July 1991 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | July 26, 1991 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.4370 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.8109 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 148 (2 of 71) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 152 minutes, 42 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Friday, July 26, 1991, with an umbral magnitude of −0.8109. 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 2.25 days after apogee (on July 24, 1991, at 12:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
This eclipse was the third of four lunar eclipses in 1991, with the others occurring on January 30 (penumbral), June 27 (penumbral), and December 21 (partial).