March 2016 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
The hourly motion of the Moon shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | March 23, 2016 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.1592 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.3107 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 142 (18 of 73) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 255 minutes, 21 seconds | ||||||||
| |||||||||
A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, with an umbral magnitude of −0.3107. 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 days before apogee (on March 25, 2016, at 10:15 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.