| Total eclipse | |||||||||||||||||
 Totality as viewed from Dunkirk, Maryland at 3:03 UTC, taken by Fred Espenak | |||||||||||||||||
| Date | October 28, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamma | 0.2846 | ||||||||||||||||
| Magnitude | 1.3100 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saros cycle | 136 (19 of 72) | ||||||||||||||||
| Totality | 85 minutes, 29 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Partiality | 218 minutes, 41 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Penumbral | 353 minutes, 46 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Thursday, October 28, 2004,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.3100. 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 5.4 days before apogee (on November 2, 2004, at 13:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[2]
This lunar eclipse is the last of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on May 16, 2003; November 9, 2004; and May 4, 2004.
- ^ "October 27–28, 2004 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 13 November 2024.