A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Tuesday, August 28, 2007, with an umbral magnitude of 1.4777. 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 30, 2007, at 20:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
This was the most recent central lunar eclipse of Saros series 128 as well as the "longest and deepest lunar eclipse to be seen in 7 years". In the total lunar eclipse of July 16, 2000 the moon passed within two arc minutes of the center of the Earth's shadow. In comparison, this still very deep eclipse was off-center by over 12 minutes of arc.Visibility Map for Total Lunar Eclipse of 16 July 2000 The next total lunar eclipse of a longer duration was on June 15, 2011.
Visibility
Viewing from Oceania was favored for the eclipse, because at the moment of greatest eclipse (10:37:22 UTC), the Moon was at the zenith of French Polynesia. The Pacific regions of Canada and the continental United States (including all of Alaska) witnessed the whole event, along with most of eastern Australia, New Zealand and all the Pacific Island regions (except New Guinea), and the tip of the Chukchi Peninsula that includes the town of Uelen, Russia. The majority of the Americas observed an abbreviated eclipse, with moonset occurring at some time during the eclipse. Siberia, far eastern Russia, eastern South Asia, China, the rest of eastern and southeastern Asia, New Guinea, and the rest of Australia missed out on the beginning of the eclipse, because the eclipse occurred at or close to moonrise in those regions.Visibility Map for Total Lunar Eclipse of 28 August 2007
Luzon (except Visayas and Mindanao) in the Philippines, particularly Metro Manila, missed the rare eclipse entirely, due to clouds in the area due to the rainy season, which saddened many eclipse watchers in the area, but the eclipse was sighted by other amateur astronomers in other parts of the country as the lunar eclipse seen in clear skies. The eclipse was also missed in New Guinea, especially Port Moresby because of clouds. Greenland, Europe (including western Russia), Africa, western Asia, western Central Asia, and western South Asia missed the eclipse completely.
Hourly motion shown right to leftThe Moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Aquarius. Visibility map
Images
Gallery
+ CollagesFrom the Oregon Coast.From Swifts Creek, Australia.(3 minute intervals)From Bakersfield, California.
Eclipse details Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular lunar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
+August 28, 2007 Lunar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Penumbral Magnitude 2.45448 Umbral Magnitude 1.47769 Gamma −0.21456 Sun Right Ascension 10h26m26.9s Sun Declination +09°45'56.7" Sun Semi-Diameter 15'50.0" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7" Moon Right Ascension 22h26m50.4s Moon Declination -09°57'18.5" Moon Semi-Diameter 16'12.5" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°59'29.2" ΔT 65.4 s
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.
+ Eclipse season of August–September 2007 August 28Ascending node (full moon) September 11Descending node (new moon) Total lunar eclipseLunar Saros 128 Partial solar eclipseSolar Saros 154
Related eclipses Eclipses in 2007 A total lunar eclipse on March 3. A partial solar eclipse on March 19. A total lunar eclipse on August 28. A partial solar eclipse on September 11.
Metonic Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 9, 2003 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 16, 2000 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 8, 2014
Half-Saros Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 22, 1998 Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 1, 2016
Tritos Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 27, 1996 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 27, 2018
Lunar Saros 128 Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 17, 1989 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 7, 2025
Inex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 16, 1978 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 7, 2036
Triad Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 27, 1920 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 28, 2094
Lunar eclipses of 2006–2009
Metonic series
Saros 128
Tritos series
Inex series
Half-Saros cycle A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 135.
August 22, 1998September 1, 2016
See also List of lunar eclipses and List of 21st-century lunar eclipses :File:2007-08-28 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart
Notes
External links
NASA, Eclipses of 2007
NASA Saros series 128 Hermit eclipse: Total lunar eclipse: August 28, 2007 Astronomy magazine: August 23, 2007 central total eclipse Photos APOD: August 30 2007 Lunar Eclipse Gallery: 28aug07 Video of eclipse http://www.starrynightphotos.com/moon/lunar_eclipse_august_2007.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20100114175256/http://echeng.com/journal/images/misc/echeng-full-lunar-eclipse.jpg