May 1920 lunar eclipse


A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 3, 1920, with an umbral magnitude of 1.2194. 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 only about 3.8 days before apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
This lunar eclipse was the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on October 27, 1920 ; April 22, 1921 ; and October 16, 1921.

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over South America, west and southern Africa, western Europe, and Antarctica, seen rising over much of North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over eastern Europe, east Africa, and the western half of Asia.

Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
ParameterValue
Penumbral Magnitude2.28178
Umbral Magnitude1.21939
Gamma−0.33118
Sun Right Ascension02h39m30.8s
Sun Declination+15°32'26.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'51.7"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension14h39m15.0s
Moon Declination-15°50'11.0"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'55.8"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°54'47.6"
ΔT21.5 s

Eclipse season

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.
May 3
Ascending node 		May 18
Descending node
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 120		Partial solar eclipse
Solar Saros 146

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1920

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.
The penumbral lunar eclipse on March 13, 1922 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 120

Tritos series

Inex series

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days. This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 127.
April 28, 1911May 9, 1929