A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Thursday, January 21, 2038,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.1127. 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 3.1 days before perigee (on January 24, 2038, at 4:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | January 21, 2038 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.0710 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.1127 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 144 (17 of 70) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 245 minutes, 48 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
This eclipse will be the first of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 2038, with the others occurring on June 17, July 16, and December 11.
Visibility
editThe eclipse will be completely visible over North and South America, west Africa, and Europe, seen rising over the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over east Africa and west and central 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 | 0.90085 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.11271 |
| Gamma | 1.07108 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 20h13m39.3s |
| Sun Declination | -19°53'23.0" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'15.2" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 08h14m12.5s |
| Moon Declination | +20°55'55.8" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'02.1" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°58'51.1" |
| ΔT | 78.0 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 5 Descending node (new moon) |
January 21 Ascending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 132 |
Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 144 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 2038
edit- An annular solar eclipse on January 5.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on January 21.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on June 17.
- An annular solar eclipse on July 2.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 16.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on December 11.
- A total solar eclipse on December 26.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 3, 2034
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 8, 2041
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 9, 2030
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2045
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 14, 2029
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 26, 2047
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 2027
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 20, 2048
Lunar Saros 144
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 10, 2020
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 1, 2056
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 9, 2009
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 31, 2066
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 23, 1951
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 21, 2124
Lunar eclipses of 2035–2038
edit| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart | |
| 114 | 2035 Feb 22
|
Penumbral
|
119 | 2035 Aug 19
|
Partial
| |
| 124 | 2036 Feb 11
|
Total
|
129 | 2036 Aug 07
|
Total
| |
| 134 | 2037 Jan 31
|
Total
|
139 | 2037 Jul 27
|
Partial
| |
| 144 | 2038 Jan 21
|
Penumbral
|
149 | 2038 Jul 16
|
Penumbral
| |
| Last set | 2034 Apr 03 | Last set | 2034 Sep 28 | |||
| Next set | 2038 Jun 17 | Next set | 2038 Dec 11 | |||
Saros 144
editLunar Saros series 144, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 20 total lunar eclipses.
First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 1749 Jul 29
First Partial Lunar Eclipse: 2146 Mar 28
First Total Lunar Eclipse: 2308 Jul 04
First Central Lunar Eclipse: 2362 Aug 06
Greatest Eclipse of the Lunar Saros 144: 2416 Sep 07
Last Central Lunar Eclipse: 2488 Oct 20
Last Total Lunar Eclipse: 2651 Jan 28
Last Partial Lunar Eclipse: 2867 Jun 08
Last Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 3011 Sep 04
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 151.
| January 14, 2029 | January 26, 2047 |
|---|---|
|
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "January 20–21, 2038 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2038 Jan 21" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2038 Jan 21". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 2038 Jan 21 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC