May 1920 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1920May03.png The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 3, 1920 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.3312 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2194 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 120 (53 of 84) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 71 minutes, 31 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 219 minutes, 39 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 360 minutes, 4 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 3, 1920,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.2194. 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 3.8 days before apogee (on May 6, 1920, at 21:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
This lunar eclipse was the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on October 27, 1920 (total); April 22, 1921 (total); and October 16, 1921 (partial).
Visibility
[edit | edit source]The eclipse was completely visible over South America, west and southern Africa, western Europe, and Antarctica, seen rising over much of North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over eastern Europe, east Africa, and the western half of Asia.[3]
| File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1920May03.png File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1920May03.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 | 2.28178 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.21939 |
| Gamma | −0.33118 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 02h39m30.8s |
| Sun Declination | +15°32'26.3" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'51.7" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 14h39m15.0s |
| Moon Declination | -15°50'11.0" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'55.8" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'47.6" |
| ΔT | 21.5 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.
| May 3 Ascending node (full moon) |
May 18 Descending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1920May03.png | File:SE1920May18P.png |
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 120 |
Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 146 |
Related eclipses
[edit | edit source]Eclipses in 1920
[edit | edit source]- A total lunar eclipse on May 3.
- A partial solar eclipse on May 18.
- A total lunar eclipse on October 27.
- A partial solar eclipse on November 10.
Metonic
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 15, 1916
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1924
Tzolkinex
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 22, 1913
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 1927
Half-Saros
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1911
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 9, 1929
Tritos
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 4, 1909
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 2, 1931
Lunar Saros 120
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 22, 1902
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 14, 1938
Inex
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 23, 1891
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 13, 1949
Triad
[edit | edit source]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 2, 1833
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007
Lunar eclipses of 1919–1922
[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 eclipse on March 13, 1922 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Saros 120
[edit | edit source]This eclipse is a part of Saros series 120, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 83 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on October 16, 1000. It contains partial eclipses from May 31, 1379 through August 4, 1487; total eclipses from August 14, 1505 through May 14, 1938; and a second set of partial eclipses from May 24, 1956 through July 28, 2064. The series ends at member 83 as a penumbral eclipse on April 7, 2479.
The longest duration of totality was produced by member 43 at 104 minutes, 55 seconds on January 24, 1758. 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 1758 Jan 24, lasting 104 minutes, 55 seconds.[7] | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| 1000 Oct 16 |
1379 May 31 |
1505 Aug 14 |
1559 Sep 16 | |
| Last | ||||
| Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral | |
| 1902 Apr 22 File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1902Apr22.png |
1938 May 14 File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1938May14.png |
2064 Jul 28 |
2479 Apr 07 | |
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1804 Jul 22 (Saros 116) |
1833 Jul 02 (Saros 117) |
1862 Jun 12 (Saros 118) | |||
| 1891 May 23 (Saros 119) |
1920 May 03 (Saros 120) |
1949 Apr 13 (Saros 121) | |||
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1920May03.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1920May03.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1949Apr13.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1949Apr13.png | ||
| 1978 Mar 24 (Saros 122) |
2007 Mar 03 (Saros 123) |
2036 Feb 11 (Saros 124) | |||
| File:Lunar eclipse chart close-1978Mar24.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-1978Mar24.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-07mar03.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2007Mar03.png | File:Lunar eclipse chart close-2036Feb11.png | File:Lunar eclipse from moon-2036Feb11.png |
| 2065 Jan 22 (Saros 125) |
2094 Jan 01 (Saros 126) |
2122 Dec 13 (Saros 127) | |||
| 2151 Nov 24 (Saros 128) |
2180 Nov 02 (Saros 129) | ||||
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 total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 127.
| April 28, 1911 | May 9, 1929 |
|---|---|
| File:SE1911Apr28T.png | File:SE1929May09T.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 120
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
[edit | edit source]- 1920 May 03 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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