December 2010 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
| File:Near Greatest Eclipse 20101221 0011-crop.jpg Totality as viewed from San Jose, California, 8:11 UTC | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 21, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.3213 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2576 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 125 (48 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 72 minutes, 21 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 208 minutes, 41 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 335 minutes, 7 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, December 21, 2010,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.2576. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. 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. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. Occurring about 4 days before apogee (on December 25, 2010, at 7:15 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2] This eclipse was notable in that it coincided with the date of the Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and Summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. It was the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern Winter Solstice (Southern Summer Solstice) since 1638, and only the second in the Common Era.[3][4]
Visibility
The eclipse was completely visible over North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean, seen rising over east Asia and Australia and setting over South America, west Africa, and Europe.[5]
| File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2010Dec21.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-10dec21.png Hourly motion shown right to left |
File:Lunar eclipse chart-10dec21.png The Moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Taurus. |
| File:Visibility Lunar Eclipse 2010-12-21.png Visibility map | ||
Images
| File:Lunar eclipse from moon-10dec21.png These simulated views of the Earth from the center of the Moon during the lunar eclipse show where the eclipse is visible on Earth. |
Gallery
| File:Lunar eclipse.jpg Progression from São Paulo, Brazil | |
| File:Lunar Eclipse from Achhorage Alaska.jpg Progression from Anchorage, Alaska | |
| File:VLT Cerro Paranal Total Lunar Eclipse 21 December 2010.jpg Panorama showing the view from the site of the VLT | |
| File:LunarEclipseSequence-December21-10-rectangle.jpg Sequence from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Sequence is in 15-minute increments, with 5-minute increments up until totality at 8:17 am UTC) |
File:LunarEclipseSequence-December21-10.jpg Progression from Toronto, Canada |
| File:Lunar Eclipse Sequence on Winter Solstice Dec 21 2010.jpg From Jacksonville, Florida, 8:29 UTC - 10:06 UTC |
File:12-2010 Lunar-Eclipse.jpg From Easton, Pennsylvania |
Individual shots, sorted by time:
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From New York City, New York, 5:35 UTC
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From Arlington County, Virginia, ~7:30 UTC
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From New York City, New York, 7:38 UTC
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From Seattle, Washington, beginning of totality, 7:41 UTC[6]
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From the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, 7:46 UTC
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From Miami, Florida, 7:52 UTC
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From Richardson, Texas, 7:53 UTC
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From Dover, Delaware, 7:54 UTC
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Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada during totality, 8:21 UTC
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From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 8:26 UTC
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From Orlando, Florida, 8:28 UTC
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From Jacksonville, Florida, 8:30 UTC
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Amateur scientists observing eclipse in Villa Gesell, Argentina, 8:34 UTC
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From Tucson, Arizona, 8:44 UTC
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From Longjing District, Taichung, Taiwan at moonrise, 9:45 UTC
![From Seattle, Washington, beginning of totality, 7:41 UTC[6]](/index.php?title=Special:Upload&wpDestFile=Lunar_Eclipse_seen_from_Seattle_21-12-2010.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Animations:
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Animated Simulation
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Time-lapsed animation
Miami, Florida
Timing
In North America, the eclipse was visible in its entirety on 21 December 2010, from 12:27 a.m. to 6:06 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.[7] In the Central Standard Time zone and west, the eclipse began the night of 20 December.[8] Observers along South America's east coast missed the late stages of the eclipse because they occurred after moon-set.[9] Likewise much of Europe and Africa experienced moon-set while the eclipse was in progress. In Europe, only those observers in northern Scandinavia (including Iceland), Ireland and Britain could observe the entire event. For observers in eastern Asia the moon rose in eclipse. The eclipse was not visible from southern and eastern Africa, the Middle East or South Asia. In Japan and northeastern Asia, the eclipse's end was visible, with the moon rising at sunset. In the Philippines it was observable as a partial lunar eclipse just after sunset.[9] Predictions suggested that the total eclipse may appear unusually orange or red, as a result of the eruption of Mount Merapi in Indonesia on 26 October.[10]
| Event | HAST (UTC-10) |
AKST (UTC−9) |
PST (UTC−8) |
MST (UTC−7) |
CST (UTC−6) |
EST (UTC−5) |
AST (UTC−4) |
UTC (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start penumbral (P1) | 7:29 pm(*) | 8:29 pm(*) | 9:29 pm(*) | 10:29 pm(*) | 11:29 pm(*) | 12:29 am | 1:29 am | 5:29 am |
| Start umbral (U1) | 8:33 pm(*) | 9:33 pm(*) | 10:33 pm(*) | 11:33 pm(*) | 12:33 am | 1:33 am | 2:33 am | 6:33 am |
| Start total (U2) | 9:41 pm(*) | 10:41 pm(*) | 11:41 pm(*) | 12:41 am | 1:41 am | 2:41 am | 3:41 am | 7:41 am |
| Greatest eclipse | 10:17 pm(*) | 11:17 pm(*) | 12:17 am | 1:17 am | 2:17 am | 3:17 am | 4:17 am | 8:17 am |
| End total (U3) | 10:53 pm(*) | 11:53 pm(*) | 12:53 am | 1:53 am | 2:53 am | 3:53 am | 4:53 am | 8:53 am |
| End umbral (U4) | 12:01 am | 1:01 am | 2:01 am | 3:01 am | 4:01 am | 5:01 am | 6:01 am | 10:01 am |
| End penumbral (P4) | 1:04 am | 2:04 am | 3:04 am | 4:04 am | 5:04 am | 6:04 am | 7:04 am | 11:04 am |
| (*) before midnight on Monday night, 20 December | ||||||||
Eclipse details
Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[11]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.28215 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.25759 |
| Gamma | 0.32139 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 17h57m09.6s |
| Sun Declination | -23°26'09.9" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'15.5" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 05h57m17.3s |
| Moon Declination | +23°44'47.8" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'52.1" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°58'14.3" |
| ΔT | 66.4 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.
