A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, February 9, 1944,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.5223. 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 1.1 days before apogee (on February 10, 1944, at 7:45 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | February 9, 1944 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.2698 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.5223 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 142 (14 of 74) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 226 minutes, 39 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
This eclipse was the first of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 1944, with the others occurring on July 6, August 4, and December 29.
Visibility
editThe eclipse was completely visible over North and South America, west Africa, and western Europe, seen rising over northeast Asia and the central Pacific Ocean and setting over Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.[3]
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Eclipse details
editShown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 0.57926 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.52225 |
| Gamma | 1.26983 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 21h27m03.0s |
| Sun Declination | -15°01'28.5" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'12.7" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 09h28m05.2s |
| Moon Declination | 16°08'24.5" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'43.1" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'00.8" |
| ΔT | 26.4 s |
Eclipse season
editThis 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.
| January 25 Descending node (new moon) |
February 9 Ascending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 130 |
Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 142 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1944
edit- A total solar eclipse on January 25.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 9.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 6.
- An annular solar eclipse on July 20.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 4.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on December 29.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 22, 1940
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 28, 1947
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 28, 1936
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 23, 1951
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 3, 1935
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 14, 1953
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 12, 1933
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 8, 1955
Lunar Saros 142
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 28, 1926
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 19, 1962
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 1, 1915
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 18, 1973
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 9, 1857
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 9, 2030
Lunar eclipses of 1940–1944
edit| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart |
Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart | |
| 102 | 1940 Mar 23
|
Penumbral
|
107 | |||
| 112 | 1941 Mar 13
|
Partial
|
117 | 1941 Sep 05
|
Partial
| |
| 122 | 1942 Mar 03
|
Total
|
127 | 1942 Aug 26
|
Total
| |
| 132 | 1943 Feb 20
|
Partial
|
137 | 1943 Aug 15
|
Partial
| |
| 142 | 1944 Feb 09
|
Penumbral
|
147 | 1944 Aug 04
|
Penumbral
| |
Half-Saros cycle
editA 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 total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 149.
| February 3, 1935 | February 14, 1953 |
|---|---|
|
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See also
editExternal links
edit- Saros series 142
- 1944 Feb 09 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
 | This lunar eclipse-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- ^ "February 8–9, 1944 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1944 Feb 09" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1944 Feb 09". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros