May 1957 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 13, 1957 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | 0.3046 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2982 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 130 (31 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 77 minutes, 39 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 211 minutes, 36 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 334 minutes, 57 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 13, 1957, with an umbral magnitude of 1.2982. 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 3.25 days after perigee (on May 9, 1957, at 4:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
This lunar eclipse was the third of an almost tetrad, with the others being on May 24, 1956 (partial); November 18, 1956 (total); and November 7, 1957 (total).