| December 21 Descending node (full moon) |
January 4 Ascending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-10dec21.png | File:SE2011Jan04P.png |
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 125 |
Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 151 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 2010
- An annular solar eclipse on January 15.
- A partial lunar eclipse on June 26.
- A total solar eclipse on July 11.
- A total lunar eclipse on December 21.
Metonic
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 8, 2014
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 9, 2003
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 31, 2018
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 2001
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 26, 2019
Tritos
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 21, 2000
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 19, 2021
Lunar Saros 125
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 9, 1992
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 31, 2028
Inex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 10, 1982
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 30, 2039
Triad
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1924
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 21, 2097
Lunar eclipses of 2009–2013
The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunations or 354 days (Shifting back about 10 days in sequential years). Because of the date shift, the Earth's shadow will be about 11 degrees west in sequential events.
Metonic series
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 be in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.
| Ascending node | Descending node |
|---|---|
|
|
| File:Metonic lunar eclipse 1991-2067A.png | File:Metonic lunar eclipse 1991-2048D.png |
Tritos series
The tritos series repeats 31 days short of 11 years at alternating nodes. Sequential events have incremental Saros cycle indices. This series produces 20 total eclipses between April 24, 1967 and August 11, 2185, only being partial on November 19, 2021.
Saros 125
Lunar saros series 125, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has 26 total lunar eclipses. The first was on June 17, 1704 and the last will be on March 19, 2155. The longest totality occurrence of this series (7th) was on August 22, 1812 when totality lasted one hour and 42 minutes.[12]
Half-Saros cycle
A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[13] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 132.
| December 14, 2001 | December 26, 2019 |
|---|---|
| File:SE2001Dec14A.png | File:SE2019Dec26A.png |
See also
- List of lunar eclipses
- List of 21st-century lunar eclipses
- June 2011 lunar eclipse
- December 2011 lunar eclipse
- File:2010-12-21 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart
- 2010 12 21 – Lunar Eclipse in Jacksonville, FL
- 2010 12 21 – Lunar Eclipse Sequence
Notes
- ↑ "December 20–21, 2010 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ "NASA Science News: Solstice Lunar Eclipse". Science.nasa.gov. 17 December 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ↑ "Lunar eclipse, winter solstice to coincide". Cbc.ca. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ↑ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2010 Dec 21" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ Gupta, Yatharth (21 December 2010). "Total Eclipse of the Moon". Seattle. Retrieved 30 July 2020 – via Flickr.
- ↑ Greg (11 December 2010). "Total Lunar Eclipse of December 21, 2010". Outer Space Universe. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ↑ 2010 Dec 21 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "What Time is the Lunar Eclipse 2010 Tonight?". City State Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ↑ Roberts, Chris. "A historic eclipse: Volcano will tint the moon in rare Dec. 21 celestial dance". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012.
- ↑ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2010 Dec 21". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ↑ Listing of Eclipses of cycle 125
- ↑ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
- Worldwide viewing times for the December 2010 Total Lunar Eclipse
- How to Photograph the Lunar Eclipse from the NY Institute of Photography Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- "Full & Last Lunar Eclipse Of 2010 On December 21st". Tech Dreams. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- 2010 Dec 21 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
- "Total Lunar Eclipse of 21 Dec, 2010 AD". hermit.org. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Animation of the December 21, 2010 eclipse" at shadowandsubstance.com
- Astronomical Society of the Pacific eclipse times and questions & answers Archived 23 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- "Total Lunar Eclipse: Dec. 21, 2010". Spaceweather.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
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