A total

lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. Such alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of the Eart ...

occurred on February 20 and February 21, 2008. It was visible in the eastern evening sky on February 20 for all of

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

and South America, and on February 21 in the predawn western sky from most of Africa and Europe. Greatest Eclipse occurring on Thursday, February 21, 2008, at 03:26:03 UTC, totality lasting 49 minutes and 45.6 seconds. Occurring 7.1 days after perigee (Perigee on February 14, 2008) and 6.9 days before apogee (Apogee on February 28, 2008), the Moon's apparent diameter was near the average diameter. The total lunar eclipse was the first of the two lunar eclipses in 2008, with the second, the August 16, 2008 event being partial. The next total lunar eclipse occurred on December 21, 2010. The tables below contain detailed predictions and additional information on the Total Lunar Eclipse of 21 February 2008. The Moon's apparent diameter was 26.2 arcseconds larger than the August 16, 2008 partial lunar eclipse.

Eclipse season

This is the second eclipse this

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

. First eclipse this season: 7 February 2008 Annular Solar Eclipse Date = 21 February 2008 *Penumbral Magnitude = 2.14507 *Umbral Magnitude = 1.10618 *Gamma: -0.39923 *Greatest Eclipse: 21 Feb 2008 03:26:03.3 UTC (03:27:08.8 TD) *Ecliptic Opposition: 21 Feb 2008 03:30:30.8 UTC (03:31:36.3 TD) *Equatorial Opposition: 21 Feb 2008 03:48:25.7 UTC (03:49:31.2 TD) *Sun right ascension: 22 hours, 15 minutes, 30.0 seconds *Moon right ascension: 10 hours, 14 minutes, 48.5 seconds *Earth's shadow right ascension: 10 hours, 15 minutes, 30.0 seconds *Sun declination: 10 degrees, 48 minutes, 31.3 seconds south of Celestial Equator *Moon declination: 10 degrees, 28 minutes, 7.6 seconds north of Celestial Equator *Earth's shadow declination: 10 degrees, 48 minutes, 31.3 seconds north of Celestial Equator *Sun diameter: 1941.0 arcseconds *Moon diameter: 1868.4 arcseconds *Penumbra diameter: 2 degrees, 1684.08 arcseconds (8884.08 arcseconds) *Umbra diameter: 1 degree, 1402.56 arcseconds (5002.56 arcseconds) *Saros Series: 133rd (26 of 71) *Node: Descending Node

Viewing

The eclipse was visible in the eastern evening sky on February 20 for all of North and South America, and on February 21 in the predawn western sky from most of Africa and Europe. The penumbral eclipse began at 00:35 UTC (February 21), and ended at 6:17. A partial eclipse existed from 1:43 until 3:00, followed by 51 minutes of totality (3:00 - 3:51), and then partial again from 3:51 until 5:09. (For local times, see Timing.) It is possible to mistake the appearance of partial eclipse as the Moon being in a different

phase Phase or phases may refer to: Science *State of matter, or phase, one of the distinct forms in which matter can exist *Phase (matter), a region of space throughout which all physical properties are essentially uniform *Phase space, a mathematica ...

, but the shadow from the eclipse changes much more rapidly. The bright star

Regulus Regulus is the brightest object in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation designated α Leonis, which is Latinized to Alpha Leonis, and abbreviated Alpha Leo or α Leo. Reg ...

Leo Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts an ...

and the planet

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; ...

were prominent very near the Moon during the total eclipse portion. Shortly before the eclipse began, Regulus was

occulted An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks ...

by the Moon in parts of the far Southern Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica.

Map

Relation to other lunar eclipses

Eclipses of 2008

* An annular solar eclipse on February 7. * A total lunar eclipse on February 21. * A total solar eclipse on August 1. * A partial lunar eclipse on August 16.

Lunar year series

Saros series

This lunar eclipse is part of series 133 of the

Saros cycle The saros () is a period of exactly 223 synodic months, approximately 6585.3211 days, or 18 years, 10, 11, or 12 days (depending on the number of leap years), and 8 hours, that can be used to predict eclipses of the Sun and Moon. One saros perio ...

, which repeats every 18 years and 11 days. Series 133 runs from the year 1557 until 2819. The previous eclipse of this series occurred on February 9, 1990, and the next will occur on March 3, 2026. It is the 6th of 21 total lunar eclipses in series 133. The first was on December 28, 1917. The last (21st) will be on August 3, 2278. The longest two occurrences of this series (14th and 15th) will last for a total of 1 hour and 42 minutes on May 18, 2152, and May 30, 2170.

