September 1959 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | September 17, 1959 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.0296 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.0495 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 117 (49 of 72) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 268 minutes, 2 seconds | ||||||||
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A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Thursday, September 17, 1959, with an umbral magnitude of −0.0495. 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 6.1 days before apogee (on September 23, 1959, at 2:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.