May 1920 lunar eclipse

{{Infobox lunar eclipse

| type = total

| image = Lunar eclipse chart close-1920May03.png

| caption = The Moon's hourly motion shown right to left

| date = May 3, 1920

| gamma = −0.3312

| magnitude = 1.2194

| saros_ser = 120

| saros_no = 53 of 84

| totality = 71 minutes, 31 seconds

| partiality = 219 minutes, 39 seconds

| penumbral = 360 minutes, 4 seconds

| p1 = 22:50:47

| u1 = 0:00:56

| u2 = 1:15:01

| greatest = 1:50:47

| u3 = 2:26:32

| u4 = 3:40:36

| p4 = 4:50:51

| previous = November 1919

| next = October 1920

}}

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 3, 1920,{{cite web|title=May 2–3, 1920 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/1920-may-3|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=16 December 2024}} with an umbral magnitude of 1.2194. 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 3.8 days before apogee (on May 6, 1920, at 21:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.{{cite web|title=Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html?year=1920&n=136|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=16 December 2024}}

This lunar eclipse was the first of an almost tetrad, with the others being on October 27, 1920 (total); April 22, 1921 (total); and October 16, 1921 (partial).

Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over South America, west and southern Africa, western Europe, and Antarctica, seen rising over much of North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean and setting over eastern Europe, east Africa, and the western half of Asia.{{cite web|title=Total Lunar Eclipse of 1920 May 03|url=https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot1901/LE1920May03T.pdf|publisher=NASA|access-date=16 December 2024}}

class=wikitable

|300px 300px

Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.{{cite web|title=Total Lunar Eclipse of 1920 May 03|url=https://eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprime/1901-2000/LE1920May03Tprime.html|publisher=EclipseWise.com|access-date=16 December 2024}}

class="wikitable" align="{{{align|left}}}" style="margin:{{#ifeq:{{{align}}}|right|0 0 0.5em 1em|0 1em 0.5em 0}}"

|+May 3, 1920 Lunar Eclipse Parameters

! Parameter

! Value

Penumbral Magnitude

| 2.28178

Umbral Magnitude

| 1.21939

Gamma

| −0.33118

Sun Right Ascension

| 02h39m30.8s

Sun Declination

| +15°32'26.3"

Sun Semi-Diameter

| 15'51.7"

Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax

| 08.7"

Moon Right Ascension

| 14h39m15.0s

Moon Declination

| -15°50'11.0"

Moon Semi-Diameter

| 14'55.8"

Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax

| 0°54'47.6"

ΔT

| 21.5 s

Eclipse season

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.

class="wikitable"

|+ Eclipse season of May 1920

! May 3
Ascending node (full moon) !! May 18
Descending node (new moon)

200px

align=center

| Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 120

Partial solar eclipse
Solar Saros 146

Related eclipses

= Eclipses in 1920 =

= Metonic =

Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 15, 1916
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1924

= Tzolkinex =

Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 22, 1913
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 1927

= Half-Saros =

Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1911
Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 9, 1929

= Tritos =

Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 4, 1909
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 2, 1931

= Lunar Saros 120 =

Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 22, 1902
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 14, 1938

= Inex =

Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 23, 1891
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 13, 1949

= Triad =

Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 2, 1833
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007

= Lunar eclipses of 1919–1922 =

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.{{cite web |last1=van Gent |first1=R.H |title=Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present |url=http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/eclipse/eclipsecycles.htm#Sar%20%28Half%20Saros%29 |website=A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles |publisher=Utrecht University |access-date=6 October 2018}}

The penumbral lunar eclipse on March 13, 1922 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.

class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" !class="nowrap" colspan="9" \| Lunar eclipse series sets from 1919 to 1922
scope="col" colspan="4" \| Ascending node \| rowspan="11" \| ! scope="col" colspan="4" \| Descending node
style="text-align: center;" ! scope="col" \| Saros ! scope="col" \| Date Viewing ! scope="col" \| Type Chart ! scope="col" \| Gamma ! scope="col" \| Saros ! scope="col" \| Date Viewing ! scope="col" \| Type Chart ! scope="col" \| Gamma
style="text-align: center;" \| 110 \| 1919 May 15 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Penumbral 80px \| −1.0820 \| 115 \| 1919 Nov 07 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Partial 80px \| 0.9246
style="text-align: center;" \| 120 \| 1920 May 03 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Total 80px \| −0.3312 \| 125 \| 1920 Oct 27 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Total 80px \| 0.2502
style="text-align: center;" \| 130 \| 1921 Apr 22 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Total 80px \| 0.4269 \| 135 \| 1921 Oct 16 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Partial 80px \| −0.4902
style="text-align: center;" \| 140 \| 1922 Apr 11 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Penumbral 80px \| 1.1228 \| 145 \| 1922 Oct 06 80px \| style="text-align:center;" \|Penumbral 80px \| −1.2348

class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

!class="nowrap" colspan="9" | Lunar eclipse series sets from 1919 to 1922

scope="col" colspan="4" | Ascending node

| rowspan="11" |

! scope="col" colspan="4" | Descending node

style="text-align: center;"

! scope="col" | Saros

! scope="col" | Date
Viewing

! scope="col" | Type
Chart

! scope="col" | Gamma

! scope="col" | Saros

! scope="col" | Date
Viewing

! scope="col" | Type
Chart

! scope="col" | Gamma

style="text-align: center;"

| 110

| 1919 May 15
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Penumbral
80px

| −1.0820

| 115

| 1919 Nov 07
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Partial
80px

| 0.9246

style="text-align: center;"

| 120

| 1920 May 03
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Total
80px

| −0.3312

| 125

| 1920 Oct 27
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Total
80px

| 0.2502

style="text-align: center;"

| 130

| 1921 Apr 22
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Total
80px

| 0.4269

| 135

| 1921 Oct 16
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Partial
80px

| −0.4902

style="text-align: center;"

| 140

| 1922 Apr 11
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Penumbral
80px

| 1.1228

| 145

| 1922 Oct 06
80px

| style="text-align:center;" |Penumbral
80px

| −1.2348

= Saros 120 =

= Tritos series =

= Inex series =

= Half-Saros cycle =

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 127.

class=wikitable