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May 1957 lunar eclipse

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May 1957 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left
DateMay 13, 1957
Gamma0.3046
Magnitude1.2982
Saros cycle130 (31 of 72)
Totality77 minutes, 39 seconds
Partiality211 minutes, 36 seconds
Penumbral334 minutes, 57 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P119:43:30
U120:45:06
U221:52:05
Greatest22:30:56
U323:09:44
U40:16:42
P41:18:27

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 13, 1957,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.2982. 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 3.25 days after perigee (on May 9, 1957, at 4:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]

This lunar eclipse was the third of an almost tetrad, with the others being on May 24, 1956 (partial); November 18, 1956 (total); and November 7, 1957 (total).

Visibility

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The eclipse was completely visible over Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Antarctica, seen rising over eastern North America and South America and setting over much of Asia and Australia.[3]

Eclipse details

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Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]

May 13, 1957 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 2.30005
Umbral Magnitude 1.29822
Gamma 0.30457
Sun Right Ascension 03h21m53.2s
Sun Declination +18°29'35.8"
Sun Semi-Diameter 15'49.4"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7"
Moon Right Ascension 15h22m04.8s
Moon Declination -18°12'09.6"
Moon Semi-Diameter 15'47.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°57'58.1"
ΔT 32.0 s

Eclipse season

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See also: Eclipse cycle

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 April–May 1957
April 30
Descending node (new moon)
 May 13
Ascending node (full moon)
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 118		 Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 130
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Eclipses in 1957

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Metonic

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Tzolkinex

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Half-Saros

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Tritos

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Lunar Saros 130

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Inex

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Triad

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Lunar eclipses of 1955–1958

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This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[5]

The penumbral lunar eclipse on January 8, 1955 occurs in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the penumbral lunar eclipse on April 4, 1958 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 1955 to 1958
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma
110 1955 Jun 05
 Penumbral
 −1.2384 115 1955 Nov 29
 Partial
 0.9551
120 1956 May 24
 Partial
 −0.4726 125 1956 Nov 18
 Total
 0.2917
130 1957 May 13
 Total
 0.3046 135 1957 Nov 07
 Total
 −0.4332
140 1958 May 03
 Partial
 1.0188 145 1958 Oct 27
 Penumbral
 −1.1571

Saros 130

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This eclipse is a part of Saros series 130, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on June 10, 1416. It contains partial eclipses from September 4, 1560 through April 12, 1903; total eclipses from April 22, 1921 through September 11, 2155; and a second set of partial eclipses from September 21, 2173 through May 10, 2552. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on July 26, 2678.

The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 35 at 101 minutes, 53 seconds on June 26, 2029. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.[6]

Greatest First

The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2029 Jun 26, lasting 101 minutes, 53 seconds.[7] 		Penumbral Partial Total Central
1416 Jun 10
 1560 Sep 04
 1921 Apr 22
 1975 May 25
Last
Central Total Partial Penumbral
2083 Jul 29
 2155 Sep 11
 2552 May 10
 2678 Jul 26

Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.

Tritos series

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This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

Series members between 1801 and 2200
1804 Jul 22
(Saros 116) 		1815 Jun 21
(Saros 117) 		1826 May 21
(Saros 118) 		1837 Apr 20
(Saros 119) 		1848 Mar 19
(Saros 120)
1859 Feb 17
(Saros 121) 		1870 Jan 17
(Saros 122) 		1880 Dec 16
(Saros 123) 		1891 Nov 16
(Saros 124) 		1902 Oct 17
(Saros 125)
1913 Sep 15
(Saros 126) 		1924 Aug 14
(Saros 127) 		1935 Jul 16
(Saros 128) 		1946 Jun 14
(Saros 129) 		1957 May 13
(Saros 130)
1968 Apr 13
(Saros 131) 		1979 Mar 13
(Saros 132) 		1990 Feb 09
(Saros 133) 		2001 Jan 09
(Saros 134) 		2011 Dec 10
(Saros 135)
2022 Nov 08
(Saros 136) 		2033 Oct 08
(Saros 137) 		2044 Sep 07
(Saros 138) 		2055 Aug 07
(Saros 139) 		2066 Jul 07
(Saros 140)
2077 Jun 06
(Saros 141) 		2088 May 05
(Saros 142) 		2099 Apr 05
(Saros 143) 		2110 Mar 06
(Saros 144) 		2121 Feb 02
(Saros 145)
2132 Jan 02
(Saros 146) 		2142 Dec 03
(Saros 147) 		2153 Nov 01
(Saros 148) 		2164 Sep 30
(Saros 149) 		2175 Aug 31
(Saros 150)
2186 Jul 31
(Saros 151) 		2197 Jun 29
(Saros 152)

Inex series

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This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

Series members between 1801 and 2200
1812 Aug 22
(Saros 125) 		1841 Aug 02
(Saros 126) 		1870 Jul 12
(Saros 127)
1899 Jun 23
(Saros 128) 		1928 Jun 03
(Saros 129) 		1957 May 13
(Saros 130)
1986 Apr 24
(Saros 131) 		2015 Apr 04
(Saros 132) 		2044 Mar 13
(Saros 133)
2073 Feb 22
(Saros 134) 		2102 Feb 03
(Saros 135) 		2131 Jan 13
(Saros 136)
2159 Dec 24
(Saros 137) 		2188 Dec 04
(Saros 138)

Half-Saros cycle

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A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[8] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 137.

May 9, 1948 May 20, 1966

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "May 13–14, 1957 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1957 May 13" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1957 May 13". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  5. ^ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. ^ "NASA - Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 130". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
  7. ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 130
  8. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
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