Total Lunar Eclipse of 28 Sep, 2015 AD

A total eclipse of the Moon occurred on Monday 28 September, 2015 UT, lasting from 00:11–05:22 UT. The Moon was plunged into darkness for 1 hour and 12 minutes, in a deep total eclipse which saw the Moon 28% 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 for observers from the Americas, Europe and Africa. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 20 minutes in total.

The timings of the phases of the eclipse are as follows. You would have been able to see each phase of the eclipse if the Moon was up at the corresponding time as seen from your location; however the penumbral phase would have been very difficult to see in practice:

During this eclipse the Moon was at perigee, making it extremely large. At maximum eclipse it was 0.568° in apparent diameter, which is 6.9% larger than average. The statistics page has information on the ranges of the sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

Viewing

North America

Most of Alaska will miss the total eclipse, as it will be over before the Moon rises during the final partial ecllipse. However, eastern parts of the state, along with the Yukon and western British Columbia, will see the Moon rise in total eclipse. A clear view to the eastern horizon, where the Moon will be rising, will be essential to enjoy this event.

Farther east again, through British Columbia and Alberta, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona, the Moon will rise during the opening partial eclipse; the entire total eclipse will then be visible. In San Francisco, for example, the Moon will rise at 01:56 UT, 49 minutes after the partial eclipse begins; with the total eclipse starting at 02:11 UT, the Moon will be very low on the eastern horizon during totality. Again, a clear view in that direction will be essential.

Farther east, throughout the rest of the US and Canada, and the whole of South America, the whole lunar eclipse will be visible.

Europe, Africa

The full eclipse is visible through western Europe and the western half of Africa; the Moon will be moving towards the western horizon, and getting close to setting, so check the eclipse times in your local time. The closer to Moonset (which is also Sunrise), the closer the Moon will be to the horizon.

In western Russia, Finland, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, and a strip of central Africa down to Mozambique and South Africa, the moon will set during the final partial eclipse. The whole total eclipse will be visible, but with the Moon close to setting, a clear view to the west will be needed to enjoy it. In Cairo, for example, the Moon will set at 03:52 UT, just 29 minutes after the total eclipse ends.

Farther east, through central Russia to Iraq/Iran, Somalia and Madagascar, the Moon will set during the total eclipse; farther east again, through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the Moon will set during the initial partial eclipse, making a relatively uninteresting sight.

Interactive Map

This map shows the visibility of the eclipse at various stages. The bright area in the middle saw the whole eclipse; the coloured bands to the right saw the start of the eclipse, and those on the left saw the end. Note that the map is approximate, and if you were near the edge of the area of visibility, the moon was very close to the horizon and may not have been practically visible.

You can use the zoom controls to zoom in and out, and pan to see areas of interest. Hover your mouse over the tags to see what was visible from each area on the map. The green marker in the centre shows where the Moon was directly overhead at maximum eclipse.

Overview Map

This map sourced from NASA Goddard Space flight Center: GSFC Eclipse Web SiteGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html shows the visibility of the eclipse. (Click on it for the full-sized version.)

Eclipse Season and Saros Series

This eclipse season contains 2 eclipses:

• 13 Sep, 2015 AD — Partial Solar Eclipse
• 28 Sep, 2015 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse (this eclipse)

This was the 26th eclipse in lunar Saros series 137.The surrounding eclipses in this Saros series are:

• 26 Aug, 1961 AD — Partial Lunar Eclipse (previous in the Triple Saros)
• 6 Sep, 1979 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse
• 16 Sep, 1997 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse
• 28 Sep, 2015 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse (this eclipse)
• 8 Oct, 2033 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse
• 19 Oct, 2051 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse
• 30 Oct, 2069 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse (next in the Triple Saros)

This Saros series, lunar Saros series 137, is linked to solar Saros series 144. The nearest partner eclipses in that series are:

• 22 Sep, 2006 AD — Annular Solar Eclipse
• 2 Oct, 2024 AD — Annular Solar Eclipse

Eclipse Parameters

Note that while all dates and times on this site (except where noted) are in UT, which is within a second of civil time, the dates and times shown in NASA's eclipse listingsGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html are in the TDT timescale.

The Sun and Moon distances are shown in km, and as a percentage of their minimum - maximum distances; hence 0% is the closest possible (Earth's perihelion, or the Moon's closest possible perigee) and 100% is the farthest (aphelion, the farthest apogee). The statistics page has information on the ranges of sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

Data last updated: 2015-06-21 22:11:46 UTC.