May 2002 lunar eclipse
| Penumbral eclipse | |||||||||
Hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||
| Date | May 26, 2002 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 1.1758 | ||||||||
| Magnitude | −0.2871 | ||||||||
| Saros cycle | 111 (66 of 71) | ||||||||
| Penumbral | 216 minutes, 34 seconds | ||||||||
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A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Sunday, May 26, 2002, with an umbral magnitude of −0.2871. 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 3.1 days after perigee (on May 23, 2002, at 11:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.