April 1996 lunar eclipse

{{Short description|Total lunar eclipse April 4, 1996}}

{{Infobox lunar eclipse

| type = total

| image = Lunar eclipse April 4 1996 Hamois Belgium.jpg

| caption = Totality as viewed from Hamois, Belgium.

| date = April 4, 1996

| gamma = −0.2534

| magnitude = 1.3795

| saros_ser = 122

| saros_no = 55 of 75

| totality = 85 minutes, 45 seconds

| partiality = 217 minutes, 8 seconds

| penumbral = 344 minutes, 43 seconds

| p1 = 21:17:22

| u1 = 22:21:13

| u2 = 23:26:54

| greatest = 0:09:46

| u3 = 0:52:39

| u4 = 1:58:21

| p4 = 3:02:04

| previous = October 1995

| next = September 1996

}}

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Thursday, April 4, 1996,{{cite web|title=April 3–4, 1996 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/1996-april-4|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=9 January 2025}} with an umbral magnitude of 1.3795. It was a central lunar eclipse, in which part of the Moon passed 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. The Moon's apparent diameter was near the average diameter because it occurred 6.9 days after apogee (on March 28, 1996, at 2:40 UTC) and 7.2 days before perigee (on April 11, 1996, at 3:45 UTC).{{cite web|title=Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html?year=1996&n=136|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=9 January 2025}}

This lunar eclipse was the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on September 27, 1996 (total); March 24, 1997 (partial); and September 16, 1997 (total).

This was the last central member and 55th overall member of Lunar Saros 122.