December 2011 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
Totality as viewed from Singapore, 14:40 UTC | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 10, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | −0.3882 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.1076 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 135 (23 of 71) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 51 minutes, 8 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 212 minutes, 15 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 356 minutes, 21 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Saturday, December 10, 2011, with an umbral magnitude of 1.1076. 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 4.8 days after apogee (on December 5, 2011, at 20:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.