May 2021 lunar eclipse

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File:May 2021 lunar eclipse animation.gif
This animation shows the Moon moving west to east, passing into the shadow of Earth in Scorpius near the Milky Way. It first enters the outer penumbral shadow, and then the dark umbral shadow. Here, the brightness of the Moon is exaggerated within the umbral shadow. The southern part of the Moon is darkest due to it being closest to the centre of the shadow.

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 26, 2021,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.0112. 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 only about 14 hours after perigee (on May 25, 2021, at 21:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]

It was the first total lunar eclipse since the January 2019 lunar eclipse, and the first in a series of an almost tetrad (with four consecutive total or deep partial lunar eclipses).[3] The next total eclipse occurred in May 2022. The event took place near lunar perigee; as a result, this supermoon was referred to in US media coverage as a "super flower blood moon",[Note 1][4][5] and elsewhere as a "super blood moon".[6][7]

This lunar eclipse was the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on November 19, 2021 (partial); May 16, 2022 (total); and November 8, 2022 (total).

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over Australia and the central Pacific Ocean, seen rising over south and east Asia and setting over North and South America.[8]

File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2021May26.png File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2021May26.png
File:Visibility Lunar Eclipse 2021-05-26.png
Visibility map

Timing

Local times are recomputed here for the time zones of the areas where the eclipse was visible:

Local times of contacts
Time Zone
adjustments from
UTC
+8h +10h +12h -10h -8h -7h -6h -5h -4h
AWST AEST NZST HST AKDT PDT MDT CDT EDT
Event Evening 26 May / Morning 27 May Morning 26 May
P1 Penumbral began 4:48 pm 6:48 pm 8:48 pm 10:48 pm 12:48 am 1:48 am 2:48 am 3:48 am 4:48 am
U1 Partial began 5:45 pm 7:45 pm 9:45 pm 11:45 pm 1:45 am 2:45 am 3:45 am 4:45 am 5:16 am
U2 Total began 7:11 pm 9:11 pm 11:11 pm 1:11 am 3:11 am 4:11 am 5:11 am 6:11 am Set
Greatest eclipse 7:19 pm 9:19 pm 11:19 pm 1:19 am 3:19 am 4:19 am 5:19 am 6:19 am Set
U3 Total ended 7:26 pm 9:26 pm 11:26 pm 1:26 am 3:26 am 4:26 am 5:26 am Set Set
U4 Partial ended 8:52 pm 10:52 pm 12:52 am 2:52 am 4:52 am Set Set Set Set
P4 Penumbral ended 9:50 pm 11:50 pm 1:50 am 3:50 am 5:50 am Set Set Set Set
File:Lunar eclipse contact diagram.svg
Contact points relative to the Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows, here with the Moon near its descending node.

Template:Total lunar eclipse contacts

Gallery

Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular lunar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[9]

May 26, 2021 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 1.95575
Umbral Magnitude 1.01120
Gamma 0.47741
Sun Right Ascension 04h14m03.6s
Sun Declination +21°12'25.4"
Sun Semi-Diameter 15'47.3"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7"
Moon Right Ascension 16h14m37.8s
Moon Declination -20°44'15.0"
Moon Semi-Diameter 16'42.9"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°01'20.5"
ΔT 70.0 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.

Eclipse season of May–June 2021
May 26
Descending node (full moon)
June 10
Ascending node (new moon)
File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2021May26.png File:SE2021Jun10A.png
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 121
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 147

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2021

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Lunar Saros 121

Inex

Triad

Lunar eclipses of 2020–2023

Template:Lunar eclipse set 2020-2023

Saros 121

Template:Lunar Saros series 121

Tritos series

Template:Lunar Tritos series June 2010

Inex series

Template:Lunar Inex series May 2021

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[10] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 128.

May 20, 2012 June 1, 2030
File:SE2012May20A.png File:SE2030Jun01A.png

See also

Notes

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  1. A full moon occurring in May has been termed a "Flower moon" in the US as recorded in the Old Farmer's Almanac.

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References

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  1. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  3. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. Look up! The Super Flower Blood Moon lunar eclipse is coming 26 May Template:Webarchive www.space.com
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  10. Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros

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