A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, April 14, 1987, with an umbral magnitude of −0.2312. 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 4.6 days before perigee (on April 18, 1987, at 17:35 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
Visibility The eclipse was completely visible over eastern North America, South America, western Europe, west and central Africa, and Antarctica, seen rising over western and central North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over east Africa, eastern Europe, and west, central, and south Asia.
Eclipse details Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
+April 14, 1987 Lunar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Penumbral Magnitude 0.77703 Umbral Magnitude −0.23122 Gamma −1.13641 Sun Right Ascension 01h27m26.1s Sun Declination +09°10'16.8" Sun Semi-Diameter 15'56.9" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.8" Moon Right Ascension 13h25m23.5s Moon Declination -10°08'55.4" Moon Semi-Diameter 15'49.1" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°58'03.2" ΔT 55.4 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 March–April 1987 March 29Ascending node (new moon) April 14Descending node (full moon) Hybrid solar eclipseSolar Saros 129 Penumbral lunar eclipseLunar Saros 141
Related eclipses Eclipses in 1987 A hybrid solar eclipse on March 29. A penumbral lunar eclipse on April 14. An annular solar eclipse on September 23. A penumbral lunar eclipse on October 7.
Metonic Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 25, 1983 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 30, 1991
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 1, 1980 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 25, 1994
Half-Saros Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 7, 1978 Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 17, 1996
Tritos Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 13, 1976 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 1998
Lunar Saros 141 Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 2, 1969 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 24, 2005
Inex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 3, 1958 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 23, 2016
Triad Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 13, 1900 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2074
Lunar eclipses of 1984–1987
Saros 141
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 partial solar eclipses of Solar Saros 148. April 7, 1978April 17, 1996
See also List of lunar eclipses List of 20th-century lunar eclipses
Notes
External links