March 2006 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
Penumbral eclipse as viewed from Trondheim, Norway, 23:49 UTC | |||||||||
| Date | March 14, 2006 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.0210 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.0584 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 113 (63 of 71) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 287 minutes, 27 seconds | ||||||||
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A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, March 14, 2006, with an umbral magnitude of −0.0584. It was a relatively rare total penumbral lunar eclipse, with the Moon passing entirely within the penumbral shadow without entering the darker umbral shadow. 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 2.2 days after apogee (on March 12, 2006, at 20:45 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.