A penumbral lunar eclipse took place on Tuesday, April 14, 1987, the first of two lunar eclipses in 1987, the second being on October 7, 1987. This subtle penumbral eclipse may have been visible to a skilled observer at maximum eclipse. 77.703% of the Moon's disc was partially shaded by the Earth (none of it was in total shadow), which caused a gentle shadow gradient across its disc at maximum; the eclipse as a whole lasted 3 hours, 54 minutes and 12.8 seconds. The Moon was just 4.6 days before perigee (Perigee on Saturday, April 18, 1987), making it 0.5% larger than average.[1]
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
| Date | 14 April 1987 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.13641 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | 0.77703 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 141 (22 of 73) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 234 minutes, 12.8 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Visibility
editIt was completely visible over North America, South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa and west in Asia, seen rising over the Pacific Ocean and North America and setting over South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
Member
editThis is the 22nd member of Lunar Saros 141. The previous event was the April 1969 lunar eclipse. The next event is the April 2005 lunar eclipse.
Related lunar eclipses
editEclipses of 1987
edit- A hybrid solar eclipse on March 29.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on April 14.
- An annular solar eclipse on September 23.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on October 7.
Lunar year series
edit| Lunar eclipse series sets from 1984–1987 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||||
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
| 111 | 1984 May 15
|
Penumbral
|
1.11308 | 116 | 1984 Nov 08
|
Penumbral
|
−1.08998 | |
| 121 | 1985 May 04
|
Total
|
0.35197 | 126 | 1985 Oct 28
|
Total
|
−0.40218 | |
| 131 | 1986 Apr 24
|
Total
|
−0.36826 | 136 | 1986 Oct 17
|
Total
|
0.31887 | |
| 141 | 1987 Apr 14
|
Penumbral
|
−1.13641 | 146 | 1987 Oct 07
|
Penumbral
|
1.01890 | |
| Last set | 1984 Jun 13 | Last set | 1983 Dec 20 | |||||
| Next set | 1988 Mar 03 | Next set | 1988 Aug 27 | |||||
Saros series
editLunar Saros 141, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 72 lunar eclipse events including 26 total lunar eclipses.
First Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 1608 Aug 25
First Partial Lunar Eclipse: 2041 May 16
First Total Lunar Eclipse: 2167 Aug 01
First Central Lunar Eclipse: 2221 Sep 02
Greatest Eclipse of the Lunar Saros 141: 2293 Oct 16
Last Central Lunar Eclipse: 2546 Mar 18
Last Total Lunar Eclipse: 2618 May 01
Last Partial Lunar Eclipse: 2744 Jul 16
Last Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: 2888 Oct 11
1901-2100
April 1987 lunar eclipse
Half-Saros cycle
editA 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 partial solar eclipses of Solar Saros 148.
| April 7, 1978 | April 17, 1996 |
|---|---|
|
|
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Hermit Eclipse: Saros cycle 141
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 1987 Apr 14 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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