A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, 21 December 2010, with an umbral magnitude of 1.2576. 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 days before apogee (on 25 December 2010, at 7:15 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
This eclipse was notable in that it coincided with the date of the Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and Summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. It was the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern Winter Solstice (Southern Summer Solstice) since 1638, and only the second in the Common Era.
Visibility The eclipse was completely visible over North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean, seen rising over east Asia and Australia and setting over South America, west Africa, and Europe.
Hourly motion shown right to leftThe Moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Taurus. Visibility map
Images
Gallery + ProgressionsProgression from São Paulo, BrazilProgression from Anchorage, AlaskaPanorama showing the view from the site of the VLTSequence from Toronto, Ontario, Canada(Sequence is in 15-minute increments, with 5-minute increments up until totality at 8:17 am UTC)Progression from Toronto, CanadaFrom Jacksonville, Florida, 8:29 UTC - 10:06 UTCFrom Easton, Pennsylvania
Individual shots, sorted by time:
Animations:
Timing In North America, the eclipse was visible in its entirety on 21 December 2010, from 12:27 a.m. to 6:06 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. In the Central Standard Time zone and west, the eclipse began the night of 20 December. Observers along South America's east coast missed the late stages of the eclipse because they occurred after moon-set.
Likewise much of Europe and Africa experienced moon-set while the eclipse was in progress. In Europe, only those observers in northern Scandinavia (including Iceland), Ireland and Britain could observe the entire event. For observers in eastern Asia the moon rose in eclipse. The eclipse was not visible from southern and eastern Africa, the Middle East or South Asia. In Japan and northeastern Asia, the eclipse's end was visible, with the moon rising at sunset. In the Philippines it was observable as a partial lunar eclipse just after sunset.
Predictions suggested that the total eclipse may appear unusually orange or red, as a result of the eruption of Mount Merapi in Indonesia on 26 October.
+ Local times of eclipse over North AmericaEventHAST(UTC-10)AKST(UTC−9)PST(UTC−8)MST(UTC−7)CST(UTC−6)EST(UTC−5)AST(UTC−4)UTC(UTC)Start penumbral (P1) 7:29 pm(*) 8:29 pm(*) 9:29 pm(*) 10:29 pm(*) 11:29 pm(*) 12:29 am 1:29 am 5:29 amStart umbral (U1) 8:33 pm(*) 9:33 pm(*) 10:33 pm(*) 11:33 pm(*) 12:33 am 1:33 am 2:33 am 6:33 amStart total (U2) 9:41 pm(*) 10:41 pm(*) 11:41 pm(*) 12:41 am 1:41 am 2:41 am 3:41 am 7:41 amGreatest eclipse 10:17 pm(*) 11:17 pm(*) 12:17 am 1:17 am 2:17 am 3:17 am 4:17 am 8:17 amEnd total (U3) 10:53 pm(*) 11:53 pm(*) 12:53 am 1:53 am 2:53 am 3:53 am 4:53 am 8:53 amEnd umbral (U4) 12:01 am 1:01 am 2:01 am 3:01 am 4:01 am 5:01 am 6:01 am 10:01 amEnd penumbral (P4) 1:04 am 2:04 am 3:04 am 4:04 am 5:04 am 6:04 am 7:04 am 11:04 am(*) before midnight on Monday night, 20 December
Eclipse details Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
+21 December 2010 Lunar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Penumbral Magnitude 2.28215 Umbral Magnitude 1.25759 Gamma 0.32139 Sun Right Ascension 17h57m09.6s Sun Declination -23°26'09.9" Sun Semi-Diameter 16'15.5" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9" Moon Right Ascension 05h57m17.3s Moon Declination +23°44'47.8" Moon Semi-Diameter 15'52.1" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°58'14.3" ΔT 66.4 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 December 2010–January 2011 21 DecemberDescending node (full moon) January 4Ascending node (new moon) Total lunar eclipseLunar Saros 125 Partial solar eclipseSolar Saros 151
Related eclipses Eclipses in 2010 An annular solar eclipse on January 15. A partial lunar eclipse on June 26. A total solar eclipse on July 11. A total lunar eclipse on 21 December.
Metonic Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 8, 2014
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 9, 2003 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 31, 2018
Half-Saros Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 2001 Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 26, 2019
Tritos Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 21, 2000 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 19, 2021
Lunar Saros 125 Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 9, 1992 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 31, 2028
Inex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 10, 1982 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 30, 2039
Triad Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1924 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 21, 2097
Lunar eclipses of 2009–2013
Metonic series
Saros 125
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 132. December 14, 2001December 26, 2019
See also List of lunar eclipses List of 21st-century lunar eclipses June 2011 lunar eclipse December 2011 lunar eclipse :File:2010-12-21 Lunar Eclipse Sketch.gif Chart 2010 12 21 – Lunar Eclipse in Jacksonville, FL 2010 12 21 – Lunar Eclipse Sequence
Notes
External links
Worldwide viewing times for the December 2010 Total Lunar Eclipse How to Photograph the Lunar Eclipse from the NY Institute of Photography
NASA: Eclipses During 2010 2010 Dec 21: Total Lunar Eclipse
"Animation of the December 21, 2010 eclipse" at shadowandsubstance.com Astronomical Society of the Pacific eclipse times and questions & answers