A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Sunday, February 22, 2054,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.2781. 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 1.2 days before perigee (on February 21, 2054, at 2:55 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | February 22, 2054 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.3242 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2781 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 124 (51 of 74) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 72 minutes, 8 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 200 minutes, 53 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 314 minutes, 45 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
This lunar eclipse will be the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on August 18, 2054 (total); February 11, 2055 (total); and August 7, 2055 (partial).
Visibility
editThe eclipse will be completely visible over North and South America, seen rising over much of Africa and Europe and setting over northeast Asia and eastern Australia.[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 | 2.25022 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.27805 |
| Gamma | −0.32419 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 22h23m02.4s |
| Sun Declination | -10°05'18.4" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'10.2" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 10h22m40.9s |
| Moon Declination | +09°46'14.8" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'38.0" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°01'02.7" |
| ΔT | 87.8 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.
| February 22 Ascending node (full moon) |
March 9 Descending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 124 |
Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 150 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 2054
edit- A total lunar eclipse on February 22.
- A partial solar eclipse on March 9.
- A partial solar eclipse on August 3.
- A total lunar eclipse on August 18.
- A partial solar eclipse on September 2.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 6, 2050
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 11, 2057
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 12, 2047
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 2061
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 2045
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 28, 2063
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 25, 2043
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 22, 2065
Lunar Saros 124
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2036
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 4, 2072
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 14, 2025
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 2, 2083
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 24, 1967
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 23, 2140
Lunar eclipses of 2053–2056
edit| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart | |
| 114 | 2053 Mar 04 |
Penumbral |
119 | 2053 Aug 29 |
Penumbral | |
| 124 | 2054 Feb 22 |
Total |
129 | 2054 Aug 18 |
Total | |
| 134 | 2055 Feb 11 |
Total |
139 | 2055 Aug 07 |
Partial | |
| 144 | 2056 Feb 01 |
Penumbral |
149 | 2056 Jul 26 |
Partial | |
| Last set | 2052 Apr 14 | Last set | 2052 Oct 08 | |||
| Next set | 2056 Dec 22 | Next set | 2056 Jun 27 | |||
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 solar eclipses of Solar Saros 131.
| February 16, 2045 | February 28, 2063 |
|---|---|
See also
editExternal links
edit- 2054 Feb 22 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
- ^ "February 21–22, 2054 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2054 Feb 22" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2054 Feb 22". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros