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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)
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:
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)
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 2001 through 2020. Click on the eclipse Date to see a map and diagram of an 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.
| Eclipses of the Moon: 2001 - 2020 | ||||
| Date | Eclipse Type | Umbral Magnitude | Eclipse Duration | Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility |
| 2001 Jan 09 | Total | 1.189 | 03h16m 01h01m |
e Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
| 2001 Jul 05 | Partial | 0.495 | 02h39m | e Africa, Asia, Aus., Pacific |
| 2001 Dec 30 | Penumbral | -0.116 | - | e Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2002 May 26 | Penumbral | -0.289 | - | e Asia, Aus., Pacific, w Americas |
| 2002 Jun 24 | Penumbral | -0.792 | - | S. America, Europe, Africa, c Asia, Aus. |
| 2002 Nov 20 | Penumbral | -0.226 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa, e Asia |
| 2003 May 16 | Total | 1.128 | 03h14m 00h51m |
c Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa |
| 2003 Nov 09 | Total | 1.018 | 03h31m 00h22m |
Americas, Europe, Africa, c Asia |
| 2004 May 04 | Total | 1.304 | 03h23m 01h15m |
S. America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2004 Oct 28 | Total | 1.308 | 03h39m 01h20m |
Americas, Europe, Africa, c Asia |
| 2005 Apr 24 | Penumbral | -0.144 | - | e Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2005 Oct 17 | Partial | 0.062 | 00h56m | Asia, Aus., Pacific, North America |
| 2006 Mar 14 | Penumbral | -0.060 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
| 2006 Sep 07 | Partial | 0.184 | 01h31m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2007 Mar 03 | Total | 1.233 | 03h41m 01h13m |
Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
| 2007 Aug 28 | Total | 1.476 | 03h32m 01h30m |
e Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2008 Feb 21 | Total | 1.106 | 03h25m 00h50m |
Americas, Europe, Africa, c Atlantic |
| 2008 Aug 16 | Partial | 0.808 | 03h08m | S. America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2009 Feb 09 | Penumbral | -0.088 | - | e Europe, Asia, Aus., Pacific, w N.A. |
| 2009 Jul 07 | Penumbral | -0.913 | - | Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2009 Aug 06 | Penumbral | -0.666 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa, w Asia |
| 2009 Dec 31 | Partial | 0.076 | 01h00m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2010 Jun 26 | Partial | 0.537 | 02h43m | e Asia, Aus., Pacific, w Americas |
| 2010 Dec 21 | Total | 1.256 | 03h29m 01h12m |
e Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas, Europe |
| 2011 Jun 15 | Total | 1.700 | 03h39m 01h40m |
S.America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2011 Dec 10 | Total | 1.106 | 03h32m 00h51m |
Europe, e Africa, Asia, Aus., Pacific, N.A. |
| 2012 Jun 04 | Partial | 0.370 | 02h07m | Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2012 Nov 28 | Penumbral | -0.187 | - | Europe, e Africa, Asia, Aus., Pacific, N.A. |
| 2013 Apr 25 | Partial | 0.015 | 00h27m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2013 May 25 | Penumbral | -0.934 | - | Americas, Africa |
| 2013 Oct 18 | Penumbral | -0.272 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
| 2014 Apr 15 | Total | 1.291 | 03h35m 01h18m |
Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2014 Oct 08 | Total | 1.166 | 03h20m 00h59m |
Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2015 Apr 04 | Total | 1.001 | 03h29m 00h05m |
Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas |
| 2015 Sep 28 | Total | 1.276 | 03h20m 01h12m |
e Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa, w Asia |
| 2016 Mar 23 | Penumbral | -0.312 | - | Asia, Aus., Pacific, w Americas |
| 2016 Sep 16 | Penumbral | -0.064 | - | Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus., w Pacific |
| 2017 Feb 11 | Penumbral | -0.035 | - | Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
| 2017 Aug 07 | Partial | 0.246 | 01h55m | Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2018 Jan 31 | Total | 1.315 | 03h23m 01h16m |
Asia, Aus., Pacific, w N.America |
| 2018 Jul 27 | Total | 1.609 | 03h55m 01h43m |
S.America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2019 Jan 21 | Total | 1.195 | 03h17m 01h02m |
c Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa |
| 2019 Jul 16 | Partial | 0.653 | 02h58m | S.America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2020 Jan 10 | Penumbral | -0.116 | - | Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2020 Jun 05 | Penumbral | -0.405 | - | Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus. |
| 2020 Jul 05 | Penumbral | -0.644 | - | Americas, sw Europe, Africa |
| 2020 Nov 30 | Penumbral | -0.262 | - | Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas |
Geographic abreviations (used above): n = north, s = south, e = east, w = west, c = central
The last total lunar eclipse visible from the U.S.A. occured on Aug. 28, 2007. The next total lunar eclipse occurs on Feb. 21, 2008.
Upcoming lunar eclipses visible from the U.S.A. include Feb. 21, 2008 (total), Jun. 26, 2010 (partial), Dec. 21, 2010 (total), Jun. 04, 2012 (partial), Apr. 15, 2014 (total) and Oct. 08, 2014 (total).
All photographs, text and web pages are © Copyright 2007 by Fred Espenak, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. They may not be reproduced, published, copied or transmitted in any form, including electronically on the Internet or WWW, without written permission of the author. The photos have been digitally watermarked.
The photographs may be licensed for commercial, editorial, and educational use. Contact Espenak (at MrEclipse) for photo use in print, web, video, CD and all other media.
WebMaster: MrEclipse
Last revised: 2010 Dec 15