August 2008 lunar eclipse
| Partial eclipse | |||||||||||||
 Partiality as viewed from Cape Town, South Africa. | |||||||||||||
| Date | August 16, 2008 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.5646 | ||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 0.8095 | ||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 138 (28 of 82) | ||||||||||||
| Partiality | 188 minutes, 8 seconds | ||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 330 minutes, 31 seconds | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Saturday, August 16, 2008,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 0.8095. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when one part of the Moon is in the Earth's umbra, while the other part is in 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 6.2 days before apogee (on August 10, 2008, at 16:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
Visibility
[edit]The eclipse was completely visible over Africa, Europe, Antarctica, and west, central, and south Asia, seen rising over South America and setting over east Asia and Australia.[3]
The planet Neptune was 2 days past opposition, visible in binoculars as an 8th magnitude "star" just two degrees west and slightly south of the Moon.
|
 Hourly motion shown right to left |
 The Moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Capricornus. |
 Visibility map | ||
Images
[edit]
Gallery
[edit]
Progression from Oslo, Norway
-
Brighton, Queensland, 20:03 UTC -
Ruzsky District, Russia, 20:21 UTC -
Palinuro, Italy, 20:31 UTC -
Tel Aviv, Israel, 20:43 UTC -
Groningen, Netherlands, 20:50 UTC -
Madrid, Spain, 20:53 UTC -
Jaguariúna, Brazil, 21:00 UTC -
Zürich, Switzerland, 21:06 UTC -
Toulouse, France, 21:07 UTC -
Solna, Sweden, 21:09 UTC -
Boralesgamuwa, Sri Lanka, 21:12 UTC -
Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 21:15 UTC -
Langenbernsdorf, Germany, 21:23 UTC -
Bucharest, Romania, 21:27 UTC -
Rozbórz Długi, Poland, 21:45 UTC -
Nasr City, Egypt, 22:12 UTC
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_(1).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
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 | 1.83849 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 0.80946 |
| Gamma | 0.56463 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 09h46m37.2s |
| Sun Declination | +13°24'18.2" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'47.9" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 21h45m41.8s |
| Moon Declination | -12°55'29.2" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'21.1" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°56'20.6" |
| ΔT | 65.7 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.
| August 1 Descending node (new moon) |
August 16 Ascending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 126 |
Partial lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 138 |
Related eclipses
[edit]Eclipses in 2008
[edit]- An annular solar eclipse on February 7.
- A total lunar eclipse on February 21.
- A total solar eclipse on August 1.
- A partial lunar eclipse on August 16.
Metonic
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 28, 2004
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 4, 2012
Tzolkinex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 5, 2001
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 28, 2015
Half-Saros
[edit]- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 11, 1999
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017
Tritos
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 16, 1997
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 16, 2019
Lunar Saros 138
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 6, 1990
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 28, 2026
Inex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 6, 1979
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 27, 2037
Triad
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 16, 1921
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 17, 2095
Lunar eclipses of 2006–2009
[edit]| Lunar eclipse series sets from 2006–2009 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||||
| Saros # and photo |
Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros # and photo |
Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
113.jpg)
|
2006 Mar 14
|
penumbral
|
1.0211 | 118
|
2006 Sep 7
|
partial
|
−0.9262 | |
123
|
2007 Mar 03
|
total
|
0.3175 | 128
|
2007 Aug 28
|
total
|
−0.2146 | |
133
|
2008 Feb 21
|
total
|
−0.3992 | 138
|
2008 Aug 16
|
partial
|
0.5646 | |
143
|
2009 Feb 09
|
penumbral
|
−1.0640 | 148
|
2009 Aug 06
|
penumbral
|
1.3572 | |
| Last set | 2005 Apr 24 | Last set | 2005 Oct 17 | |||||
| Next set | 2009 Dec 31 | Next set | 2009 Jul 07 | |||||
Saros 138
[edit]Lunar saros series 138 has 26 total eclipses between September 7, 2044 and March 24, 2369. The longest eclipse will be on January 7, 2243, and last for 102 minutes.
Partial eclipses will occur between June 24, 1918 and August 13, 2603. Penumbral eclipses will occur between October 15, 1521 and March 30, 2982. [5]
Metonic series
[edit]The Metonic cycle repeats nearly exactly every 19 years and represents a Saros cycle plus one lunar year. Because it occurs on the same calendar date, the Earth's shadow will in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date | Type | Saros | Date | Type | |
| 103 | 1951 Feb 21.88 | Penumbral | 108 | 1951 Aug 17.13 | Penumbral | |
|
| |||||
| 113 | 1970 Feb 21.35 | Partial | 118 | 1970 Aug 17.14 | Partial | |
|
| |||||
| 123 | 1989 Feb 20.64 | Total | 128 | 1989 Aug 17.13 | Total | |
|
| |||||
| 133 | 2008 Feb 21.14 | Total | 138 | 2008 Aug 16.88 | Partial | |
|
| |||||
| 143 | 2027 Feb 20.96 | Penumbral | 148 | 2027 Aug 17.30 | Penumbral | |
|
| |||||
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).[6] This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 145.
| August 11, 1999 | August 21, 2017 |
|---|---|
|
|
See also
[edit]- List of lunar eclipses and List of 21st-century lunar eclipses
- Solar eclipse of August 1, 2008
- File:2008-08-16 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart
Notes
[edit]- ^ "August 16–17, 2008 Partial Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ "Partial Lunar Eclipse of 2008 Aug 16" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ "Partial Lunar Eclipse of 2008 Aug 16". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ Hermit Eclipse: Eclipse Saros 138
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
[edit]- NASA: Partial Lunar Eclipse: August 16, 2008
- NASA
- 2008 Aug 16 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
- Hermit eclipse (Ian Cameron Smith) Partial Lunar Eclipse: August 16, 2008
- Sky&Telescope, Eclipses of 2008
- Animation of lunar eclipse 16 August 2008
- APOD August 20, 2008, [1]
- Composite photos showing Earth's shadow
- Spaceweather.com lunar eclipse gallery
_(cropped).jpg)
