July 1999 lunar eclipse
| Partial eclipse | |||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||
| Date | July 28, 1999 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.7863 | ||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 0.3966 | ||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 119 (61 of 83) | ||||||||||||
| Partiality | 142 minutes, 32 seconds | ||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 310 minutes, 56 seconds | ||||||||||||
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A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, July 28, 1999, with an umbral magnitude of 0.3966. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when one part of the Moon is in the Earth's umbra, while the other part is in 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 5.2 days after apogee (on July 23, 1999, at 6:45 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.