013
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 20, 2002
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2017
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 25, 2000
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 6, 2019
Tritos
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 31, 1999
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 30, 2020
Lunar Saros 115
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 21, 1991
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 12, 2028
Inex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 20, 1981
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 11, 2038
Triad
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 1923
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 31, 2096
Lunar eclipses of 2009–2013
Template:Lunar eclipse set 2009-2013
Saros 115
Template:Lunar Saros series 115
Tritos series
Template:Lunar Tritos series December 2009
Inex series
Template:Lunar Inex series December 2009
Half-Saros cycle
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 two partial solar eclipses of Solar Saros 122.
| December 25, 2000 | January 6, 2019 |
|---|---|
| File:SE2000Dec25P.png | File:SE2019Jan06P.png |
See also
- List of lunar eclipses
- List of 21st-century lunar eclipses
- File:2009-12-31 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart
References
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External links
- Template:LEplot2001 link
- Hermit eclipse: 2009-12-31
- [1] Eclipse enthusiasts in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia can celebrate New Year's Eve by observing a partial lunar eclipse on December 31, 2009. The event's duration will be about four hours.