Second of Two 2012 Lunar Eclipses Happens Nov. 28 as Penumbral Eclipse

Summary: The second of two 2012 lunar eclipses happens Nov. 28 as a penumbral eclipse with all eclipse visibility for Asia, Australia and the Pacific Ocean.

details of penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, and eclipse visibility areas: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC Emeritus," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The second of two 2012 lunar eclipses happens Nov. 28 as a penumbral eclipse that especially favors Asia, Australia and the Pacific Ocean with entire eclipse visibility.

On the NASA Eclipse Web Site, retired astrophysicist Fred Espenak, known as “Mr. Eclipse,” notes areas of entire eclipse visibility. Viewing the entire event is possible for observers in Australia and most of Asia. All eclipse visibility is also available to Asia’s and Oceania’s islands.

Europe’s area of all eclipse visibility is minimal. Northernmost Scandinavia and Russia’s Kola Peninsula enjoy entire eclipse visibility.

Northwestern North America experiences all eclipse visibility. In the United States, Alaska and Hawaii claim the elite status of entire eclipse visibility. The setting of the moon sometime after mid-eclipse affords incomplete viewing to observers in western Canada and the western United States.

South America is the only continent completely excluded from eclipse visibility. Most of Europe’s Iberian Peninsula lacks eclipse visibility. Parts of southern and western Africa also experience no eclipse visibility.

The second of two 2012 lunar eclipses begins Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 12:14:58 Universal Time (7:14:58 a.m. Eastern Standard Time). P1 is the designator for the instant of the lunar surface’s first contact with Earth’s penumbra, the shadow’s lighter, outer region.

Greatest eclipse happens at 14:33:00 UT (9:33 a.m. EST). Greatest eclipse records the instant of the moon’s closest passage to the axis of Earth’s shadow.

The November 2012 penumbral eclipse ends at 16:51:02 UT (11:51:02 a.m. EST). Designated as P4, the end of the penumbral eclipse marks the last contact of the visible lunar surface with Earth’s penumbra.

The November 2012 penumbral eclipse has a duration of 4 hours 36 minutes 4 seconds.

The NASA Eclipse Web Site notes the penumbral eclipse’s naked eye visibility as a dusky shading in the northern half of the visible lunar surface. The eclipse’s beginning and end are not detectable by the naked eye.

Shading only becomes obvious with immersion of two-thirds of the lunar surface in the penumbra. Atmospheric conditions and the observer’s visual acuity influence shading detectability. Espenak estimates shading detectability as possible between approximately 14:00 to 15:00 UT (9 to 10 a.m. EST).

The November 2012 penumbral lunar eclipse is sandwiched between partial lunar eclipses. The year’s first eclipse occurred Monday, June 4, as a partial lunar eclipse. After closing 2012, the November 2012 penumbral lunar eclipse is succeeded by a partial lunar eclipse that opens the 2013 lunar eclipse lineup on Thursday, April 25.

The 2013 lunar eclipse lineup, however, features two consecutive penumbral lunar eclipses for the year’s remaining two lunar eclipses. The two 2013 penumbral lunar eclipses take place Saturday, May 25, and Friday, Oct. 18.

The November 2012 penumbral lunar eclipse belongs to Saros Series 145. The Saros cycle places eclipses in families, known as series. A Saros cycle lasts for approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours).

The second of two 2012 lunar eclipses happens Wednesday, Nov. 28, as a penumbral lunar eclipse that favors most of Asia, all of Australia, the U.S. states of Alaska and Hawaii, and the central and western Pacific Ocean with all eclipse visibility.

graphic of "orientation of the earth as viewed from the center of the moon during greatest eclipse" for penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012: Tom Ruen (SockPuppetForTomruen at English Wikipedia), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

details of penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, and eclipse visibility areas: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC Emeritus," via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2012-Fig06.pdf

graphic of "orientation of the earth as viewed from the center of the moon during greatest eclipse" for penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012: Tom Ruen (SockPuppetForTomruen at English Wikipedia), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunar_eclipse_from_moon-2012Nov28.png

For further information:

Espenak, Fred. “Eclipses During 2012.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2012.html

Espenak, Fred. “Lunar Eclipses: 2011-2020.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEdecade/LEdecade2011.html

Espenak, Fred. "Figure 6 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2012 Nov 28." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Lunar Eclipse Page: Eclipses During 2012 > Eclipses During 2012: 2012 Nov 28 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of November 28."
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2012-Fig06.pdf

Marriner, Derdriu. “First of Two 2012 Lunar Eclipses Happens June 4 as Partial Eclipse.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 30, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/05/first-of-two-2012-lunar-eclipses.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "One Exeligmos Links Nov. 28, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2066, Lunar Eclipses." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/11/one-exeligmos-links-nov-28-2012-and-dec.html

“November 28, 2012 -- Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.” Time And Date > Sun & Moon > Eclipses.
Available @ https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2012-november-28