A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Saturday, January 8, 1955, with an umbral magnitude of −0.1421. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the Moon's near side passes into the Earth's penumbra. 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. Occurring about 2.2 days after perigee (on January 6, 1955, at 8:55 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
Visibility The eclipse was completely visible over east and north Asia, Australia, and northwestern North America, seen rising over much of the western half of Asia and northern Europe and setting over eastern North America and northwestern South America.
Eclipse details Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
+January 8, 1955 Lunar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Penumbral Magnitude 0.85553 Umbral Magnitude −0.14209 Gamma −1.09070 Sun Right Ascension 19h15m41.7s Sun Declination -22°18'18.6" Sun Semi-Diameter 16'15.9" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9" Moon Right Ascension 07h14m38.8s Moon Declination +21°14'42.2" Moon Semi-Diameter 16'18.2" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°59'50.2" ΔT 31.1 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 1954–January 1955 December 25Ascending node (new moon) January 8Descending node (full moon) Annular solar eclipseSolar Saros 131 Penumbral lunar eclipseLunar Saros 143
Related eclipses Eclipses in 1955 A penumbral lunar eclipse on January 8. A penumbral lunar eclipse on June 5. A total solar eclipse on June 20. A partial lunar eclipse on November 29. An annular solar eclipse on December 14.
Metonic Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 23, 1951 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 27, 1958
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 28, 1947 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 19, 1962
Half-Saros Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 3, 1946 Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 14, 1964
Tritos Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 9, 1944 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 8, 1965
Lunar Saros 143 Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 28, 1936 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 18, 1973
Inex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 28, 1926 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 20, 1983
Triad Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 8, 1868 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 8, 2041
Lunar eclipses of 1951–1955
Saros 143
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 partial solar eclipses of Solar Saros 150.
January 3, 1946January 14, 1964
See also List of lunar eclipses List of 20th-century lunar eclipses
Notes
External links