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Total Lunar Eclipse of 2000 Jan 20-21
Beginning (right), middle (center) and end (left) of totality
(click to see more photos)

Lunar Eclipse Preview: 2011 - 2030

Fred Espenak (c) 2012

Introduction

An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of the Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped components, one nested inside the other. The outer or penumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun's rays from reaching the Moon. In contrast, the inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.

There are three types of lunar eclipses:

1. Penumbral - The Moon passes through Earth's penumbral shadow. These pale eclipses are faint and hard to see.
2. Partial - A portion of the Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow. These are easy to see with the unaided eye.
3. Total - The entire Moon passes through Earth's umbral shadow. The Moon can turn orange, red or dark brown.

When an eclipse of the Moon takes place, everyone on the night side of Earth can see it. About 35% of all eclipses are of the penumbral type which are very difficult to detect, even with a telescope. Another 30% are partial eclipses which are easy to see with the unaided eye. The final 35% or so are total eclipses, and these are quite extrordinary events to behold.

For a complete introduction to this subject, see: Lunar Eclipses For Beginners.

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2004 Oct 27-28
Beginning (right), middle (center) and end (left) of totality
(click to see photo gallery)

Lunar Eclipses: 2011 - 2030

Penumbral eclipses are of little interest because they are hard to see. If we consider only partial and total lunar eclipses, how often do they occur? The number of lunar eclipses in a single year can range from 0 to 3. The last time that 3 total lunar eclipses occurred in one calendar year was in 1982. Partial eclipses slightly outnumber total eclipses by 7 to 6.

The table below lists every lunar eclipse (including penumbral) from 2011 through 2030. Click on the eclipse Date to see a map and diagram of an eclipse. The second column TD of Greatest Eclipse is the Terrestrial Dynamical Time of greatest eclipse. The Umbral Magnitude is the fraction on the Moon's diameter immersed in the umbra at maximum eclipse. For magnitudes greater than 1.0, the eclipse is total. For negative values, it is a penumbral eclipse. The Eclipse Duration is the duration of the partial phases as well as the total phase (in bold; total eclipses only). The Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility offers a brief description of where an eclipse can be seen. Although penumbral lunar eclipses are included in this list, they are usually hard to see because they are faint.

Geographic abbreviations (used above): n = north, s = south, e = east, w = west, c = central

Recent total lunar eclipses visible from the U.S.A. include the eclipses on Aug. 28, 2007, Feb. 21, 2008 and Dec. 21, 2010.

Upcoming lunar eclipses visible from the U.S.A. include Jun. 04, 2012 (partial), Apr. 15, 2014 (total) and Oct. 08, 2014 (total).

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Last revised: 2012 May 07