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May 2004 lunar eclipse

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Total Lunar Eclipse
4-5 May 2004

Haifa, Israel

The moon's path through the Earth's shadow.
Series (and member) 131 (33 of 72)
Gamma -0.3132
Magnitude 1.3035
Duration (hr:mn:sc)
Totality 1:15:28
Partial 3:23:12
Penumbral 5:15:43
Contacts (UTC)
P1 17:52:54
U1 18:48:38
U2 19:52:29
Greatest 20:30:13
U3 21:07:57
U4 22:11:50
P4 23:08:03

The moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Libra.

A total lunar eclipse took place on Tuesday 4 May 2004, the first of two total lunar eclipses in 2004, the second being on 28 October 2004.

Visibility

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It was visible throughout most of Europe and Asia, eastern Africa, Indian Ocean and western South America including the Pacific Ocean. The eclipse seen in eastern Asia before sunrise and western South America after sunset. The eclipse was seen over and the Philippines at dawn. Mid Eclipse was visible during moonset in Eastern Australia.

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This is the second eclipse this season.

First eclipse this season: 19 April 2004 Partial Solar Eclipse

Eclipses of 2004

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Lunar year series

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It is the third of four lunar year cycles, repeating every 354 days.

Lunar eclipse series sets from 2002–2005
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros
Photo
Date
View
Type
Chart
Gamma Saros
Photo
Date
View
Type
Chart
Gamma
111 2002 May 26
penumbral
1.1759 116 2002 Nov 20
penumbral
−1.1127
121
2003 May 16
total
0.4123 126
2003 Nov 09
total
−0.4319
131
2004 May 04
total
−0.3132 136
2004 Oct 28
total
0.2846
141 2005 Apr 24
penumbral
−1.0885 146
2005 Oct 17
partial
0.9796
Last set 2002 Jun 24 Last set 2001 Dec 30
Next set 2006 Mar 14 Next set 2006 Sep 07


Saros series

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Lunar Saros series 131, has 72 lunar eclipses. Solar Saros 138 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

This eclipse series began in AD 1427 with a partial eclipse at the southern edge of the Earth's shadow when the Moon was close to its descending node. Each successive Saros cycle, the Moon's orbital path is shifted northward with respect to the Earth's shadow, with the first total eclipse occurring in 1950. For the following 252 years, total eclipses occur, with the central eclipse being predicted to occur in 2078. The first partial eclipse after this is predicted to occur in the year 2220, and the final partial eclipse of the series will occur in 2707. The total lifetime of the lunar Saros series 131 is 1280 years. Solar Saros 138 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Because of the ⅓ fraction of days in a Saros cycle, the visibility of each eclipse will differ for an observer at a given fixed locale. For the lunar Saros series 131, the first total eclipse of 1950 had its best visibility for viewers in Eastern Europe and the Middle East because mid-eclipse was at 20:44 UT. The following eclipse in the series occurred approximately 8 hours later in the day with mid-eclipse at 4:47 UT, and was best seen from North America and South America. The third total eclipse occurred approximately 8 hours later in the day than the second eclipse with mid-eclipse at 12:43 UT, and had its best visibility for viewers in the Western Pacific, East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. This cycle of visibility repeats from the initiation to termination of the series, with minor variations. Solar Saros 138 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Lunar Saros series 131, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 72 lunar eclipse events including 57 umbral lunar eclipses (42 partial lunar eclipses and 15 total lunar eclipses). Solar Saros 138 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Greatest First

The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2094 Jun 28, lasting 102 minutes.[1]
Penumbral Partial Total Central
1427 May 10 1553 July 25 1950 Apr 2 2022 May 16
Last
Central Total Partial Penumbral
2148 Jul 31 2202 Sep 3 2563 Apr 9 2707 Jul 7
1901–2100
1914 Mar 12 1932 Mar 22 1950 Apr 2
1968 Apr 13 1986 Apr 24 2004 May 4
2022 May 16 2040 May 26 2058 Jun 6
2076 Jun 17 2094 Jun 28

Metonic series

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The metonic cycle repeats nearly exactly every 19 years and represents a Saros cycle plus one lunar year. Because it occurs on the same calendar date, the Earth's shadow will in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.

Metonic events: May 4 and October 28
Descending node Ascending node
  1. 1966 May 4 - Penumbral (111)
  2. 1985 May 4 - Total (121)
  3. 2004 May 4 - Total (131)
  4. 2023 May 5 - Penumbral (141)
  1. 1966 Oct 29 - Penumbral (116)
  2. 1985 Oct 28 - Total (126)
  3. 2004 Oct 28 - Total (136)
  4. 2023 Oct 28 - Partial (146)
  5. 2042 Oct 28 - Penumbral (156)

Tritos series

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Tzolkinex

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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).[2] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 138.

29 April 1995 10 May 2013

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Listing of Eclipses of cycle 131
  2. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
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