February 1989 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | February 20, 1989 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | 0.2935 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2747 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 123 (51 of 73) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 78 minutes, 31 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 223 minutes, 7 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 367 minutes, 40 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Monday, February 20, 1989, with an umbral magnitude of 1.2747. 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 3 days before apogee (on February 23, 1989, at 14:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.