# March 1978 lunar eclipse

A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Friday, March 24, 1978, with an umbral magnitude of 1.4518. It was a central lunar eclipse, in which part of the Moon passed through the center of the Earth's shadow. 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. The Moon's apparent diameter was near the average diameter because it occurred 7.1 days after apogee (on March 17, 1978, at 14:25 UTC) and 6.6 days before perigee (on March 31, 1978, at 5:45 UTC).

## Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over much of Asia and Australia, seen rising over Africa, Europe, and west and central Asia and setting over western North America and the central Pacific Ocean.

## Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
March 24, 1978 Lunar Eclipse Parameters :
| Parameter | Value |
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.47900 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.45179 |
| Gamma | −0.21402 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 00h13m28.3s |
| Sun Declination | +01°27'32.7" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'02.4" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 12h13m13.4s |
| Moon Declination | -01°39'13.7" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'36.9" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°57'18.4" |
| ΔT | 48.8 s |

## 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.
Eclipse season of March–April 1978 :
| March 24 Ascending node (full moon) | April 7 Descending node (new moon) |
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 122 | Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 148 |

## Related eclipses
### Eclipses in 1978

* A total lunar eclipse on March 24.
* A partial solar eclipse on April 7.
* A total lunar eclipse on September 16.
* A partial solar eclipse on October 2.

### Metonic

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 4, 1974
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 9, 1982

### Tzolkinex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 10, 1971
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 4, 1985

### Half-Saros

* Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 18, 1969
* Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 29, 1987

### Tritos

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 24, 1967
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1989

### Lunar Saros 122

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 13, 1960
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 1996

### Inex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 13, 1949
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007

### Triad

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 23, 1891
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 22, 2065

### Lunar eclipses of 1977–1980

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.
The penumbral lunar eclipse on July 27, 1980 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Lunar eclipse series sets from 1977 to 1980 :
| Ascending node | Ascending node | Ascending node | Ascending node | Descending node | Descending node | Descending node | Descending node |
| Saros | Date Viewing | Type Chart | Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing | Type Chart | Gamma |
| 112 | 1977 Apr 04 | Partial | −0.9148 | 117 | 1977 Sep 27 | Penumbral | 1.0768 |
| 122 | 1978 Mar 24 | Total | −0.2140 | 127 | 1978 Sep 16 | Total | 0.2951 |
| 132 | 1979 Mar 13 | Partial | 0.5254 | 137 | 1979 Sep 06 | Total | −0.4305 |
| 142 | 1980 Mar 01 | Penumbral | 1.2270 | 147 | 1980 Aug 26 | Penumbral | −1.1608 |

### Saros 122

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 122, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 74 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on August 14, 1022. It contains partial eclipses from April 10, 1419 through June 24, 1545; total eclipses from July 5, 1563 through May 6, 2050; and a second set of partial eclipses from May 17, 2068 through July 21, 2176. The series ends at member 74 as a penumbral eclipse on October 29, 2338.
The longest duration of totality was produced by member 39 at 100 minutes, 5 seconds on October 11, 1707. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.
| Greatest | First | First | First | First |
| The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1707 Oct 11, lasting 100 minutes, 5 seconds. | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1707 Oct 11, lasting 100 minutes, 5 seconds. | 1022 Aug 14 | 1419 Apr 10 | 1563 Jul 05 | 1617 Aug 16 |
| Last ||||
| The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1707 Oct 11, lasting 100 minutes, 5 seconds. | Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral |
| The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1707 Oct 11, lasting 100 minutes, 5 seconds. | 1996 Apr 04 | 2050 May 06 | 2176 Jul 21 | 2338 Oct 29 |
Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
Series members 45–66 occur between 1801 and 2200: :
| 45 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 47 |
| 1815 Dec 16 | 1815 Dec 16 | 1833 Dec 26 | 1833 Dec 26 | 1852 Jan 07 | 1852 Jan 07 |
| 48 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 50 |
| 1870 Jan 17 | 1870 Jan 17 | 1888 Jan 28 | 1888 Jan 28 | 1906 Feb 09 | 1906 Feb 09 |
| 51 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 53 | 53 |
| 1924 Feb 20 | 1924 Feb 20 | 1942 Mar 03 | 1942 Mar 03 | 1960 Mar 13 | 1960 Mar 13 |
| 54 | 54 | 55 | 55 | 56 | 56 |
| 1978 Mar 24 | 1978 Mar 24 | 1996 Apr 04 | 1996 Apr 04 | 2014 Apr 15 | 2014 Apr 15 |
| 57 | 57 | 58 | 58 | 59 | 59 |
| 2032 Apr 25 | 2032 Apr 25 | 2050 May 06 | 2050 May 06 | 2068 May 17 | 2068 May 17 |
| 60 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 62 |
| 2086 May 28 | 2086 May 28 | 2104 Jun 08 | 2104 Jun 08 | 2122 Jun 20 | 2122 Jun 20 |
| 63 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 65 |
| 2140 Jun 30 | 2140 Jun 30 | 2158 Jul 11 | 2158 Jul 11 | 2176 Jul 21 | 2176 Jul 21 |
| 66 ||
| 2194 Aug 02 ||

