| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | 25 May 1975 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.23674 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.42533 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 130 (32 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 88 minutes, 17.9 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 215 minutes, 13.2 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 336 minutes, 0.7 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
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A total lunar eclipse took place on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25, 1975, the first of two total lunar eclipses in 1975. The Moon was plunged into darkness for 1 hour and 28 minutes in a deep total eclipse which saw the Moon 43% of its diameter inside the Earth's umbral shadow. The visual effect of an eclipse depends on the state of the Earth's atmosphere, but the Moon may have been stained a deep red colour. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 35 minutes in total. Occurring only 4.4 days after perigee (Perigee on May 20, 1975), the Moon's apparent diameter was 0.7% larger than average. The moon was 377,010 km (234,263 mi) from the Earth at greatest eclipse.
The eclipse was a dark one with the southern tip of the moon passing through the center of the Earth's shadow. This was the first central eclipse of Saros series 130.