21 December 2010 lunar eclipse

Total lunar eclipse 2010/12/21 [1] (Future event)
Saros (member)	125 (48)
Recent	<S <T < > T> S>
The moon passes right to left through the earth's northern shadow
Gamma[1]	0.3213
Duration (hr:mn:sc)
Totality	1:13:12
Partial	3:29:22
Penumbral	5:38:22
Contacts
P1	05:27:43 UTC
U1	06:32:17 UTC
U2	07:40:21 UTC
Greatest	08:16:56 UTC
U3	08:53:34 UTC
U4	10:01:39 UTC
P4	11:06:04 UTC
At descending node in Taurus

A total lunar eclipse will take place on December 21, 2010, the second of two lunar eclipses in 2010.^[2]

It will be visible after midnight of December 21 in North and South America. The beginning of the total eclipse will be visible from northern Europe just before sunrise. The end of the total eclipse will be visible rising at sunset for Japan and northeastern Asia.

The previous lunar eclipse on June 26, 2010 will be partial. The previous total lunar eclipse will have occurred nearly three years earlier, on February 21, 2008.

The following two lunar eclipses are also total, on June 15, 2011 and December 10, 2011.

[edit] Visibility

These simulated views of the earth from the center of the moon during the lunar eclipse show where the eclipse is visible on earth.

[edit] Relation to other lunar eclipses

This eclipse is in the Saros cycle series 125, repeating every 18 years and 11 days. One last occurred on December 9, 1992 and will next occur on December 31, 2028.^[3][4]

It is the 18th of 26 total lunar eclipses in series 125. The first was on June 17, 1704. The last (26th) will be on March 19, 2155. The longest totality occurrence of this series (7th) was on August 22, 1812 when totality lasted one hour and 42 minutes.^[5]

[edit] Lunar year and Metonic cycles (354 days and 19 years)

This eclipse is the one of four lunar eclipses in two short-lived parallel series:

• The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunations or 354 days (Shifting back about 10 days in sequential years). Because of the date shift, the earth's shadow will be about 11 degrees west in sequential events.
• 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 be in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.

Lunar years (12 lunations, 354 days)	Metonic cycles (19 years)	Series
December 31, 2009	December 21, 1991	115
December 21, 2010	December 21, 2010	125
December 10, 2011	December 20, 2029	135
November 28, 2012	December 20, 2048	145
These charts show the moon's path through the earth's shadow near its descending node. The path progresses southward through each sequential eclipse. Only the second and third are total.

[edit] See also

• List of lunar eclipses
• List of 21st century lunar eclipses
• June 2011 lunar eclipse
• December 2011 lunar eclipse

[edit] References

1. ^ Gamma is the minimum distance of the Moon's shadow axis from Earth's centre in Earth radii at greatest eclipse.
2. ^ The other lunar eclipse in 2010 is a a partial eclipse on June 26. See Partial Lunar Eclipse of 2010 June 26 (NASA graphic)
3. ^ Lunar Eclipses: 2001 to 2100 from NASA
4. ^ Lunar Eclipses: 1901 to 2000 from NASA
5. ^ Listing of Eclipses of cycle 125

[edit] External links

• NASA: Total Lunar Eclipse: December 21, 2010
• Hermit eclipse (Ian Cameron Smith) Total Lunar Eclipse: December 21 2010

Lunar eclipses
Previous eclipse June 2010 lunar eclipse (partial)	December 2010 lunar eclipse (total)	Next eclipse June 2011 lunar eclipse (total)
Previous total eclipse February 2008 lunar eclipse		Next total eclipse June 2011 lunar eclipse