First of Two 2014 Total Lunar Eclipses Happens Tuesday, April 15

Summary: The first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses happens Tuesday, April 15, as the first in a tetrad that ends Monday, Sept. 28, 2015.

Earth visibility chart and eclipse data for partial lunar eclipse of Tuesday, April 15, 2014: "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 first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses happens Tuesday, April 15, as the first in a tetrad, or series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, that occur at five- to six-month intervals within a two-year period.

The April 2014 total lunar eclipse favors the Western Hemisphere. Viewing of all or of some of the ecliptic event, however, is available to parts of all seven of Earth’s continents.

Mexico and Central America claim preferential location status with visibility of the entire event. Viewing of the entirety of the first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses also encompasses much of Canada and of the continental United States.

Entire visibility of the April 2014 eclipse is afforded to southern and western South America. All of Chile, Ecuador and Peru enjoy entire visibility. The first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses also favors much of Argentina and Colombia with complete visibility. Northwestern Venezuela and western Bolivia experience complete visibility.

On the NASA Eclipse Web Site, retired astrophysicist Fred Espenak, known as “Mr. Eclipse,” notes incomplete visibility due to moonrise and moonset. Occurrence of the event’s first half before moonrise deprives observers in the western Pacific of complete visibility. The event’s occurrence after moonset ensures no visibility for the Middle East and much of Africa, Asia and Europe.

The first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses begins the lunar entrance into Earth’s penumbra, the lighter outer region of Earth’s shadow. The lunar contact with Earth’s penumbra, designated as P1, takes place at 4:53:37 Universal Time (12:53:37 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time).

A partial eclipse starts at 5:58:19 UT (1:58:19 a.m. EDT). U1 is the designator for the start of the partial eclipse. The event’s partial portion endures while Earth’s umbra, the shadow’s darkest, inner region, partially covers the visible lunar surface.

The start of totality, designated as U2, is timed for 7:06:47 UT (3:06:47 a.m. EDT). Totality lasts while Earth’s umbra covers the visible lunar surface.

Greatest eclipse occurs at 7:45:40 UT (3:45:40 a.m. EDT). Greatest eclipse represents the instant of the closest lunar passage to the axis of Earth’s shadow.

The end of totality takes place at 8:24:35 UT (4:24:35 EDT). U3 is the designator for the instant of exit from totality.

Partiality ends at 9:33:04 UT (5:33:04 a.m. EDT). U4 designates the instant of exit from partiality.

The lunar contact with Earth’s penumbra ends at 10:37:37 UT (6:37:37 a.m. EDT). P4 is the designator for the penumbral exit. The instant of exit from Earth’s penumbra signals the end of the April 2014 lunar ecliptic event.

In its entirety, the April 2014 eclipse has a total duration of 5 hours 44 minutes. Within this time frame, partiality endures for 3 hours 34 minutes 45 seconds. Totality spans 1 hour 17 minutes 48 seconds within the total time frame.

The April 2014 total lunar eclipse opens a year featuring only two lunar eclipses. Both eclipses are classified as total from Earth’s perspective.

The April 2014 total lunar eclipse breaks a pattern of non-totality that lasted for two and one-third years. The last total lunar eclipse took place Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011.

The first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses occurs as the first of four consecutive total lunar eclipses within a two-year period. The first of the 2014-2015 tetrad is followed by total lunar eclipses on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014; Saturday, April 4, 2015; and Monday, Sept. 28, 2015.

The first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses belongs to Saros Series 122. The Saros cycle places lunar and solar eclipses into families, known as series. A Saros cycle spans approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours).

The takeaway for the first of two 2014 total lunar eclipses is that the April event opens the year’s lineup of eclipses, favors the Western Hemisphere with complete visibility, ends a two-and-one-third year non-totality streak and also serves as the first of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a tetrad.

graphic of "orientation of the earth as viewed from the center of the moon during greatest eclipse" for total lunar eclipse Tuesday, April 15, 2014: 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:

Earth visibility chart and eclipse data for partial lunar eclipse of Tuesday, April 15, 2014: "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/OH2014-Fig01.pdf

graphic of "orientation of the earth as viewed from the center of the moon during greatest eclipse" for total lunar eclipse Tuesday, April 15, 2014: Tom Ruen (SockPuppetForTomruen at English Wikipedia), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunar_eclipse_from_moon-2014Apr15.png

For further information:

“April 14 / April 15, 2014 -- Total Lunar Eclipse.” Time And Date > Sun & Moon > Eclipses.
Available via Time And Date @ https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2014-april-15

Espenak, Fred. “Eclipses During 2014.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2014.html

Espenak, Fred. "Figure 1 Partial Lunar Eclipse of 2012 Jun 04." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Lunar Eclipse Page > Lunar Eclipses Past and Future: Eclipses During 2014 > Eclipses During 2014: 2014 Apr 15 Total Lunar Eclipse: Total Lunar Eclipse of April 15.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2014-Fig01.pdf Espenak, Fred. “Greatest Eclipse.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Glossary of Solar Eclipse Terms.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/SEglossary.html

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

Marriner, Derdriu. “Second of Two 2011 Total Lunar Eclipses Happens Saturday, Dec. 10.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/12/second-of-two-2011-total-lunar-eclipses.html