A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, January 1, 2048,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.1297. 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 4.4 days after apogee (on December 27, 2047, at 21:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.[2]
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | January 1, 2048 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.3745 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.1297 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 135 (25 of 71) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 55 minutes, 56 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 214 minutes, 16 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 359 minutes, 26 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
This will be the first recorded lunar eclipse to be visible on New Year's Day for nearly all of Earth's timezones. The next such eclipse will occur in 2094.
Visibility
editThe eclipse will be completely visible over North America and western South America, seen rising over east and northeast Asia and eastern Australia and setting over much of Africa and Europe.[3]
Eclipse details
editShown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.21576 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.12966 |
| Gamma | −0.37456 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 18h45m45.0s |
| Sun Declination | -23°01'00.1" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'15.9" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 06h45m29.1s |
| Moon Declination | +22°40'44.8" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'58.6" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'57.7" |
| ΔT | 83.8 s |
Eclipse season
editThis 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.
| December 16 Ascending node (new moon) |
January 1 Descending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
| Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 123 |
Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 135 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 2048
edit- A total lunar eclipse on January 1.
- An annular solar eclipse on June 11.
- A partial lunar eclipse on June 26.
- A total solar eclipse on December 5.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on December 20.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 2044
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 19, 2051
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 18, 2040
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2055
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 26, 2038
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 5, 2057
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 31, 2037
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 30, 2058
Lunar Saros 135
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 20, 2029
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 11, 2066
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 21, 2019
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 10, 2076
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 2, 1961
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 2, 2134
Lunar eclipses of 2046–2049
edit| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart | |
| 115 | 2046 Jan 22 |
Partial |
120 | 2046 Jul 18 |
Partial | |
| 125 | 2047 Jan 12 |
Total |
130 | 2047 Jul 07 |
Total | |
| 135 | 2048 Jan 01 |
Total |
140 | 2048 Jun 26 |
Partial | |
| 145 | 2048 Dec 20 |
Penumbral |
150 | 2049 Jun 15 |
Penumbral | |
| Last set | 2045 Aug 27 | Last set | 2045 Mar 03 | |||
| Next set | 2049 Nov 09 | Next set | 2049 May 17 | |||
Half-Saros cycle
editA lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[5] This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 142.
| December 26, 2038 | January 5, 2057 |
|---|---|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "December 31, 2047–January 1, 2048 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2048 Jan 01" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2048 Jan 01". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 2048 Jan 01 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
