February 1971 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | February 10, 1971 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | 0.2741 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.3082 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 123 (50 of 73) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 82 minutes, 11 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 224 minutes, 41 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 369 minutes, 31 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, February 10, 1971, with an umbral magnitude of 1.3082. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. 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. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. Occurring about 2.8 days before apogee (on February 13, 1971, at 2:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.