A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, April 2, 1969,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.3046. 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 4.2 days before perigee (on April 7, 1969, at 1:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | April 2, 1969 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.1765 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.3046 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 141 (21 of 73) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 223 minutes, 41 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Visibility
editThe eclipse was completely visible over east Africa, eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica, seen rising over western Europe and west Africa and setting over northeast Asia and the central Pacific Ocean.[3]
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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 | 0.70337 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.30462 |
| Gamma | −1.17648 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 00h47m14.1s |
| Sun Declination | +05°04'17.9" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'59.8" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 12h45m02.7s |
| Moon Declination | -06°04'31.4" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'52.2" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°58'14.5" |
| ΔT | 39.5 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.
| March 18 Ascending node (new moon) |
April 2 Descending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 129 |
Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 141 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1969
edit- An annular solar eclipse on March 18.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on April 2.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 27.
- An annular solar eclipse on September 11.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 25.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 14, 1965
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 18, 1973
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 19, 1962
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 13, 1976
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 27, 1960
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 7, 1978
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 3, 1958
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 1, 1980
Lunar Saros 141
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 23, 1951
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 14, 1987
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 22, 1940
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 1998
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 1, 1882
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 1, 2056
Lunar eclipses of 1966–1969
edit| Lunar eclipse series sets from 1966–1969 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||||
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
| 111 | 1966 May 4
|
Penumbral
|
1.05536 | 116 | 1966 Oct 29
|
Penumbral
|
−1.05999 | |
| 121 | 1967 Apr 24
|
Total
|
0.29722 | 126 | 1967 Oct 18
|
Total
|
−0.36529 | |
| 131 | 1968 Apr 13
|
Total
|
−0.41732 | 136 | 1968 Oct 6
|
Total
|
0.36054 | |
| 141 | 1969 Apr 2
|
Penumbral
|
−1.17648 | 146 | 1969 Sep 25
|
Penumbral
|
1.06558 | |
| Last set | 1965 Jun 14 | Last set | 1965 Dec 8 | |||||
| Next set | 1970 Feb 21 | Next set | 1969 Aug 27 | |||||
Saros 141
editLunar Saros 141, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 72 lunar eclipse events including 26 total lunar eclipses.
First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 1608 Aug 25
First Partial Lunar Eclipse: 2041 May 16
First Total Lunar Eclipse: 2167 Aug 01
First Central Lunar Eclipse: 2221 Sep 02
Greatest Eclipse of the Lunar Saros 141: 2293 Oct 16
Last Central Lunar Eclipse: 2546 Mar 18
Last Total Lunar Eclipse: 2618 May 1
Last Partial Lunar Eclipse: 2744 Jul 16
Last Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 2888 Oct 11
1901-2100
April 1969 lunar eclipse
Half-Saros cycle
editA 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 148.
| March 27, 1960 | April 7, 1978 |
|---|---|
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "April 2–3, 1969 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1969 Apr 02" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1969 Apr 02". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 1969 Apr 02 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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