November 2003 lunar eclipse

November 2003 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
	Totality as viewed from Minneapolis, MN, 1:16 UTC
Date	November 9, 2003
Gamma	−0.4319
Magnitude	1.0197
Saros cycle	126 (45 of 72)
Totality	21 minutes, 58 seconds
Partiality	211 minutes, 25 seconds
Penumbral	363 minutes, 9 seconds
P1
Contacts (UTC)
P1	22:16:59
U1	23:32:50
U2	1:07:34
Greatest	1:18:34
U3	1:29:32
U4	3:04:15
P4	4:20:08
	← May 2003 May 2004 →

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Sunday, November 9, 2003,^[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.0197. 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 1.2 days before apogee (on November 10, 2003, at 7:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.^[2]

This lunar eclipse is the second of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on May 16, 2003; May 4, 2004; and October 28, 2004.

This was the last of 14 total lunar eclipses of Lunar Saros 126, which started on June 19, 1769 and ended on November 9, 2003.

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over eastern North and South America, much of Africa, and Europe, seen rising over western North and South America and the Pacific Ocean and setting over east Africa and west, central, and south Asia.^[3]

	Hourly motion shown right to left
The moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Aries

Gallery

Grand Rapids, MI, 0:58 UT
Minneapolis, MN, 1:00 UT
Oudenaarde, Belgium, 1:08 UT
Minneapolis, MN, 1:24 UT
Grand Rapids, MI, 2:28 UT

Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.^[4]

November 9, 2003 Lunar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter	Value
Penumbral Magnitude	2.11575
Umbral Magnitude	1.01969
Gamma	−0.43193
Sun Right Ascension	14h54m59.9s
Sun Declination	-16°41'23.6"
Sun Semi-Diameter	16'08.7"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax	08.9"
Moon Right Ascension	02h55m37.1s
Moon Declination	+16°19'48.8"
Moon Semi-Diameter	14'43.8"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax	0°54'03.6"
ΔT	64.5 s

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.

Eclipse season of November 2003
November 9 Ascending node (full moon)	November 23 Descending node (new moon)

Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 126	Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 152

Related eclipses

Lunar eclipses of 2002–2005

Lunar eclipse series sets from 2002–2005
Descending node				Ascending node
Saros Photo	Date View	Type Chart	Gamma	Saros Photo	Date View	Type Chart	Gamma
111	2002 May 26	penumbral	1.1759	116	2002 Nov 20	penumbral	−1.1127
121	2003 May 16	total	0.4123	126	2003 Nov 09	total	−0.4319
131	2004 May 04	total	−0.3132	136	2004 Oct 28	total	0.2846
141	2005 Apr 24	penumbral	−1.0885	146	2005 Oct 17	partial	0.9796

Last set	2002 Jun 24			Last set	2001 Dec 30

Next set	2006 Mar 14			Next set	2006 Sep 07

Saros 126

It is part of saros series 126.

Lunar saros series 126, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 70 lunar eclipse events including 14 total lunar eclipses. Solar Saros 133 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

First penumbral lunar eclipse: 18 July 1228

First partial lunar eclipse: 24 March 1625

First total lunar eclipse: 19 June 1769

First central lunar eclipse: 11 July 1805

Greatest eclipse of the lunar saros 126: 13 August 1859, lasting 106 minutes.

Last central lunar eclipse: 26 September 1931

Last total lunar eclipse: 9 November 2003

Last partial lunar eclipse: 5 June 2346

Last penumbral lunar eclipse: 19 August 2472

1901-2100

Metonic series

This eclipse is the second of five Metonic cycle lunar eclipses on the same date, 8–9 November, each separated by 19 years:

The Metonic cycle repeats nearly exactly every 19 years and represents a Saros cycle plus one lunar year. Because it occurs on the same calendar date, the Earth's shadow will be in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.

1984 May 15.19 - penumbral (111) 2003 May 16.15 - total (121) 2022 May 16.17 - total (131) 2041 May 16.03 - penumbral (141)	1984 Nov 08.75 - penumbral (116) 2003 Nov 09.05 - total (126) 2022 Nov 08.46 - total (136) 2041 Nov 08.19 - partial (146) 2060 Nov 08.17 - penumbral (156)

Half-Saros cycle

A 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 133.