April 1948 lunar eclipse
| Partial eclipse | |||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||
| Date | April 23, 1948 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.0017 | ||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 0.0230 | ||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 111 (63 of 71) | ||||||||||||
| Partiality | 34 minutes, 21 seconds | ||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 257 minutes, 35 seconds | ||||||||||||
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A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Friday, April 23, 1948, with an umbral magnitude of 0.0230. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when one part of the Moon is in the Earth's umbra, while the other part is in the Earth's penumbra. 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. Occurring about 3.5 days after perigee (on April 20, 1948, at 2:05 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.