A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, with an umbral magnitude of 1.7014. 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 4.1 days after perigee (on June 11, 2011, at 21:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The last time a lunar eclipse was closer to the center of the Earth's shadow was on July 16, 2000. The next central total lunar eclipse occurred on July 27, 2018.
Visibility and viewing The eclipse was completely visible over east Africa, Antarctica, and west, central, and south Asia, seen rising over Europe, west Africa, and South America and setting over east Asia and Australia.
In western Asia, Australia, and the Philippines, the lunar eclipse was visible just before sunrise."Longest lunar eclipse for a decade turns moon blood red", Terry Brown. Clare Peddie. Herald Sun. 16 June 2011. Accessed 15 June 2011 It was very visible in the clear and cloudless night sky throughout eastern and southeast Asia. Africa, far eastern Russia and Europe witnessed the whole event even in the late stages (as in partial lunar eclipse). The Americas (including North and northwestern South America) missed the eclipse completely (except in most areas) because it occurred at moonset.
Hourly motion shown right to leftThe Moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Ophiuchus (north of Scorpius). Visibility map
Images
Gallery
Eclipse details Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular lunar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
+June 15, 2011 Lunar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Penumbral Magnitude 2.68833 Umbral Magnitude 1.70136 Gamma 0.08968 Sun Right Ascension 05h35m33.6s Sun Declination +23°19'06.1" Sun Semi-Diameter 15'44.7" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7" Moon Right Ascension 17h35m32.3s Moon Declination -23°13'51.6" Moon Semi-Diameter 15'57.2" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°58'33.0" ΔT 66.5 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.
+ Eclipse season of June–July 2011 June 1Descending node (new moon) June 15Ascending node (full moon) July 1Descending node (new moon) Partial solar eclipseSolar Saros 118 Total lunar eclipseLunar Saros 130 Partial solar eclipseSolar Saros 156
Related eclipses Eclipses in 2011 A partial solar eclipse on January 4. A partial solar eclipse on June 1. A total lunar eclipse on June 15. A partial solar eclipse on July 1. A partial solar eclipse on November 25. A total lunar eclipse on December 10.
Metonic Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 28, 2007 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 2015
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 4, 2004 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 27, 2018
Half-Saros Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 10, 2002 Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 21, 2020
Tritos Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 16, 2000 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 16, 2022
Lunar Saros 130 Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 4, 1993 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 26, 2029
Inex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 6, 1982 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 26, 2040
Triad Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 14, 1924 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 15, 2098
Lunar eclipses of 2009–2013
Saros 130
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 137. June 10, 2002June 21, 2020
See also List of lunar eclipses and List of 21st-century lunar eclipses December 2010 lunar eclipse December 2011 lunar eclipse :File:2011-06-15 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart Solar eclipse
Notes
References Bao-Lin Liu, Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1500 B.C.-A.D. 3000, 1992
External links
Live-webcast of the lunar eclipse on 15 June 2011, University of Applied Sciences Offenburg/Germany Live Free Lunar eclipse webcast & hands-on lunar eclipse experiments: 2011-06-15 Live eclipse webcasts, Ciclope group/Technical University of Madrid Live eclipse webcasts, Sky Watchers Association of North Bengal Hermit eclipse: 2011-06-15 NASA: Lunar Eclipses: Past and Future
Index to Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses, −1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) Eclipses: 2001 to 2100 Live webcast by Tübitak – the Turkish National Observatory Live webcast from the SLOOH Space Camera and Google Earth. The eclipse stages are also being incorporated into a Google doodle operating during the eclipse.
Webcast The Central Lunar Eclipse was shown live through WEBCAST – By Sky Watchers Association of North Bengal(SWAN) Siliguri, West Bengal or By Eclipse Chaser Athaenium New Delhi By Astronation.net By Ciclope group and Shelios