A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Sunday, November 18, 2040, with an umbral magnitude of 1.3991. 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 5.7 days before apogee (on November 24, 2040, at 14:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.
This is the second central lunar eclipse of Saros series 136, the first taking place on November 8, 2022.
Visibility
The eclipse will be completely visible over east Africa, Europe, and Asia, seen rising over west Africa and eastern North and South America and setting over Australia and the western Pacific Ocean.
Eclipse details
Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
Eclipse season
This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) 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.
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 2040
- A partial solar eclipse on May 11.
- A 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 January 31, 2037
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 7, 2044
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 8, 2033
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 1, 2048
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 14, 2031
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 25, 2049
Tritos
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 20, 2029
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 19, 2051
Lunar Saros 136
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 8, 2022
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 30, 2058
Inex
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 10, 2011
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 30, 2069
Triad
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 19, 1954
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 20, 2127
Lunar eclipses of 2038–2042
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 (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.
The penumbral lunar eclipses on January 21, 2038 and July 16, 2038 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the penumbral lunar eclipses on April 5, 2042 and September 29, 2042 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Saros 136
This eclipse is a part of Saros series 136, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on April 13, 1680. It contains partial eclipses from July 11, 1824 through September 14, 1932; total eclipses from September 26, 1950 through July 7, 2419; and a second set of partial eclipses from July 18, 2437 through October 3, 2563. The series ends at member 72 as a penumbral eclipse on June 1, 2960.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 35 at 101 minutes, 23 seconds on April 21, 2293. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.
Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
Tritos series
This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Inex series
This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Half-Saros cycle
A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 143.
See also
- List of lunar eclipses and List of 21st-century lunar eclipses
References
External links
- Saros series 136
- 2040 Nov 18 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
