June 4, 2012, Partial Lunar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Series 140

Summary: The Monday, June 4, 2012, partial lunar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 140, a series of 77 similar lunar eclipses.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Sunday, Sep. 25, 1597, opened Saros 140’s lineup of 77 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The Monday, June 4, 2012, partial lunar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 140, which comprises 77 lunar eclipses with similar geometries.

June’s partial lunar eclipse begins Monday, June 4, at 08:48:09 Universal Time, according to NASA’s Eclipse Web Site. Greatest eclipse takes place at 11:03:13 UT. Greatest eclipse indicates the instant of the moon’s closest passage to the axis of Earth’s shadow. The eclipse ends at 13:18:17 UT.

June 2012’s partial lunar eclipse appears as number 24 in the lineup of 77 lunar eclipses that compose Saros cycle 140. Similar geometries group the 77 lunar eclipses into a family, known as a series.

Retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak’s EclipseWise website describes Saros 140 lunar eclipses as sharing the geometry of occurring at the moon’s ascending node. With each succeeding eclipse in Saros 140, the lunar movement is southward with respect to the ascending node.

The ascending node and a descending node pair as intersecting points of Earth’s orbit by the moon’s orbit. The two nodes attest to the approximately 5.1 degree tilt of the lunar orbit with respect to Earth’s orbit. The ascending node corresponds to the moon’s orbital crossing to the north of Earth’s orbit. The descending node concerns the lunar orbital crossing to the south of Earth’s orbit.

A Saros cycle of approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours sets the periodicity and recurrence of eclipses. A Saros series consists of 70 or more lunar eclipses, with each separated from its successor by a Saros cycle. A Saros series typically ends in 12 to 15 centuries.

Saros series 140 lasts for 1,370.29 years, according to NASA Eclipse Web Site. Saros series 140 continues for 15 centuries. Saros series 140 spans the 16th through 30th centuries.

Lunar eclipses in Saros cycle 140 present a sequence order of 20 penumbral lunar eclipses, eight partial lunar eclipses, 28 total lunar eclipses, seven partial lunar eclipses and 14 penumbral lunar eclipses. Penumbral lunar eclipses occur with the most frequency in Saros series 140, with a total of 34 occurrences. Total lunar eclipses appear as the second most frequent lunar eclipse type in the series, with a total of 28 occurrences.

The 16th century’s penumbral eclipse of Sunday, Sep. 25, 1597, initiated Saros cycle 140. This event staged its greatest eclipse over the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea’s island of New Ireland (Irlandia Baru).

The 30th century’s penumbral eclipse of Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2968, ends Saros series 140. This event’s greatest eclipse will take place over the Arabian Peninsula’s Rub’ al Khali Desert in southeastern Saudi Arabia.

The Monday, June 4, 2012, partial lunar eclipse occurs as number four within the sequence of eight partial lunar eclipses in Saros series 140. This event will experience its greatest eclipse over the South Pacific Ocean, east of the Kingdom of Tonga and west of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

The total lunar eclipse of Wednesday, May 25, 1994, is the immediate predecessor of June 2012’s partial lunar eclipse. This event’s greatest eclipse took place over the state of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil’s Central-West Region.

The May 1994, partial lunar eclipse appears as number three within the sequence of eight partial lunar eclipses in Saros series 140. This eclipse occurs as number 23 in the series’ lineup of 77 lunar eclipses.

The partial lunar eclipse of Saturday, June 15, 2030, is the successor of the Monday, June 4, 2012, partial lunar eclipse in Saros series 140. This event’s greatest eclipse will take place over the central South Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and west of Australia.

The June 2030 eclipse occurs as number five within the sequence of eight partial lunar eclipses in Saros series 140. This eclipse appears as number 25 in the series’ lineup of 77 lunar eclipses.

The takeaway for the Monday, June 4, 2012, partial lunar eclipse is that the astronomical event occurs as number 24 in Saros series 140’s lineup of 77 lunar eclipses and as number four in the series’ sequence of eight partial lunar eclipses.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2968, will close Saros 140’s lineup of 77 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Sunday, Sep. 25, 1597, opened Saros 140’s lineup of 77 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/1501-1600/LE1597-09-25N.gif

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2968, will close Saros 140’s lineup of 77 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2901-3000/LE2968-01-06N.gif

For further information:

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2012.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaroscatkey.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/1901-2000/LE1994-05-25P.gif

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2012-06-04P.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Partial 2030 Jun 15." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Lunar Eclipse Page: Lunar Eclipse Catalogs: Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series: Lunar Eclipses of Saros Series 1 to 180: Summary of Saros Series 126 to 150: 140 > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series: Saros Series 140: 25 -13 2030 Jun 15.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2030-06-15P.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Partial Lunar Eclipse of 1994 May 25.” EclipseWise > Lunar Eclipses > Lunar Eclipse Links > Six Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses -2999 to +3000 (3000 BCE to 3000 CE) > 1901 to 2000 (1901 CE to 2000 CE).
Available via EclipseWise @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/1901-2000/LE1994May25Pprime.html

Espenak, Fred. “Partial Lunar Eclipse of 2012 Jun 04.” EclipseWise > Lunar Eclipses > Lunar Eclipse Links > Six Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses -2999 to +3000 (3000 BCE to 3000 CE) > 2001 to 2100 (2001 CE to 2100 CE).
Available via EclipseWise @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/LE2012Jun04Pprime.html

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Available via EclipseWise @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/LE2030Jun15Pprime.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/1501-1600/LE1597-09-25N.gif

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2901-3000/LE2968-01-06N.gif

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Available via EclipseWise @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2901-3000/LE2968Jan06Nprime.html

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