January 1955 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | January 8, 1955 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.0907 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.1421 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 143 (15 of 73) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 236 minutes, 2 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Saturday, January 8, 1955,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.1421. 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 2.2 days after perigee (on January 6, 1955, at 8:55 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
Visibility
[edit]The eclipse was completely visible over east and north Asia, Australia, and northwestern North America, seen rising over much of the western half of Asia and northern Europe and setting over eastern North America and northwestern South America.[3]
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Eclipse details
[edit]Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 0.85553 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.14209 |
| Gamma | −1.09070 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 19h15m41.7s |
| Sun Declination | -22°18'18.6" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'15.9" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 07h14m38.8s |
| Moon Declination | +21°14'42.2" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'18.2" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°59'50.2" |
| ΔT | 31.1 s |
Eclipse season
[edit]This 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.
| December 25 Ascending node (new moon) |
January 8 Descending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 131 |
Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 143 |
Related eclipses
[edit]Eclipses in 1955
[edit]- A penumbral lunar eclipse on January 8.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on June 5.
- A total solar eclipse on June 20.
- A partial lunar eclipse on November 29.
- An annular solar eclipse on December 14.
Metonic
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 23, 1951
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 27, 1958
Tzolkinex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 28, 1947
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 19, 1962
Half-Saros
[edit]- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 3, 1946
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 14, 1964
Tritos
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 9, 1944
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 8, 1965
Lunar Saros 143
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 28, 1936
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 18, 1973
Inex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 28, 1926
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 20, 1983
Triad
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 8, 1868
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 8, 2041
Lunar eclipses of 1951–1955
[edit]| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart |
Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart | |
| 103 | 1951 Feb 21
|
Penumbral
|
108 | 1951 Aug 17
|
Penumbral
| |
| 113 | 1952 Feb 11
|
Partial
|
118 | 1952 Aug 5
|
Partial
| |
| 123 | 1953 Jan 29
|
Total
|
128 | 1953 Jul 26
|
Total
| |
| 133 | 1954 Jan 19
|
Total
|
138 | 1954 Jul 16
|
Partial
| |
| 143 | 1955 Jan 8
|
Penumbral
| ||||
| Last set | 1951 Mar 23 | Last set | 1951 Sep 15 | |||
| Next set | 1955 Nov 29 | Next set | 1955 Jun 5 | |||
Half-Saros cycle
[edit]A 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 partial solar eclipses of Solar Saros 150.
| January 3, 1946 | January 14, 1964 |
|---|---|
|
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See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "January 8, 1955 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1955 Jan 08" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1955 Jan 08". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
[edit]- 1955 Jan 08 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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