August 2054 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | August 18, 2054 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | 0.2806 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.3074 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 129 (40 of 71) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 82 minutes, 57 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 226 minutes, 32 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 369 minutes, 27 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, August 18, 2054, with an umbral magnitude of 1.3074. 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 only about 2 hours after apogee (on August 18, 2054, at 6:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.
This lunar eclipse will be the second of an almost tetrad, with the others being on February 22, 2054 (total); February 11, 2055 (total); and August 7, 2055 (partial).