A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, April 26, 2051,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.2034. 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 2.6 days after apogee (on April 23, 2051, at 12:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.[2]
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | April 26, 2051 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.3371 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2034 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 132 (32 of 71) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 69 minutes, 35 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 220 minutes, 51 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 364 minutes, 48 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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This lunar eclipse is the third of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on May 6, 2050; October 30, 2050; and October 19, 2051.
Visibility
editThe eclipse will be completely visible over South America and west Africa, seen rising over North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over central and east Africa, Europe, and west, central, and south Asia.[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 | 2.27848 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.20339 |
| Gamma | 0.33710 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 02h14m06.4s |
| Sun Declination | 13°27'39.8" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'53.9" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 14h14m24.0s |
| Moon Declination | -13°09'52.9" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'47.3" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'16.4" |
| ΔT | 85.9 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 11 Descending node (new moon) |
April 26 Ascending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
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| Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 120 |
Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 132 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 2051
edit- A partial solar eclipse on April 11.
- A total lunar eclipse on April 26.
- A partial solar eclipse on October 4.
- A total lunar eclipse on October 19.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 7, 2047
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2055
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 2044
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 6, 2058
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 20, 2042
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 30, 2060
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 26, 2040
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 25, 2062
Lunar Saros 132
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 14, 2033
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 6, 2069
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 16, 2022
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 2080
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 25, 1964
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 24, 2138
Lunar eclipses of 2049–2052
edit| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart | |
| 112 | 2049 May 17
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Penumbral
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117 | 2049 Nov 09
|
Penumbral
| |
| 122 | 2050 May 06
|
Total
|
127 | 2050 Oct 30
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Total
| |
| 132 | 2051 Apr 26
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Total
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137 | 2051 Oct 19
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Total
| |
| 142 | 2052 Apr 14
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Penumbral
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147 | 2052 Oct 08
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Partial
| |
| Last set | 2049 Jun 15 | Last set | 2048 Dec 20 | |||
| Next set | 2053 Mar 04 | Next set | 2053 Aug 29 | |||
Saros 132
editLunar saros series 132, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 44 umbral lunar eclipses (32 partial lunar eclipses and 12 total lunar eclipses).
| Greatest | First | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2123 Jun 9, lasting 106 minutes.[5] |
Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
1492 May 12
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1636 Aug 16
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2015 Apr 4
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2069 May 6
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| Last | ||||
| Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral | |
2177 Jul 11
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2213 Aug 2
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2429 Dec 11
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2754 Jun 26
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There are 11 series events between 1901 and 2100, grouped into threes (called an exeligmos), each column with approximately the same viewing longitude on earth.
| 1907 Jan 29 | 1925 Feb 8 | 1943 Feb 20 | |||
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| 1961 Mar 2 | 1979 Mar 13 | 1997 Mar 24 | |||
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| 2015 Apr 4 | 2033 Apr 14 | 2051 Apr 26 | |||
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| 2069 May 6 | 2087 May 17 | ||||
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Half-Saros cycle
editA 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 total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 139.
| April 20, 2042 | April 30, 2060 |
|---|---|
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "April 25–26, 2051 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2051 Apr 26" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2051 Apr 26". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 132
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 2051 Apr 26 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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