- Source: May 1939 lunar eclipse
A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 3, 1939, with an umbral magnitude of 1.1765. 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 5.2 days after perigee (on April 28, 1939, at 11:05 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
This lunar eclipse was the third of an almost tetrad, with the others being on May 14, 1938 (total); November 7, 1938 (total); and October 28, 1939 (partial).
Visibility
The eclipse was completely visible over east Asia, Australia, and Antarctica, seen rising over central and east Africa, eastern Europe, and west, central, and south Asia and setting over western North America and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Eclipse details
Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
Eclipse season
This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.
Related eclipses
= Eclipses in 1939
=An annular solar eclipse on April 19.
A total lunar eclipse on May 3.
A total solar eclipse on October 12.
A partial lunar eclipse on October 28.
= Metonic
=Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 16, 1935
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1943
= Tzolkinex
=Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 22, 1932
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 14, 1946
= Half-Saros
=Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1930
Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 9, 1948
= Tritos
=Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 3, 1928
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 2, 1950
= Lunar Saros 130
=Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 22, 1921
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 13, 1957
= Inex
=Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 24, 1910
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 13, 1968
= Triad
=Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 1, 1852
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2026
= Lunar eclipses of 1937–1940
== Saros 130
=Lunar saros series 130, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 56 umbral lunar eclipses (42 partial lunar eclipses and 14 total lunar eclipses). Solar Saros 137 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.
= Inex series
=The inex series repeats eclipses 20 days short of 29 years, repeating on average every 10571.95 days. This period is equal to 358 lunations (synodic months) and 388.5 draconic months. Saros series increment by one on successive Inex events and repeat at alternate ascending and descending lunar nodes.
This period is 383.6734 anomalistic months (the period of the Moon's elliptical orbital precession). Despite the average 0.05 time-of-day shift between subsequent events, the variation of the Moon in its elliptical orbit at each event causes the actual eclipse time to vary significantly. It is a part of Lunar Inex series 35.
= Half-Saros cycle
=A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two solar eclipses of Solar Saros 137.
See also
List of lunar eclipses
List of 20th-century lunar eclipses
Notes
External links
1939 May 03 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC