New Delhi, December 31: Eclipse enthusiasts can expect a partial lunar eclipse on New Year’s Eve (December 31) in 2009. It will be difficult to see with the naked eye.
The last eclipse of 2009 occurs on New Year’s Eve. This minor partial lunar eclipse takes place in Gemini, and is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere. Greatest eclipse takes place at 19:23 UT when the eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763.
The global visibility of this lunar eclipse is shown in the diagram to the left. A higher quality version of this global plot can be downloaded in pdf format by clicking on this image.
An explanation of this diagram can be found here.
Eclipse enthusiasts in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia can celebrate New Year’s Eve by observing a partial lunar eclipse on December 31, 2009. The event’s duration will be about four hours.
Will the Eclipse be Visible?
This minor partial lunar eclipse will be difficult to see with the naked eye as the umbral magnitude will only be 0.0763. The penumbral magnitude will be 1.0556. The moon’s southern limb barely tickles the earth’s central shadow.
When Will the Eclipse Occur?
The first penumbral contact occurs at 17:17:08 Universal Time (UT). The ecliptic conjunction occurs at about 19:12:45 UT and greatest eclipse takes place at 19:22:39 UT when the eclipse magnitude will reach 0.0763. The eclipse ends at about 21:28:11 UT.
Where Will the Eclipse Be?
The partial lunar eclipse will occur over many parts of Asia, Australasia, Europe and Africa. The moon will be found in the constellation Gemini on December 31, 2009. This is the last eclipse in 2009.
Eclipses in 2009
The December 31 eclipse is not the only eclipse in 2009. The list of eclipses for 2009 includes:
An annular solar eclipse on January 26. A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 9. A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 7. A total solar eclipse on July 22. A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 6.
–Agencies