March 1978 lunar eclipse

A total lunar eclipse took place on March 24, 1978, the first of two total lunar eclipses in 1978. The moon passed through the center of the Earth's shadow. The Moon was plunged into darkness for 1 hour, 30 minutes and 40.2 seconds, in a deep total eclipse which saw the Moon 45.179% of its diameter inside the Earth's umbral shadow. The visual effect of this 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, 38 minutes and 34.5 seconds in total.[1]

Total Lunar Eclipse
March 24, 1978
(No photo)

The moon passes west to east (right to left) across the Earth's umbral shadow, shown in hourly intervals.
Series122 (54 of 75)
Duration (hr:mn:sc)
Totality
Partial
Penumbral
Contacts
P1UTC
U1
U2
Greatest
U3
U4
P4

This is the 54th member of Lunar Saros 122. The previous event is the March 1960 lunar eclipse. The next event is the April 1996 lunar eclipse.

Visibility

It was seen completely over Asia and Australia, and rising over Africa and Europe. It was seen setting over Pacific Ocean on the morning of Friday 24 March, 1978.

Lunar year series

Tritos series

The tritos series repeats 31 days short of 11 years at alternating nodes. Sequential events have incremental Saros cycle indices.

This series produces 20 total eclipses between April 24, 1967 and August 11, 2185, only being partial on November 19, 2021.

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[2] This lunar eclipse is related to two solar eclipses of Solar Saros 129.

March 18, 1969 March 29, 1987

See also

Notes
  1. Hermit Eclipse: Saros cycle 122
  2. Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros


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