August 1859 lunar eclipse

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Saturday, August 13, 1859, with an umbral magnitude of 1.8148. 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 1.1 days after apogee (on August 12, 1859, at 17:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller. The eclipse was obseved by the Aboriginal Australian Ngarrindjeri people, who feared it because they believed it to be the cause of Aboriginal sorcerers.

Totality for this eclipse lasted 106 minutes and 28 seconds, the longest duration since May 3, 459 (106 minutes and 32 seconds). A totality of this length will not occur again until August 19, 4753 (106 minutes and 35 seconds). During the totality of this eclipse, the moon was in the constellation of Capricornus.

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over the eastern half of Asia, Australia, and Antarctica, seen rising over west and central Asia, Africa, and Europe and setting over northeast Asia and the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Eclipse details

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

Eclipse season

This eclipse was 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1859

• A partial solar eclipse on February 3.
• A total lunar eclipse on February 17.
• A partial solar eclipse on March 4.
• A partial solar eclipse on July 29.
• A total lunar eclipse on August 13.
• A partial solar eclipse on August 28.

Metonic

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 25, 1855
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 1, 1863

Tzolkinex

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 1, 1852
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 24, 1866

Half-Saros

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 7, 1850
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 18, 1868

Tritos

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 13, 1848
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 12, 1870

Lunar Saros 126

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 2, 1841
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 23, 1877

Inex

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 2, 1830
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 23, 1888

Triad

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 11, 1772
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 14, 1946

Lunar eclipses of 1857–1861

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.

The penumbral lunar eclipses on April 9, 1857 and October 3, 1857 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the lunar eclipses on December 28, 1860 (penumbral), June 22, 1861 (penumbral), and December 17, 1861 (partial) occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 126

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 126, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 70 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on July 18, 1228. It contains partial eclipses from March 24, 1625 through June 9, 1751; total eclipses from June 19, 1769 through November 9, 2003; and a second set of partial eclipses from November 19, 2021 through June 5, 2346. The series ends at member 70 as a penumbral eclipse on August 19, 2472.

The longest duration of totality was produced by member 36 at 106 minutes, 27 seconds on August 13, 1859. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.

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

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

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.

See also

• List of lunar eclipses
• Lunar Saros 126
• List of 19th-century lunar eclipses

Notes