A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Tuesday, May 25, 1937,[1] with an umbral magnitude of −0.3033. 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 only about 18 hours after apogee (on May 24, 1937, at 13:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | May 25, 1937 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.1582 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.3033 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 110 (67 of 72) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 254 minutes, 43 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Visibility
editThe eclipse was completely visible over much of North America, western and central South America, and Antarctica, seen rising over Australia and setting over northeastern North America, eastern South America, and west Africa.[3]
|
Eclipse details
editShown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 0.76969 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.30327 |
| Gamma | −1.15820 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 04h06m39.7s |
| Sun Declination | +20°53'38.5" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'47.3" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 16h06m15.0s |
| Moon Declination | -21°55'55.1" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'42.9" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'00.1" |
| ΔT | 23.9 s |
Eclipse season
editThis 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.
| May 25 Ascending node (full moon) |
June 8 Descending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
| |
|
| Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 110 |
Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 136 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1937
edit- A penumbral lunar eclipse on May 25.
- A total solar eclipse on June 8.
- A partial lunar eclipse on November 18.
- An annular solar eclipse on December 2.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 5, 1933
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 1941
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 13, 1930
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 6, 1944
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 19, 1928
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 30, 1946
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 25, 1926
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 23, 1948
Lunar Saros 110
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 15, 1919
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 5, 1955
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 14, 1908
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 4, 1966
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 24, 1850
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 25, 2024
Lunar eclipses of 1937–1940
edit| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart |
Saros | Date viewing |
Type chart | |
| 110 | 1937 May 25
|
Penumbral
|
115 | 1937 Nov 18
|
Partial
| |
| 120 | 1938 May 14
|
Total
|
125 | 1938 Nov 07
|
Total
| |
| 130 | 1939 May 03
|
Total
|
135 | 1939 Oct 28
|
Partial
| |
| 140 | 1940 Apr 22
|
Penumbral
|
145 | 1940 Oct 16
|
Penumbral
| |
Half-Saros cycle
editA lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[5] This lunar eclipse is related to one total and one partial = two solar eclipses of Solar Saros 117.
| May 19, 1928 | May 30, 1946 |
|---|---|
|
|
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "May 24–25, 1937 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1937 May 25" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ "Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 1937 May 25". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 1937 May 25 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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