A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, November 18, 1975,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.0642. 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 4.9 days after apogee (on November 14, 1975, at 0:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | November 18, 1975 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.4134 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.0642 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 135 (21 of 71) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 40 minutes, 11 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 209 minutes, 0 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 352 minutes, 7 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
This lunar eclipse was the last of an almost tetrad, with the others being on June 4, 1974 (partial); November 29, 1974 (total); and May 25, 1975 (total).
Visibility
editThe eclipse was completely visible over Africa, Europe, and the western half of Asia, seen rising over North and South America and setting over east and southeast Asia, and Australia.[3]
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Eclipse details
editShown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.13521 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.06421 |
| Gamma | −0.41343 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 15h34m32.1s |
| Sun Declination | -19°14'45.6" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'11.0" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 03h34m45.4s |
| Moon Declination | +18°52'03.2" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'06.6" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°55'27.2" |
| ΔT | 46.4 s |
Eclipse season
editThis 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.
| November 3 Ascending node (new moon) |
November 18 Descending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 123 |
Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 135 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1975
edit- A partial solar eclipse on May 11.
- A total lunar eclipse on May 25.
- A partial solar eclipse on November 3.
- A total lunar eclipse on November 18.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 30, 1972
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 6, 1979
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 6, 1968
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 30, 1982
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 12, 1966
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 22, 1984
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 19, 1964
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 17, 1986
Lunar Saros 135
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 7, 1957
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 29, 1993
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 8, 1946
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of October 28, 2004
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 17, 1889
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 18, 2062
Lunar eclipses of 1973–1976
edit| Lunar eclipse series sets from 1973–1976 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||||
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
| 110 | 1973 Jun 15
|
Penumbral
|
−1.32166 | 115 | 1973 Dec 10
|
Partial
|
0.96441 | |
| 120 | 1974 Jun 04
|
Partial
|
−0.54887 | 125 | 1974 Nov 29
|
Total
|
0.30540 | |
| 130 | 1975 May 25
|
Total
|
0.23674 | 135 | 1975 Nov 18
|
Total
|
−0.41343 | |
| 140 | 1976 May 13
|
Partial
|
0.95860 | 145 | 1976 Nov 06
|
Penumbral
|
−1.12760 | |
| Last set | 1973 Jul 15 | Last set | 1973 Jan 18 | |||||
| Next set | 1977 Apr 04 | Next set | 1977 Sep 27 | |||||
Half-Saros cycle
editA lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[5] This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 142.
| November 12, 1966 | November 22, 1984 |
|---|---|
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "November 18–19, 1975 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1975 Nov 18" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 1975 Nov 18". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
edit- 1975 Nov 18 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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