January 1972 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1972Jan30.png The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | January 30, 1972 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.4273 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.0497 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 133 (24 of 71) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 34 minutes, 48 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 203 minutes, 23 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 340 minutes, 19 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Sunday, January 30, 1972,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.0497. 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 6.6 days before apogee (on February 6, 1972, at 0:45 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
Visibility
[edit | edit source]The eclipse was completely visible over northeast Asia, western and central North America, and the central Pacific Ocean, seen rising over much of Asia and Australia and setting over eastern North America and South America.[3]
| File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1972Jan30.png File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1972Jan30.png |
Eclipse details
[edit | edit source]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 | 2.09866 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.04971 |
| Gamma | −0.42729 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 20h48m23.2s |
| Sun Declination | -17°50'13.7" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'14.2" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 08h47m46.4s |
| Moon Declination | +17°27'35.5" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'28.8" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°56'48.6" |
| ΔT | 42.3 s |
Eclipse season
[edit | edit source]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.
| January 16 Ascending node (new moon) |
January 30 Descending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
| File:SE1972Jan16A.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1972Jan30.png |
| Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 121 |
Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 133 |
Related eclipses
[edit | edit source]Eclipses in 1972
[edit | edit source]- An annular solar eclipse on January 16.
- A total lunar eclipse on January 30.
- A total solar eclipse on July 10.
- A partial lunar eclipse on July 26.
Metonic
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 13, 1968
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 18, 1975
Tzolkinex
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 19, 1964
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 1979
Half-Saros
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 25, 1963
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 4, 1981
Tritos
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 2, 1961
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 30, 1982
Lunar Saros 133
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 19, 1954
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 9, 1990
Inex
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1943
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 9, 2001
Triad
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 30, 1885
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 30, 2058
Lunar eclipses of 1969–1973
[edit | edit source]This 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 eclipses on April 2, 1969 and September 25, 1969 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the lunar eclipses on June 15, 1973 (penumbral) and December 10, 1973 (partial) occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Saros 133
[edit | edit source]This eclipse is a part of Saros series 133, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 13, 1557. It contains partial eclipses from August 7, 1683 through December 17, 1899; total eclipses from December 28, 1917 through August 3, 2278; and a second set of partial eclipses from August 14, 2296 through March 11, 2639. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on June 29, 2819.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 35 at 101 minutes, 41 seconds on May 30, 2170. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[6]
| Greatest | First | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2170 May 30, lasting 101 minutes, 41 seconds.[7] | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| 1557 May 13 |
1683 Aug 07 |
1917 Dec 28 File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1917Dec28.png |
2098 Apr 15 File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2098Apr15.png | |
| Last | ||||
| Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral | |
| 2224 Jul 01 |
2278 Aug 03 |
2639 Mar 11 |
2819 Jun 29 | |
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.
Tritos series
[edit | edit source]This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Inex series
[edit | edit source]This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
| Series members between 1801 and 2200 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1827 May 11 (Saros 128) |
1856 Apr 20 (Saros 129) |
1885 Mar 30 (Saros 130) | |||
| 1914 Mar 12 (Saros 131) |
1943 Feb 20 (Saros 132) |
1972 Jan 30 (Saros 133) | |||
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1914Mar12.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1914Mar12.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1943Feb20.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1943Feb20.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1972Jan30.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1972Jan30.png |
| 2001 Jan 09 (Saros 134) |
2029 Dec 20 (Saros 135) |
2058 Nov 30 (Saros 136) | |||
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2001Jan09.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2001Jan09.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2029Dec20.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2029Dec20.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2058Nov30.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2058Nov30.png |
| 2087 Nov 10 (Saros 137) |
2116 Oct 21 (Saros 138) |
2145 Sep 30 (Saros 139) | |||
| 2174 Sep 11 (Saros 140) | |||||
Half-Saros cycle
[edit | edit source]A 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 annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 140.
| January 25, 1963 | February 4, 1981 |
|---|---|
| File:SE1963Jan25A.png | File:SE1981Feb04A.png |
See also
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 133
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
[edit | edit source]- 1972 Jan 30 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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