May 2040 lunar eclipse
A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Saturday, May 26, 2040, with an umbral magnitude of 1.5365. It will be a central lunar eclipse, in which part of the Moon will pass through the center of the Earth's shadow. 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 1.4 days before perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.
This is the second central lunar eclipse of Saros series 131. Since this lunar event will occur near perigee, it will be referred to as a "super flower blood moon" or "super blood moon", though not quite as close to Earth as the eclipse of May 26, 2021.
Visibility
The eclipse will be completely visible over Antarctica, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean, seen rising over east and south Asia and setting over North and South America.Eclipse details
Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.| Parameter | Value |
| Penumbral magnitude | 2.49551 |
| Umbral magnitude | 1.53646 |
| Gamma | −0.18720 |
| Sun right ascension | 04h15m46.6s |
| Sun declination | +21°16'35.1" |
| Sun semi-diameter | 15'47.2" |
| Sun equatorial horizontal parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon right ascension | 16h15m33.4s |
| Moon declination | -21°27'28.2" |
| Moon semi-diameter | 16'27.7" |
| Moon equatorial horizontal parallax | 1°00'24.9" |
| ΔT | 79.3 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 11 Ascending node | May 26 Descending node |
| Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 119 | Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 131 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 2040
- A partial solar eclipse on May 11A total lunar eclipse on May 26
- A partial solar eclipse on November 4
- A total lunar eclipse on November 18
Metonic
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 7, 2036
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 2044
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 14, 2033
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 7, 2047
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 21, 2031
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 31, 2049
Tritos
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 26, 2029
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 26, 2051
Lunar Saros 131
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 16, 2022
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 6, 2058
Inex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 6, 2069
Triad
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 26, 1953
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 28, 2127
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 annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 138.| May 21, 2031 | May 31, 2049 |