A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Thursday, September 17, 1959,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.0495. 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 6.1 days before apogee (on September 23, 1959, at 2:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | September 17, 1959 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.0296 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.0495 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 117 (49 of 72) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 268 minutes, 2 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Visibility
editThe eclipse was completely visible over South America, Africa, and Europe, seen rising over North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over the western half of 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 | 0.98742 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.04953 |
| Gamma | 1.02963 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 11h35m46.2s |
| Sun Declination | +02°37'11.9" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'54.7" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 23h34m35.7s |
| Moon Declination | -01°41'57.4" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'20.7" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°56'19.0" |
| ΔT | 33.0 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.
| September 17 Descending node (full moon) |
October 2 Ascending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| |
|
| Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 117 |
Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 143 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1959
edit- A partial lunar eclipse on March 24.
- An annular solar eclipse on April 8.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 17.
- A total solar eclipse on October 2.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 29, 1955
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 6, 1963
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 5, 1952
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 29, 1966
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 12, 1950
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 22, 1968
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 18, 1948
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 17, 1970
Lunar Saros 117
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 5, 1941
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 27, 1977
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 7, 1930
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 27, 1988
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 15, 1872
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 18, 2046
Lunar eclipses of 1958–1962
edit| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
| 102 | 1958 Apr 04
|
Penumbral
|
-1.53805 | |||||
| 112 | 1959 Mar 24
|
Partial
|
-0.87571 | 117 | 1959 Sep 17
|
Penumbral
|
1.02963 | |
| 122 | 1960 Mar 13
|
Total
|
-0.17990 | 127 | 1960 Sep 05
|
Total
|
0.24219 | |
| 132 | 1961 Mar 02
|
Partial
|
0.55406 | 137 | 1961 Aug 26
|
Partial
|
-0.48947 | |
| 142 | 1962 Feb 19
|
Penumbral
|
1.25115 | 147 | 1962 Aug 15
|
Penumbral
|
-1.22104 | |
| Last set | 1958 May 03 | Last set | 1958 Oct 27 | |||||
| Next set | 1963 Jan 09 | Next set | 1962 Jul 17 | |||||
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 124.
| September 12, 1950 | September 22, 1968 |
|---|---|
|
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "September 16–17, 1959 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1959 Sep 17" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1959 Sep 17". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 1959 Sep 17 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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