March 1998 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | March 13, 1998 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.1964 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.3824 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 142 (17 of 74) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 246 minutes, 21 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Friday, March 13, 1998, with an umbral magnitude of −0.3824. 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 2.3 days before apogee (on March 15, 1998, at 12:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.