April 15, 2014, Total Lunar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Series 122

Summary: The Tuesday, April 15, 2014, total lunar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 122, a series of 74 similar lunar eclipses.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Aug. 14, 1022, opened Saros 122’s lineup of 74 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 Tuesday, April 15, 2014, total lunar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 122, which comprises 74 lunar eclipses with similar geometries.

April’s total lunar eclipse begins Tuesday, April 15, at 04:53:37 Universal Time, according to NASA’s Eclipse Web Site. Greatest eclipse takes place Friday, Oct. 18, at 07:45:40 UT. Greatest eclipse indicates the instant of the moon’s closest passage to the axis of Earth’s shadow. The eclipse ends Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10:37:37 UT.

April 2014’s total lunar eclipse appears as number 56 in the lineup of 74 lunar eclipses that compose Saros cycle 122. Similar geometries bring the 74 lunar eclipses together as a family, known as a series.

Retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak’s EclipseWise website describes Saros 122 lunar eclipses as sharing the geometry of occurring at the moon’s ascending node. With each succeeding eclipse in Saros 122, the lunar movement is southward with respect to the ascending node.

An ascending node and a descending node indicate the intersections of Earth’s orbit by the moon’s orbit. The two nodes reflect the approximately 5.1 degree tilt of the lunar orbit with respect to Earth’s orbit. The ascending node signals the moon’s orbital crossing to the north of Earth’s orbit. The descending node signifies the lunar orbital crossing to the south of Earth’s orbit.

Saros lunar series 122’s number attests to the occurrence of the series’ eclipses at the ascending node. Even-numbered lunar Saros series are linked 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) determines the periodicity and recurrence of eclipses. A Saros series comprises 70 or more lunar eclipses, with each separated from its successor by a Saros cycle. A Saros series typically lasts for 12 to 15 centuries.

Saros series 122 endures for 1,316.20 years, according to NASA Eclipse Web Site. Saros series 122 spans 14 centuries. Saros series 122 traverses the 11th through 24th centuries.

Lunar eclipses in Saros series 122 sequence as 22 penumbral lunar eclipses, eight partial lunar eclipses, 28 total lunar eclipses, seven partial lunar eclipses and nine penumbral lunar eclipses. Penumbral lunar eclipses occur with the most frequency in Saros series 122, with a total of 31 occurrences. Total lunar eclipses appear as the second most frequent lunar eclipse type in the series, with a total of 28 occurrences.

The 11th century’s penumbral lunar eclipse of Wednesday, Aug. 14, 1022, initiated Saros series 122. This eclipse occurred near the northern edge of the penumbra (shadow’s lighter, outer region). This event’s greatest eclipse took place over the southwest Pacific Ocean’s marginal Coral Sea, east of Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, north of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park’s Halfway Islet.

The 24th century’s penumbral eclipse of Saturday, Oct. 29, 2338, ends Saros series 122. This eclipse will occur near the penumbra’s southern edge. This event will reach its greatest eclipse over the northwestern Pacific Ocean, southeast of the U.S. Territory of Guam and northwest of the Federated States of Micronesia island of Pohnpei.

The Tuesday, April 15, 2014, total lunar eclipse occurs as number 26 in Saros series 122’s intermediate sequence of 28 total lunar eclipses. This event will stage its greatest eclipse over the southwestern Pacific Ocean, southwest of the Republic of Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, northwest of the Republic of Chile’s Easter Island (Rapa Nui; Isla de Pascua) and northeast of Pitcairn Islands’ Henderson Island.

The total eclipse of Thursday, April 4, 1996, is the predecessor of April 2014’s total lunar eclipse. This event’s greatest eclipse took place over the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the island Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe and northeast of Saint Helena.

The April 1996 total eclipse occurred as number 25 in Saros series 122’s intermediate sequence of 28 total lunar eclipses. This eclipse appears as number 55 in the series’ lineup of 74 lunar eclipses.

The total lunar eclipse of Sunday, April 25, 2032, is the successor of the Tuesday, April 15, 2014, total lunar eclipse in Saros series 122. This event’s greatest eclipse will take place over the Top End of north central Australia’s Northern Territory, southeast of Daly River (Mount Nancer) Conservation Area and southwest of Tjuwaliyn (Douglas) Hot Springs Park.

The April 2032 eclipse occurs as the number 27 in Saros series 122’s sequence of 28 total lunar eclipses. This eclipse appears as number 57 in the series’ lineup of 74 lunar eclipses.

The takeaway for the Tuesday, April 15, 2014, total lunar eclipse is that the astronomical event occurs as number 56 in Saros series 122’s lineup of 74 lunar eclipses and as number 26 in the series’ intermediate sequence of 28 total lunar eclipses.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Saturday, Oct. 29, 2338, will close Saros series 122’s lineup of 74 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 Wednesday, Aug. 14, 1022, opened Saros 122’s lineup of 74 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/1001-1100/LE1022-08-14N.gif

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Saturday, Oct. 29, 2338, will close Saros series 122’s lineup of 74 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/2301-2400/LE2356-05-15N.gif

For further information:

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2014.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

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/1001-1100/LE1022-08-14N.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral 2338 Oct 29.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series > Lunar Eclipses of Saros Series 1 to 180 > Saros Series 122.
Available via EclipseWise @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2301-2400/LE2338-10-29N.gif

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Available via EclipseWise @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/1001-1100/LE1022Aug14Nprime.html

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Available via EclipseWise @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2301-2400/LE2338Oct29Nprime.html

Espenak, Fred. “Total - 1996 Apr 04." 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 101 to 125: 122 > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series: Saros Series 122: 55 16 1996 Apr 04.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/1901-2000/LE1996-04-04T.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Total 2014 Apr 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 101 to 125: 122 > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series: Saros Series 122: 56 17 2014 Apr 15.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2014-04-15T.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Total 2032 Apr 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 101 to 125: 122 > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series: Saros Series 122: 57 18 2032 Apr 25.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2032-04-25T.gif

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Available via EclipseWise @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/LE2014Apr15Tprime.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros122.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-25-2013-partial-lunar-eclipse.html

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Available @ https://moonblink.info/Eclipse/eclipse/1022_08_14

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