A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, April 13, 1949,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.4251. 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 19 hours after perigee (on April 12, 1949, at 9:35 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | April 13, 1949 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.2474 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.4251 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 121 (52 of 84) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 84 minutes, 56 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 205 minutes, 42 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 315 minutes, 50 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
This lunar eclipse was the first of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on October 7, 1949; April 2, 1950; and September 26, 1950.
Visibility
editThe eclipse was completely visible over central and eastern North America, South America, and Antarctica, seen rising over western North America 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 | 2.38255 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.42511 |
| Gamma | 0.24740 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 01h24m45.8s |
| Sun Declination | 08°54'38.8" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'56.9" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 13h25m14.0s |
| Moon Declination | -08°41'13.4" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'39.4" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°01'07.9" |
| ΔT | 28.8 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.
| April 13 Descending node (full moon) |
April 28 Ascending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| |
|
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 121 |
Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 147 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1949
edit- A total lunar eclipse on April 13.
- A partial solar eclipse on April 28.
- A total lunar eclipse on October 7.
- A partial solar eclipse on October 21.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 25, 1945
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 29, 1953
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 1942
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 24, 1956
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 7, 1940
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 19, 1958
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 14, 1938
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 1960
Lunar Saros 121
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 2, 1931
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 24, 1967
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 3, 1920
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 24, 1978
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 12, 1862
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2036
Lunar eclipses of 1948–1951
edit| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart |
Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart | |
| 111 | 1948 Apr 23
|
Partial
|
116 | 1948 Oct 18
|
Penumbral
| |
| 121 | 1949 Apr 13
|
Total
|
126 | 1949 Oct 07
|
Total
| |
| 131 | 1950 Apr 02
|
Total
|
136 | 1950 Sep 26
|
Total
| |
| 141 | 1951 Mar 23
|
Penumbral
|
146 | 1951 Sep 15
|
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 128.
| April 7, 1940 | April 19, 1958 |
|---|---|
|
|
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "April 12–13, 1949 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1949 Apr 13" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1949 Apr 13". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 1949 Apr 13 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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