A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Saturday, May 26, 2040, with an umbral magnitude of 1.5365. It will be a central lunar eclipse, in which part of the Moon will pass through the center of the Earth's shadow. 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 1.4 days before perigee (on May 27, 2040, at 22:25 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.
Visibility The eclipse will be completely visible over Antarctica, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean, seen rising over east and south Asia and setting over North and South America.
Eclipse details Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
+May 26, 2040 lunar eclipse parameters Parameter Value Penumbral magnitude 2.49551 Umbral magnitude 1.53646 Gamma −0.18720 Sun right ascension 04h15m46.6s Sun declination +21°16'35.1" Sun semi-diameter 15'47.2" Sun equatorial horizontal parallax 08.7" Moon right ascension 16h15m33.4s Moon declination -21°27'28.2" Moon semi-diameter 16'27.7" Moon equatorial horizontal parallax 1°00'24.9" ΔT 79.3 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 May 2040 May 11Ascending node (new moon) May 26Descending node (full moon) Partial solar eclipseSolar Saros 119 Total lunar eclipseLunar Saros 131
Related eclipses Eclipses in 2040 A partial solar eclipse on May 11 A total lunar eclipse on May 26 A partial solar eclipse on November 4 A total lunar eclipse on November 18
Metonic Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 7, 2036 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 2044
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 14, 2033 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 7, 2047
Half-Saros Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 21, 2031 Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 31, 2049
Tritos Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 26, 2029 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 26, 2051
Lunar Saros 131 Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 16, 2022 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 6, 2058
Inex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 6, 2069
Triad Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 26, 1953 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 28, 2127
Lunar eclipses of 2038–2042
Saros 131
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 138. May 21, 2031May 31, 2049
See also List of lunar eclipses and List of 21st-century lunar eclipses
Notes
External links NASA: Lunar Eclipses: Past and Future
Index to Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses, -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) Eclipses: 2001 to 2100
References Bao-Lin Liu, Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1500 B.C.-A.D. 3000, 1992