December 1945 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 19, 1945 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | −0.2845 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.3424 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 124 (45 of 74) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 78 minutes, 53 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 204 minutes, 54 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 320 minutes, 52 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, December 19, 1945, with an umbral magnitude of 1.3424. 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 1.6 days after perigee (on December 17, 1945, at 12:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.