Friday, Jan. 10, Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Series 144

Summary: The Friday, Jan. 10, penumbral lunar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 144, a series of 71 similar lunar eclipses.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Saturday, July 29, 1749, opened Saros 144’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses: Penumbral lunar eclipse of Saturday, July 29, 1749, opened Saros 144’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The Friday, Jan. 10, penumbral lunar eclipse belongs to Saros series 144, which comprises 71 lunar eclipses with similar geometries.

January’s penumbral lunar eclipse begins Friday, Jan. 10, at 17:07:45 Universal Time (12:07 p.m. Eastern Standard Time), according to NASA’s Eclipse Web Site. Greatest eclipse, the instant of the moon’s closest passage to the axis of Earth’s shadow, happens at 19:09:59.2 UT (2:09 p.m. EST). The eclipse ends at 21:12:19 UT (4:12 p.m. EST).

January’s penumbral lunar eclipse appears as number 16 in the lineup of 71 lunar eclipses in Saros series 144. Similar geometries group the 71 lunar eclipses into a family, known as a series.

Saros 144 lunar eclipses share the geometry of occurrence at the moon’s ascending node. With each subsequent eclipse, the lunar movement in Saros series 144 is southward with respect to the ascending node.

The ascending lunar node pairs with a descending node to mark the intersections of Earth’s orbit with the lunar orbit. The two nodes correlate with the approximately 5.1 degree tilt of the lunar orbit with respect to Earth’s orbit. The ascending node identifies with the lunar orbital crossing to the north of Earth’s orbit. The descending node corresponds with the moon’s orbital crossing to the south of Earth’s orbit.

The Saros cycle approximates 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours). The cycle determines the periodicity and recurrence of eclipses. A Saros series consists of 70 or more lunar eclipses, with a Saros cycle separating each eclipse in the series. A Saros series typically lasts for 12 to 15 centuries.

Saros series 144 covers a time span of 1,262.11 years. Saros series 144 spills across 14 centuries, with a reach from the 18th century to the 31st century.

The 71 lunar eclipses in Saros series 144 occur in a sequence of 22 penumbral lunar eclipses, nine partial lunar eclipses, 20 total lunar eclipses, 12 partial lunar eclipses and eight penumbral lunar eclipses. Penumbral lunar eclipses claim the greatest frequency in Saros series 144, with a total of 30 occurrences. Partial lunar eclipses appear as the second most frequent lunar eclipse type in the series, with a total of 21 occurrences.

The 18th century’s penumbral eclipse of Saturday, July 29, 1749, opened Saros series 144. This eclipse occurred near the northern edge of the penumbra, the shadow’s lighter, outer region. This event staged its greatest eclipse over the eastern Indian Ocean, between northwestern Australia and the Republic of Indonesia’s fifth largest island, Java, in the Southern Hemisphere.

The 31st century’s penumbral eclipse of Wednesday, Sept. 4, 3011, ends Saros series 144. This eclipse will occur near the penumbra’s southern edge.

The Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, penumbral lunar eclipse occurs as number 16 within the opening sequence of 22 penumbral lunar eclipses in Saros series 144. This event will experience its greatest eclipse over central India’s Madhya Pradesh state in the Northern Hemisphere.

The penumbral lunar eclipse of Sunday, Dec. 30, 2001, is the immediate predecessor of January’s penumbral lunar eclipse. This event’s greatest eclipse took place over the Pacific Ocean, north of the Hawaiian Archipelago (Ka Pae ‘Aina O Hawai’i Nei), in the Northern Hemisphere. The December 2001 penumbral lunar eclipse appears as number 15, both in the opening sequence of 22 penumbral lunar eclipses and in the series lineup of 71 lunar eclipses.

The penumbral eclipse of Thursday, Jan. 21, 2038, is the successor of January’s penumbral lunar eclipse. This event’s greatest eclipse will take place over the western North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Antillean archipelago, in the Northern Hemisphere. This eclipse occupies spot number 17 in the sequence and in the series’ lineup.

The takeaway for the Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, penumbral lunar eclipse is that the year’s first eclipse belongs to Saros series 144 and occurs as number 16 in the lineup of 71 lunar eclipses in the series.

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Saturday, July 29, 1749, opened Saros 144’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by 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, July 29, 1749, opened Saros 144’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)," via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/1701-1800/LE1749-07-29N.gif

Penumbral lunar eclipse of Thursday, Jan. 21, 2038, succeeds the Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, penumbral lunar eclipse in Saros series 144: Penumbral lunar eclipse of Saturday, July 29, 1749, opened Saros 144’s lineup of 71 lunar eclipses: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by 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/LE2038-01-21N.gif

For further information:

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 @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaroscatkey.html

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral 1749 Jul 29.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series > Lunar Eclipses of Saros Series 1 to 180 > Saros Series 144.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/1701-1800/LE1749-07-29N.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral 2001 Dec 30." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series > Lunar Eclipses of Saros Series 1 to 180 > Saros Series 144.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2001-12-30N.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral 2020 Jan 10." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series > Lunar Eclipses of Saros Series 1 to 180 > Saros Series 144.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2020-01-10N.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral 2038 Jan 21.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series > Lunar Eclipses of Saros Series 1 to 180 > Saros Series 144.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2038-01-21N.gif

Espenak, Fred. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 2020 Jan 10.” EclipseWise > Lunar Eclipses > Recent and Upcoming Lunar Eclipses > Decade Tables of Lunar Eclipses > 2011-2020.
Available @ http://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/2001-2100/LE2020Jan10Nprime.html

Espenak, Fred; Jean Meeus. "Saros Series 144." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Lunar Eclipses > Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros144.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Friday, Jan. 10, Lunar Eclipse Is First of Four 2020 Penumbral Eclipses.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/01/friday-jan-10-lunar-eclipse-is-first-of.html

Smith, Ian Cameron. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 30 Dec, 2001 AD.” Moon Blink > Hermit Eclipse > Eclipse Database > Full Solar Catalog > 2001-3000 AD > 2001 AD > 2001-2020 AD.
Available @ https://moonblink.info/Eclipse/eclipse/2001_12_30

Smith, Ian Cameron. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 10 Jan, 2020 AD.” Moon Blink > Hermit Eclipse > Eclipse Database > Full Lunar Catalog > 2001-3000 AD > 2001 AD > 2001-2020 AD.
Available @ https://moonblink.info/Eclipse/eclipse/2020_01_10

Smith, Ian Cameron. “Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of 21 Jan, 2038 AD.” Moon Blink > Hermit Eclipse > Eclipse Database > Full Solar Catalog > 2001-3000 AD > 2001 AD > 2021-2040 AD.
Available @ https://moonblink.info/Eclipse/eclipse/2038_01_21