November 1974 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | November 29, 1974 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | 0.3054 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.2896 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 125 (46 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 75 minutes, 45 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 208 minutes, 57 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 333 minutes, 4 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Friday, November 29, 1974, with an umbral magnitude of 1.2896. 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 3.6 days before perigee (on December 3, 1974, at 6:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.