August 2009 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
This subtle penumbral eclipse covered the southern part of the Moon as shown in this animation by John Walker, viewed from Lignières, Switzerland. | |||||||||
| Date | August 6, 2009 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.3572 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.6642 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 148 (3 of 71) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 189 minutes, 47 seconds | ||||||||
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A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Thursday, August 6, 2009, with an umbral magnitude of −0.6642. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the Moon's near side passes into the Earth's penumbra. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. Occurring about 2.1 days after apogee (on August 3, 2009, at 22:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
This eclipse was the third of four lunar eclipses in 2009, with the others occurring on February 9 (penumbral), July 7 (penumbral), and December 31 (partial).