May 1976 lunar eclipse
| Partial eclipse | |||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||
| Date | May 13, 1976 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.9586 | ||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 0.1217 | ||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 140 (23 of 80) | ||||||||||||
| Partiality | 75 minutes, 23 seconds | ||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 251 minutes, 49 seconds | ||||||||||||
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A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Thursday, May 13, 1976, with an umbral magnitude of 0.1217. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when one part of the Moon is in the Earth's umbra, while the other part is in 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 1.1 days after perigee (on May 12, 1976, at 17:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.