December 2048 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | December 20, 2048 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −1.0624 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.1420 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 145 (13 of 71) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 281 minutes, 36 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Sunday, December 20, 2048, with an umbral magnitude of −0.1420. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the Moon's near side passes into 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 only about 13 hours before apogee (on December 20, 2048, at 19:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.