February 1951 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | February 21, 1951 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.5806 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −1.0600 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 103 (84 of 84) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 12 minutes, 18 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, February 21, 1951, with an umbral magnitude of −1.0600. 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 about 6.5 days after apogee (on February 15, 1951, at 9:35 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
This eclipse was the first of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 1951, with the others occurring on March 23, August 17, and September 15.