October 2051 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | October 19, 2051 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Gamma | −0.2542 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.4130 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 137 (28 of 78) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 83 minutes, 34 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 204 minutes, 17 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 314 minutes, 11 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Thursday, October 19, 2051, with an umbral magnitude of 1.4130. It will be a central lunar eclipse, in which part of the Moon will pass through the center of the Earth's shadow. 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 only about 30 minutes after perigee (on October 19, 2051, at 18:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.
This lunar eclipse is the last of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on May 6, 2050; October 30, 2050; and April 26, 2051.
This will be the first central eclipse of Saros series 137. Less than a day from perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger, and be considered a supermoon.