August 2008 lunar eclipse
| Partial eclipse | |||||||||||||
Partiality as viewed from Cape Town, South Africa. | |||||||||||||
| Date | August 16, 2008 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.5646 | ||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 0.8095 | ||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 138 (28 of 82) | ||||||||||||
| Partiality | 188 minutes, 8 seconds | ||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 330 minutes, 31 seconds | ||||||||||||
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A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Saturday, August 16, 2008, with an umbral magnitude of 0.8095. 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 6.2 days before apogee (on August 10, 2008, at 16:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.