| Date | August 15, 1962 |
|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.2210 |
| Magnitude | −0.3615 |
| Saros ser | 147 |
| Saros no | 6 of 71 |
| Penumbral | 198 minutes, 13 seconds |
| P 1 | 18:17:52 |
| Greatest | 19:56:56 |
| P 4 | 21:36:05 |
| Previous | July 1962 |
| Next | January 1963 |
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, August 15, 1962,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.3615. 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 1.6 days before perigee (on August 17, 1962, at 9:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
Visibility
The eclipse was completely visible over much of Africa, eastern Europe, most of Asia, western Australia, and Antarctica, seen rising over eastern South America, western Europe, and west Africa and setting over northeast Asia and eastern Australia.[3]
Eclipse details
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 | 0.59632 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.36153 |
| Gamma | −1.22104 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 09h39m23.3s |
| Sun Declination | +14°01'05.2" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'47.7" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 21h40m34.8s |
| Moon Declination | -15°12'55.5" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'29.4" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°00'31.1" |
| ΔT | 34.3 s |
Eclipse season
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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.
| July 17 Descending node (full moon) | July 31 Ascending node (new moon) | August 15 Descending node (full moon) |
|---|---|---|
| Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 109 | Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 135 | Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 147 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 1962
- A total solar eclipse on February 5.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 19.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 17.
- An annular solar eclipse on July 31.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 15.
Metonic
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 27, 1958
Tzolkinex
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 25, 1969
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 9, 1953
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971
Tritos
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 15, 1951
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 15, 1973
Lunar Saros 147
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 4, 1944
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 26, 1980
Inex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 4, 1933
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 26, 1991
Triad
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 14, 1875
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 2049
Tritos series
| Series members between 1801 and 2060 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1809 Oct 23 (Saros 133) | 1820 Sep 22 (Saros 134) | 1831 Aug 23 (Saros 135) | 1842 Jul 22 (Saros 136) | 1853 Jun 21 (Saros 137) | |||||
| 1864 May 21 (Saros 138) | 1875 Apr 20 (Saros 139) | 1886 Mar 20 (Saros 140) | 1897 Feb 17 (Saros 141) | 1908 Jan 18 (Saros 142) | |||||
| 1918 Dec 17 (Saros 143) | 1929 Nov 17 (Saros 144) | 1940 Oct 16 (Saros 145) | 1951 Sep 15 (Saros 146) | 1962 Aug 15 (Saros 147) | |||||
| 1973 Jul 15 (Saros 148) | 1984 Jun 13 (Saros 149) | ||||||||
| 2060 Nov 08 (Saros 156) | |||||||||
Half-Saros cycle
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 total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 154.
| August 9, 1953 | August 20, 1971 |
|---|---|
See also
Notes
- ^ "August 15–16, 1962 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1962 Aug 15". NASA. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1962 Aug 15". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros