| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 Totality as viewed from Haifa, Israel | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | May 4, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | −0.3132 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.3035 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 131 (33 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 75 minutes, 28 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 203 minutes, 12 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 315 minutes, 43 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Tuesday, May 4, 2004,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.3035. 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 about 1.2 days before perigee (on May 6, 2004, at 0:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
This lunar eclipse is the third of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on May 16, 2003; November 9, 2004; and October 28, 2004.
- ^ "May 4–5, 2004 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 November 2024.