October 1949 lunar eclipse

{{Short description|Total lunar eclipse October 7, 1949}}

{{Infobox lunar eclipse

| type = total

| image = Lunar eclipse chart close-1949Oct07.png

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

| date = October 7, 1949

| gamma = −0.3219

| magnitude = 1.2236

| saros_ser = 126

| saros_no = 42 of 72

| totality = 72 minutes, 50 seconds

| partiality = 222 minutes, 53 seconds

| penumbral = 369 minutes, 11 seconds

| p1 = 23:51:50

| u1 = 1:04:59

| u2 = 2:20:01

| greatest = 2:56:26

| u3 = 3:32:51

| u4 = 4:47:52

| p4 = 6:01:02

| previous = April 1949

| next = April 1950

}}

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Friday, October 7, 1949,{{cite web|title=October 6–7, 1949 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/1949-october-7|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=21 December 2024}} with an umbral magnitude of 1.2236. 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 15 hours before apogee (on October 7, 1949, at 18:10 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=1949&n=136|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=21 December 2024}}

This lunar eclipse was the second of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on April 13, 1949; April 2, 1950; and September 26, 1950.