December 1944 lunar eclipse

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Friday, December 29, 1944, with an umbral magnitude of −0.0176. It was a relatively rare total penumbral lunar eclipse, with the Moon passing entirely within the penumbral shadow without entering the darker umbral shadow. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the Moon's near side passes into the Earth's penumbra. 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. Occurring about 6 days after perigee (on December 23, 1944, at 12:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

This eclipse was the last of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 1944, with the others occurring on February 9, July 6, and August 4.

Saturn was conjunct with the Moon during this eclipse.

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over much of Asia, Australia, and northwestern North America, seen rising over Europe, east Africa, and the Middle East and setting over much of North America and the 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 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.

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1944

• A total solar eclipse on January 25.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 9.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 6.
• An annular solar eclipse on July 20.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 4.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on December 29.

Metonic

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 1941
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 18, 1948

Tzolkinex

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 18, 1937
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 1952

Half-Saros

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 25, 1935
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 5, 1954

Tritos

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 30, 1934
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 29, 1955

Lunar Saros 114

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 19, 1926
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 9, 1963

Inex

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 20, 1916
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 10, 1973

Triad

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 27, 1858
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 30, 2031

Lunar eclipses of 1944–1947

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 February 9, 1944 and August 4, 1944 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 114

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 114, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 13, 971 AD. It contains partial eclipses from August 7, 1115 through February 18, 1440; total eclipses from February 28, 1458 through July 17, 1674; and a second set of partial eclipses from July 28, 1692 through November 26, 1890. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on June 22, 2233.

The longest duration of totality was produced by member 35 at 106 minutes, 5 seconds on May 24, 1584. 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.

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 121.

See also

• List of lunar eclipses
• List of 20th-century lunar eclipses

Notes

External links

• Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC