May 25, 2013, Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Series 150

Summary: The Saturday, May 25, 2013, penumbral lunar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 150, a series of 71 similar lunar eclipses.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Saturday, May 25, 2013, opens Saros 150’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The Saturday, May 25, 2013, penumbral lunar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 150, which comprises 71 lunar eclipses with similar geometries.

May’s penumbral lunar eclipse begins Saturday, May 25, at 03:53:11 Universal Time, according to NASA’s Eclipse Web Site. Greatest eclipse takes place at 04:10:00 UT. Greatest eclipse indicates the instant of the moon’s closest passage to the axis of Earth’s shadow. The eclipse ends at 04:26:56 UT.

May 2013’s penumbral lunar eclipse appears as the first eclipse in the lineup of 71 lunar eclipses that compose Saros cycle 150. Similar geometries unite the 71 lunar eclipses into a family, known as a series.

Retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak’s EclipseWise website describes Saros 150 lunar eclipses as sharing the geometry of occurring at the moon’s ascending node. With each succeeding eclipse in Saros 150, the lunar movement is southward with respect to the ascending node.

An ascending node and a descending node announce the intersections of Earth’s orbit by the moon’s orbit. The two nodes reveal the approximately 5.1 degree tilt of the lunar orbit with respect to Earth’s orbit. The ascending node concerns the moon’s orbital crossing to the north of Earth’s orbit. The descending node accentuates the lunar orbital crossing to the south of Earth’s orbit.

Saros lunar series 150’s number attests to the occurrence of the series’ eclipses at the ascending node. Even-numbered lunar Saros series are associated with the ascending node. Odd numbers are assigned to the descending node’s lunar eclipses.

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 contains 70 or more lunar eclipses, with each separated from its successor by a Saros cycle. A Saros series typically requires 12 to 15 centuries.

Saros series 150 lasts for 1,262.11 years, according to NASA Eclipse Web Site. Saros series 150 plays out over 13 centuries. Saros series 150 spans the 21st through 33rd centuries.

Lunar eclipses in Saros cycle 150 exhibit a sequence order of eight penumbral lunar eclipses, 23 partial lunar eclipses, 12 total lunar eclipses, 15 partial lunar eclipses and 13 penumbral lunar eclipses. Partial lunar eclipses occur with the most frequency in Saros series 150, with a total of 38 occurrences. Penumbral lunar eclipses appear as the second most frequent lunar eclipse type in the series, with a total of 21 occurrences.

The Saturday, May 25, 2013, penumbral lunar eclipse will initiate Saros series 150. This eclipse will occur near the northern edge of the penumbra (shadow’s lighter, outer region).

The 33rd century’s penumbral eclipse of Sunday, June 30, 3275, ends Saros series 150. This eclipse will occur near the penumbra’s southern edge.

May 2013’s penumbral lunar eclipse opens Saros series 150 as the first eclipse in the series’ opening sequence of eight penumbral lunar eclipses. This event will stage its greatest eclipse over eastern Bolivia’s Santa Cruz Department (Departamento de Santa Cruz).

The penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, June 5, 2031, is the successor of the Saturday, May 25, 2013, penumbral lunar eclipse in Saros series 150. This event’s greatest eclipse will take place over the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northwest of the Kingdom of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu and southwest of Tonga’s Tofua Island.

The June 2031 eclipse occurs as the second of eight in Saros series 150’s opening sequence of penumbral lunar eclipses. This eclipse appears as number two in the series’ lineup of 71 lunar eclipses.

The takeaway for the Saturday, May 25, 2013, penumbral lunar eclipse is that the astronomical event opens Saros series 150 as the first eclipse in Saros series 150’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses and announces the series’ opening sequence of eight penumbral lunar eclipses.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, June 5, 2031, succeeds May 2013’s penumbral lunar eclipse in Saros series 150’s opening sequence of eight penumbral lunar: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (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 Saturday, May 25, 2013, opens Saros 150’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2013-05-25N.gif

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, June 5, 2031, succeeds May 2013’s penumbral lunar eclipse in Saros series 150’s opening sequence of eight penumbral lunar: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2101-2200/LE2139-07-12N.gif

For further information:

Espenak, Fred. “Eclipses During 2013.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Lunar Eclipses: Past and Future.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2013.html

Espenak, Fred. “Key to Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series > Lunar Eclipses of Saros Series 1 to 180.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaroscatkey.html

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral 2013 May 25.” 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: 150 > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series: Saros Series 150: 01 -37 2013 May 25.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2013-05-25N.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral 2031 Jun 05.” 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: 150 > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series: Saros Series 150: 02 -36 2031 Jun 05.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2031-06-05N.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2013 May 25.” 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/LE2013May25Nprime.html

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2031 Jun 05.” 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/LE2031Jun05Nprime.html

Espenak, Fred; Jean Meeus. "Saros Series 150." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros150.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “April 25, 2013 Partial Lunar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Series 112.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 24, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-25-2013-partial-lunar-eclipse.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “First of Three 2013 Lunar Eclipses Happens April 25 as Partial Eclipse.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 17, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/04/first-of-three-2013-lunar-eclipses.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Second of Three 2013 Lunar Eclipses Occurs May 25 as Penumbral Eclipse.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 15, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/05/second-of-three-2013-lunar-eclipses.html

Smith, Ian Cameron. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 25 May, 2013 AD.” Moon Blink > Hermit Eclipse > Eclipse Database > Full Lunar Catalog > 2001-3000 AD > 2001 AD > 2001-2020 AD.
Available @ https://moonblink.info/Eclipse/eclipse/2013_05_25

Smith, Ian Cameron. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 5 Jun, 2031 AD.” Moon Blink > Hermit Eclipse > Eclipse Database > Full Lunar Catalog > 2001-3000 AD > 2001 AD > 2021-2040 AD.
Available @ https://moonblink.info/Eclipse/eclipse/2031_06_05