A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, October 18, 1967,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.1426. 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 only about 22 hours before apogee (on October 19, 1967, at 8:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | October 18, 1967 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.3653 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.1426 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 126 (43 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 59 minutes, 45 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 218 minutes, 52 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 367 minutes, 7 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
This lunar eclipse was the second of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on April 24, 1967; April 13, 1968; and October 6, 1968.
Visibility
editThe eclipse was completely visible over northeast Asia, western North America, and the Pacific Ocean, seen rising over Asia and Australia and setting over eastern North America and South America.[3]
|
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 | 2.23368 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.14258 |
| Gamma | −0.36529 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 13h30m10.8s |
| Sun Declination | -09°26'26.5" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'03.3" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 01h30m47.5s |
| Moon Declination | +09°08'55.1" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'42.8" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'00.0" |
| ΔT | 38.1 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.
| October 18 Ascending node (full moon) |
November 2 Descending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| |
|
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 126 |
Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 152 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1967
edit- A total lunar eclipse on April 24.
- A partial solar eclipse on May 9.
- A total lunar eclipse on October 18.
- A total solar eclipse on November 2.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 30, 1963
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 6, 1971
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 5, 1960
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 29, 1974
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 12, 1958
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 23, 1976
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 18, 1956
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 16, 1978
Lunar Saros 126
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 7, 1949
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 28, 1985
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 7, 1938
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 27, 1996
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 16, 1880
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 18, 2054
Lunar eclipses of 1966–1969
editThis eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[5]
The penumbral lunar eclipse on August 27, 1969 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
| Lunar eclipse series sets from 1966 to 1969 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||||
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
| 111 | 1966 May 04
|
Penumbral
|
1.0554 | 116 | 1966 Oct 29
|
Penumbral
|
−1.0600 | |
| 121 | 1967 Apr 24
|
Total
|
0.2972 | 126 | 1967 Oct 18
|
Total
|
−0.3653 | |
| 131 | 1968 Apr 13
|
Total
|
−0.4173 | 136 | 1968 Oct 06
|
Total
|
0.3605 | |
| 141 | 1969 Apr 02
|
Penumbral
|
−1.1765 | 146 | 1969 Sep 25
|
Penumbral
|
1.0656 | |
Metonic series
editThis eclipse is the third of four Metonic cycle lunar eclipses on the same date, April 23–24, each separated by 19 years:
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 | |
| 111 | 1948 Apr 23 | Partial | 116 | 1948 Oct 18 | Penumbral | |
|
| |||||
| 121 | 1967 Apr 24 | Total | 126 | 1967 Oct 18 | Total | |
|
|
| |||||
| 131 | 1986 Apr 24 | Total | 136 | 1986 Oct 17 | Total | |
|
| |||||
| 141 | 2005 Apr 24 | Penumbral | 146 | 2005 Oct 17 | Partial | |
|
| |||||
Saros 126
editThis eclipse is a part of Saros series 126, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 70 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on July 18, 1228. It contains partial eclipses from March 24, 1625 through June 9, 1751; total eclipses from June 19, 1769 through November 9, 2003; and a second set of partial eclipses from November 19, 2021 through June 5, 2346. The series ends at member 70 as a penumbral eclipse on August 19, 2472.
The longest duration of totality was produced by member 36 at 106 minutes, 27 seconds on August 13, 1859. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.[6]
| Greatest | First | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1859 Aug 13, lasting 106 minutes, 27 seconds.[7] | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| 1228 Jul 18 |
1625 Mar 24 |
1769 Jun 19 |
1805 Jul 11 | |
| Last | ||||
| Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral | |
1931 Sep 26
|
2003 Nov 09
|
2346 Jun 05 |
2472 Aug 19 | |
Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
| Series members 33–54 occur between 1801 and 2200: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 34 | 35 | |||
| 1805 Jul 11 | 1823 Jul 23 | 1841 Aug 02 | |||
| 36 | 37 | 38 | |||
| 1859 Aug 13 | 1877 Aug 23 | 1895 Sep 04 | |||
| 39 | 40 | 41 | |||
| 1913 Sep 15 | 1931 Sep 26 | 1949 Oct 07 | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 42 | 43 | 44 | |||
| 1967 Oct 18 | 1985 Oct 28 | 2003 Nov 09 | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 45 | 46 | 47 | |||
| 2021 Nov 19 | 2039 Nov 30 | 2057 Dec 11 | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 48 | 49 | 50 | |||
| 2075 Dec 22 | 2094 Jan 01 | 2112 Jan 14 | |||
| 51 | 52 | 53 | |||
| 2130 Jan 24 | 2148 Feb 04 | 2166 Feb 15 | |||
| 54 | |||||
| 2184 Feb 26 | |||||
Tritos series
editThe tritos series repeats 31 days short of 11 years at alternating nodes. Sequential events have incremental Saros cycle indices.
This series produces 23 total eclipses between June 22, 1880 and August 9, 2120.
| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type chart |
Saros | Date Viewing |
Type chart | |
| 120 | 1902 Apr 22
|
Total
|
121 | 1913 Mar 22
|
Total
| |
| 122 | 1924 Feb 20
|
Total
|
123 | 1935 Jan 19
|
Total
| |
| 124 | 1945 Dec 19
|
Total
|
125 | 1956 Nov 18
|
Total
| |
| 126 | 1967 Oct 18
|
Total
|
127 | 1978 Sep 16
|
Total
| |
| 128 | 1989 Aug 17
|
Total
|
129 | 2000 Jul 16
|
Total
| |
| 130 | 2011 Jun 15
|
Total
|
131 | 2022 May 16
|
Total
| |
| 132 | 2033 Apr 14
|
Total
|
133 | 2044 Mar 13
|
Total
| |
| 134 | 2055 Feb 11
|
Total
|
135 | 2066 Jan 11
|
Total
| |
| 136 | 2076 Dec 10
|
Total
|
137 | 2087 Nov 10
|
Total
| |
| 138 | 2098 Oct 10
|
Total
| ||||
Half-Saros cycle
editA lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[8] This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 133.
| October 12, 1958 | October 23, 1976 |
|---|---|
|
|
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "October 17–18, 1967 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1967 Oct 18" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1967 Oct 18". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "NASA - Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 126". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
- ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 126
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 1967 Oct 18 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC