March 2025 lunar eclipse
| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | March 14, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.3485 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.1804 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 123 (53 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 66 minutes, 3.9 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 218 minutes, 55.8 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 363 minutes, 22.4 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Friday, March 14, 2025,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.1804. 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 3.3 days before apogee (on March 17, 2025, at 12:35 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller.[2]
This lunar eclipse will be the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on September 8, 2025 (total); March 3, 2026 (total); and August 28, 2026 (partial).[3]
Visibility
[edit]The eclipse will be completely visible over North and South America, seen rising over Australia and northeast Asia and setting over Africa and Europe.[4]
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Eclipse details
[edit]Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[5]
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.26146 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.18038 |
| Gamma | 0.34846 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 23h37m46.0s |
| Sun Declination | -02°24'16.8" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'05.2" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 11h38m23.0s |
| Moon Declination | +02°40'54.6" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'52.8" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'36.8" |
| ΔT | 71.7 s |
Eclipse season
[edit]This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.
| March 14 Descending node (full moon) |
March 29 Ascending node (new moon) |
|---|---|
|
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| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 123 |
Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 149 |
Related eclipses
[edit]Eclipses in 2025
[edit]- A total lunar eclipse on March 14.
- A partial solar eclipse on March 29.
- A total lunar eclipse on September 7.
- A partial solar eclipse on September 21.
Metonic
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 26, 2021
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 31, 2028
Tzolkinex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 31, 2018
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 25, 2032
Half-Saros
[edit]- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 20, 2034
Tritos
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 15, 2014
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 11, 2036
Lunar Saros 123
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 25, 2043
Inex
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 1996
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 22, 2054
Triad
[edit]- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 14, 1938
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 14, 2112
Lunar eclipses of 2024–2027
[edit]This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[6]
The penumbral lunar eclipse on July 18, 2027 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
| Lunar eclipse series sets from 2024 to 2027 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||||
| Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing |
Type Chart |
Gamma | |
113
|
2024 Mar 25
|
Penumbral
|
1.0610 | 118
|
2024 Sep 18
|
Partial
|
−0.9792 | |
| 123 | 2025 Mar 14
|
Total
|
0.3485 | 128 | 2025 Sep 07
|
Total
|
−0.2752 | |
| 133 | 2026 Mar 03
|
Total
|
−0.3765 | 138 | 2026 Aug 28
|
Partial
|
0.4964 | |
| 143 | 2027 Feb 20
|
Penumbral
|
−1.0480 | 148 | 2027 Aug 17
|
Penumbral
|
1.2797 | |
Saros 123
[edit]This eclipse is a part of Saros series 123, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on August 16, 1087. It contains partial eclipses from May 2, 1520 through July 6, 1610; total eclipses from July 16, 1628 through April 4, 2061; and a second set of partial eclipses from April 16, 2079 through July 2, 2205. The series ends at member 72 as a penumbral eclipse on October 8, 2367.
The longest duration of totality was produced by member 37 at 105 minutes, 58 seconds on September 20, 1736. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[7]
| Greatest | First | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1736 Sep 20, lasting 105 minutes, 58 seconds.[8] | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| 1087 Aug 16 |
1520 May 02 |
1628 Jul 16 |
1682 Aug 18 | |
| Last | ||||
| Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral | |
1953 Jan 29
|
2061 Apr 04 |
2205 Jul 02 |
2367 Oct 08 | |
Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
| Series members 41–62 occur between 1801 and 2200: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 42 | 43 | |||
| 1808 Nov 03 | 1826 Nov 14 | 1844 Nov 24 | |||
| 44 | 45 | 46 | |||
| 1862 Dec 06 | 1880 Dec 16 | 1898 Dec 27 | |||
| 47 | 48 | 49 | |||
| 1917 Jan 08 | 1935 Jan 19 | 1953 Jan 29 | |||
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| 50 | 51 | 52 | |||
| 1971 Feb 10 | 1989 Feb 20 | 2007 Mar 03 | |||
|
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| 53 | 54 | 55 | |||
| 2025 Mar 14 | 2043 Mar 25 | 2061 Apr 04 | |||
|
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| 56 | 57 | 58 | |||
| 2079 Apr 16 | 2097 Apr 26 | 2115 May 08 | |||
| 59 | 60 | 61 | |||
| 2133 May 19 | 2151 May 30 | 2169 Jun 09 | |||
| 62 | |||||
| 2187 Jun 20 | |||||
Metonic series
[edit]The Metonic cycle repeats nearly exactly every 19 years and represents a Saros cycle plus one lunar year. Because it occurs on the same calendar date, the Earth's shadow will in nearly the same location relative to the background stars.
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Half-Saros cycle
[edit]A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[9] Related to Solar Saros 130.
| March 9, 2016 | March 20, 2034 |
|---|---|
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See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ "March 13–14, 2025 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ Espenak, Fred (23 September 2024). "Lunar Eclipses: 2021–2030". Eclipsewise. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2025 Mar 14" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 2025 Mar 14". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "NASA - Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 123". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
- ^ Listing of Eclipses of series 123
- ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros
External links
[edit]- Saros cycle 123
- 2025 Mar 14 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
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