July 2009 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
The Moon grazed the southern penumbral shadow of the Earth. | |||||||||
| Date | July 7, 2009 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.4915 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.9116 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 110 (71 of 72) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 121 minutes, 29 seconds | ||||||||
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A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, with an umbral magnitude of −0.9116. 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 only about 8 hours before apogee (on July 7, 2009, at 17:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller. This eclipse entered only the southernmost tip of the penumbral shadow and thus was predicted to be very difficult to observe visually.
This eclipse was the second of four lunar eclipses in 2009, with the others occurring on February 9 (penumbral), August 6 (penumbral), and December 31 (partial).