#Lunar eclipse seriesThis works because 223 lunations very nearly equals 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours (just shy of 17 minutes, in fact), with each successive eclipse in the same saros series shifted about 120 degrees westward. Photographing a total lunar eclipse is also pretty easy to do, though you'll want to use a focal length of at least 200mm – otherwise, the Moon will appear as nothing more than a silvery-white dot.Īll eclipses are part of a saros series, or a set of eclipses will nearly similar circumstances spaced just over 18 years apart. The eclipse actually occurs about a day and a half prior to lunar perigee on May 17 at 15:24 UT, when the Moon is 360,300 kilometers distant.Ī lunar eclipse is a fine stately affair, requiring no special optical equipment… though a small telescope or binoculars can certainly enhance the view. This is not a 'Super Blood Moon Eclipse…' though no doubt folks will try to bill it as such. Totality runs from 3:29 UT/11:29 PM EDT to 4:54 UT/12:54 PM EDT, making it the 5th longest lunar eclipse for the first quarter of the 21st century. The key time is totality, and will be a long one for this eclipse, clocking in at 1 hours, 24 minutes, and 53 seconds in duration. Around 2:20 UT, you will note a shading on the eastern limb of the Moon, as it nears the umbra and the partial stages begin. Then, the Moon will take on a light tea-colored hue.
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