May 2050 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 6, 2050 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.4181 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.0779 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 122 (58 of 75) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 43 minutes, 11 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 205 minutes, 59 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 340 minutes, 1 second | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Friday, May 6, 2050, with an umbral magnitude of 1.0779. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. 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. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. Occurring about 6.5 days after apogee (on April 30, 2050, at 11:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.
This lunar eclipse is the first of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on October 30, 2050; April 26, 2051; and October 19, 2051.