April 2051 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | April 26, 2051 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.3371 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2034 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 132 (32 of 71) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 69 minutes, 35 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 220 minutes, 51 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 364 minutes, 48 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, April 26, 2051, with an umbral magnitude of 1.2034. 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 2.6 days after apogee (on April 23, 2051, at 12:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.
This lunar eclipse is the third of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on May 6, 2050; October 30, 2050; and October 19, 2051.