Solar saros 140 Saros cycle series 140 for solar eclipses occurs at the Moon's descending node, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon's descending node. This solar saros is linked to Lunar Saros ...

interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Metonic cycle (19 years)

This is the fourth of five Metonic lunar eclipses.

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of

Solar Saros 140 Saros cycle series 140 for solar eclipses occurs at the Moon's descending node, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon's descending node. This solar saros is linked to Lunar Saros ...

Timing

The Moon entered the penumbral shadow at 0:36 UTC, and the umbral shadow at 1:43. Totality lasted for 50 minutes, between 3:01 and 3:51. The Moon left the umbra shadow at 5:09 and left the penumbra shadow at 6:16. Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC

Photo gallery

Composites

North America

Canada

Image:Lunar_Eclipse_Burlington_Ontario.jpg, Eclipse Observed from Burlington, Ontario, at 2:00 UTC. Image:Lunar Eclipse 200802210349.png, Eclipse observed from

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. T ...

, at 2:49 UTC. Lunar north is near top-left. Image:Lunar Eclipse 200802210356.png, Eclipse observed from Victoria, British Columbia at 2:56 UTC, just prior to total. Lunar north is near top-left. Image:Eclipse_2008_feb_20_sa_411utc.jpg, Eclipse observed from

Salmon Arm Salmon Arm is a city in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District of the Southern Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia that has a population of 17,706 (2016). Salmon Arm was incorporated as a municipal district on May 15, 1905. The ...

, Canada at 3:11 UTC. Lunar north is near top-left. Image:EclipseCanada08 4.JPG, Eclipse observed from Burlington, Ontario at 4:05 UTC.

USA (west)

Image:Eclipse_2007.jpg, Eclipse observed from Salem, Oregon. Lunar north is near top-left. Image:Eclipse08_Urbana.jpg, Observed from

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. As of the 2010 United States Census, Urbana is the 38th-most populous municipality in Illinois. It ...

, at 3:06 UTC. Lunar north is near top-left. Image:Lunar Eclipse 2008-02-20 Boulder.jpg, Observed from Boulder, Colorado, at 4:17 UTC. Lunar north is near top-left.

Mare Humorum Mare Humorum (Latin ''hūmōrum'', the "Sea of Moisture") is a lunar mare. The impact basin it is located in is 425 kilometers across. Geology It was not sampled by the Apollo program, so a precise age has not been determined. However, geologi ...

appears at bottom, Tycho's rays at bottom right.

USA (east)

Image:February 21, 2008 lunar eclipse, West Hartford, CT, 1-42 UTC.jpg, Moon observed from

West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The ...

, at 1:42 UTC. Lunar north is left. Image:21 Feb 2008 lunar eclipse totality.JPG, Eclipse observed from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, at 2:49 UTC. Image:Lunar eclipse February 21, 2008, Millersville, PA.jpg, Eclipse observed from

Millersville, Pennsylvania Millersville is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 7,629 and in 2021 it was estimated at 7,593. Geography Millersville is located in central Lancaster County at (40.006148, -76.35134 ...

, at 3:15 UTC. Lunar north is near left. Image:Image-February 21, 2008 lunar eclipse and stars, West Hartford, CT, 3-17 UTC.jpg, Eclipse observed from

, at 3:17 UTC. Lunar north is near top-left. Image:February 21, 2008 lunar eclipse, West Hartford, CT, 3-18 UTC.jpg, Eclipse observed from

, at 3:18 UTC. Lunar north is near top-left. Image:Lunar eclipse 20 Feb 2008 totality 2.JPG, Eclipse observed from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 3:36 UTC. Lunar north is top-left. Image:Eric_Kilby_-_1052_PM_-_totality_ends_(by-sa).jpg, Eclipse observed from

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Comm ...

, at 3:52 UTC Image:Lunar_Eclipse_Feb_20_2008_By_Andrew_Mussey2.jpg, Eclipse observed from

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

, at 3:57 UTC.

South America

Image:Lunar_Eclipse_feb2008_in_Sao_Joaquim_-_Brazil.jpg, Eclipse observed from

São Joaquim São Joaquim is a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, situated in southern Brazil. It is located at latitude 28° 17' 38" south and longitude 49° 55' 54" west, with an altitude of . Its population in 2020 was 27,13 ...
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