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Aug 3, 2018
Central Lunar Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis (TWAN)
Courtesy of http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Central Lunar Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis (TWAN)
Courtesy of http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Reddened by scattered sunlight, the Moon in the center is passing
through the center of Earth's
dark umbral shadow in this
July 27
lunar eclipse sequence.
Left to right the three images are from the start, maximum, and end to
103 minutes of totality from the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.
The longest path the Moon can follow through Earth's shadow does
cross the shadow's center, that's what makes such central lunar
eclipses long ones.
But July 27 was also the date of lunar apogee, and
at the most distant part of its elliptical orbit the
Moon moves slowest.
For the previous lunar eclipse, last January 31, the Moon was
near its orbital perigee.
Passing just south of the Earth shadow central axis,
totality lasted only 76 minutes.
Coming up
on January 21, 2019, a third consecutive total lunar eclipse will
also be off center and
find
the Moon near perigee.
Then totality will be a
mere 62 minutes long.
