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August 1989 lunar eclipse

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August 1989 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
Totality as viewed from Marden, Sussex, England.
DateAugust 17, 1989
Gamma−0.1491
Magnitude1.5984
Saros cycle128 (39 of 71)
Totality95 minutes, 48 seconds
Partiality214 minutes, 17 seconds
Penumbral327 minutes, 31 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P10:24:22
U11:21:03
U22:20:17
Greatest3:08:11
U33:56:05
U44:55:20
P45:51:54

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Thursday, August 17, 1989,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.5984. It was a central lunar eclipse, in which part of the Moon passed through the center of the Earth's shadow. 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 2.4 days before perigee (on August 19, 1989, at 13:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]

Visibility

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The eclipse was completely visible over eastern North America, South America, west Africa, and Antarctica, seen rising over western and central North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over Europe, much of Africa, and west, central, and south Asia.[3]


The Moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Capricornus.

Eclipse details

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Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]

August 17, 1989 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 2.57033
Umbral Magnitude 1.59838
Gamma −0.14905
Sun Right Ascension 09h46m02.0s
Sun Declination +13°27'24.4"
Sun Semi-Diameter 15'47.9"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7"
Moon Right Ascension 21h46m17.4s
Moon Declination -13°35'27.7"
Moon Semi-Diameter 16'15.3"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°59'39.3"
ΔT 56.6 s

Eclipse season

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See also: Eclipse cycle

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.

Eclipse season of August 1989
August 17
Ascending node (full moon)
 August 31
Descending node (new moon)
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 128		 Partial solar eclipse
Solar Saros 154
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Eclipses in 1989

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Metonic

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Tzolkinex

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Half-Saros

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Tritos

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Lunar Saros 128

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Inex

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Triad

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Lunar eclipses of 1988–1991

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This eclipse is the second of four lunar year eclipses occurring at the Moon's ascending node.

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.

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 lunar eclipses on June 27, 1991 (penumbral) and December 21, 1991 (partial) occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 1988 to 1991
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma
113 1988 Mar 03
 Penumbral
 0.9886 118 1988 Aug 27
 Partial
 −0.8682
123 1989 Feb 20
 Total
0.2935 128 1989 Aug 17
 Total
 −0.1491
133 1990 Feb 09
 Total
 −0.4148 138 1990 Aug 06
 Partial
 0.6374
143 1991 Jan 30
 Penumbral
 −1.0752 148 1991 Jul 26
 Penumbral
 1.4370

Metonic series

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It is the third of five Metonic cycle eclipses, each being 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.

Metonic lunar eclipse sets 1951–2027
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Date Type Saros Date Type
103 1951 Feb 21.88 Penumbral 108 1951 Aug 17.13 Penumbral
113 1970 Feb 21.35 Partial 118 1970 Aug 17.14 Partial
123 1989 Feb 20.64 Total 128 1989 Aug 17.13 Total
133 2008 Feb 21.14 Total 138 2008 Aug 16.88 Partial
143 2027 Feb 20.96 Penumbral 148 2027 Aug 17.30 Penumbral

Saros 128

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Lunar saros series 128, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 57 umbral eclipses (42 partial lunar eclipses and 15 total lunar eclipses). Solar Saros 135 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Greatest First

The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1953 Jul 26, lasting 100.7 minutes.[6] 		Penumbral Partial Total Central
1304 Jun 18 1430 Sep 2 1845 May 21 1899 Jun 23
Last
Central Total Partial Penumbral
2007 Aug 28 2097 May 21 2440 May 17 2566 Aug 2
1901–2100
1917 Jul 4 1935 Jul 16 1953 Jul 26
1971 Aug 6 1989 Aug 17 2007 Aug 28
2025 Sep 7 2043 Sep 19 2061 Sep 29
2079 Oct 10 2097 Oct 21

Lunar Saros 128 contains 15 total lunar eclipses between 1845 and 2097 (in years 1845, 1863, 1881, 1899, 1917, 1935, 1953, 1971, 1989, 2007, 2025, 2043, 2061, 2079 and 2097). Solar Saros 135 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Tritos series

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The 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.

Tritos eclipse series (subset 1901–2100)
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

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A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[7] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 135.

August 10, 1980 August 22, 1998

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "August 16–17, 1989 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1989 Aug 17" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  4. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1989 Aug 17". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Listing of Eclipses of cycle 128
  7. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
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