September 1996 lunar eclipse
Template:Short description Template:Infobox lunar eclipse A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Friday, September 27, 1996,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.2395. 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 2.2 days after perigee (on September 24, 1996, at 22:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
This lunar eclipse was the second of an almost tetrad, with the others being on April 4, 1996 (total); March 24, 1997 (partial); and September 16, 1997 (total).
Visibility
The eclipse was completely visible over eastern North America, South America, western Europe, and west Africa, seen rising over western North America and the eastern and central Pacific Ocean and setting over eastern Europe, central and east Africa, and the western half of Asia.[3]
| File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1996Sep27.png File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1996Sep27.png |
Mid-infrared image of the Moon
During its totality, the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite's SPIRIT-III instrument took the image of the Moon in mid-infrared. At these wavelengths, MSX was able to characterize the thermal (heat) distribution of the lunar surface during the eclipse. The brightest regions are the warmest, and the darkest areas are the coolest. The well-known crater Tycho is the bright object to the south of center. Numerous other craters are also seen as bright spots, indicating that their temperature is higher than in the surrounding dark mare.[4]
Eclipse details
Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[5]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.21885 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.23953 |
| Gamma | 0.34264 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 12h15m43.1s |
| Sun Declination | -01°42'06.3" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'57.5" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 00h15m18.1s |
| Moon Declination | +02°01'37.4" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'17.8" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°59'48.4" |
| ΔT | 62.1 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.
| September 27 Descending node (full moon) |
October 12 Ascending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1996Sep27.png | File:SE1996Oct12P.png |
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 127 |
Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 153 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 1996
- A total lunar eclipse on April 4.
- A partial solar eclipse on April 17.
- A total lunar eclipse on September 27.
- A partial solar eclipse on October 12.
Metonic
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 9, 1992
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 16, 2000
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 17, 1989
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 9, 2003
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 23, 1987
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 3, 2005
Tritos
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 28, 1985
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 28, 2007
Lunar Saros 127
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 16, 1978
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 8, 2014
Inex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 18, 1967
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 7, 2025
Triad
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 27, 1909
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 29, 2083
Lunar eclipses of 1995–1998
Template:Lunar eclipse set 1995-1998
Saros 127
Template:Lunar Saros series 127
Tritos series
Template:Lunar Tritos series August 2007
Inex series
Template:Lunar Inex series September 2025
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 annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 134.
| September 23, 1987 | October 3, 2005 |
|---|---|
| File:SE1987Sep23A.png | File:SE2005Oct03A.png |
See also
References
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