### Tritos series

This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Series members between 1801 and 2200 :
| 1803 Aug 03 (Saros 106) | 1803 Aug 03 (Saros 106) | 1814 Jul 02 (Saros 107) | 1814 Jul 02 (Saros 107) | 1825 Jun 01 (Saros 108) | 1825 Jun 01 (Saros 108) | 1836 May 01 (Saros 109) | 1836 May 01 (Saros 109) | 1847 Mar 31 (Saros 110) | 1847 Mar 31 (Saros 110) |
| 1858 Feb 27 (Saros 111) | 1858 Feb 27 (Saros 111) | 1869 Jan 28 (Saros 112) | 1869 Jan 28 (Saros 112) | 1879 Dec 28 (Saros 113) | 1879 Dec 28 (Saros 113) | 1890 Nov 26 (Saros 114) | 1890 Nov 26 (Saros 114) | 1901 Oct 27 (Saros 115) | 1901 Oct 27 (Saros 115) |
| 1912 Sep 26 (Saros 116) | 1912 Sep 26 (Saros 116) | 1923 Aug 26 (Saros 117) | 1923 Aug 26 (Saros 117) | 1934 Jul 26 (Saros 118) | 1934 Jul 26 (Saros 118) | 1945 Jun 25 (Saros 119) | 1945 Jun 25 (Saros 119) | 1956 May 24 (Saros 120) | 1956 May 24 (Saros 120) |
| 1967 Apr 24 (Saros 121) | 1967 Apr 24 (Saros 121) | 1978 Mar 24 (Saros 122) | 1978 Mar 24 (Saros 122) | 1989 Feb 20 (Saros 123) | 1989 Feb 20 (Saros 123) | 2000 Jan 21 (Saros 124) | 2000 Jan 21 (Saros 124) | 2010 Dec 21 (Saros 125) | 2010 Dec 21 (Saros 125) |
| 2021 Nov 19 (Saros 126) | 2021 Nov 19 (Saros 126) | 2032 Oct 18 (Saros 127) | 2032 Oct 18 (Saros 127) | 2043 Sep 19 (Saros 128) | 2043 Sep 19 (Saros 128) | 2054 Aug 18 (Saros 129) | 2054 Aug 18 (Saros 129) | 2065 Jul 17 (Saros 130) | 2065 Jul 17 (Saros 130) |
| 2076 Jun 17 (Saros 131) | 2076 Jun 17 (Saros 131) | 2087 May 17 (Saros 132) | 2087 May 17 (Saros 132) | 2098 Apr 15 (Saros 133) | 2098 Apr 15 (Saros 133) | 2109 Mar 17 (Saros 134) | 2109 Mar 17 (Saros 134) | 2120 Feb 14 (Saros 135) | 2120 Feb 14 (Saros 135) |
| 2131 Jan 13 (Saros 136) | 2131 Jan 13 (Saros 136) | 2141 Dec 13 (Saros 137) | 2141 Dec 13 (Saros 137) | 2152 Nov 12 (Saros 138) | 2152 Nov 12 (Saros 138) | 2163 Oct 12 (Saros 139) | 2163 Oct 12 (Saros 139) | 2174 Sep 11 (Saros 140) | 2174 Sep 11 (Saros 140) |
| 2185 Aug 11 (Saros 141) | 2185 Aug 11 (Saros 141) | 2196 Jul 10 (Saros 142) | 2196 Jul 10 (Saros 142) |

### Inex series

This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Series members between 1801 and 2200 :
| 1804 Jul 22 (Saros 116) | 1804 Jul 22 (Saros 116) | 1833 Jul 02 (Saros 117) | 1833 Jul 02 (Saros 117) | 1862 Jun 12 (Saros 118) | 1862 Jun 12 (Saros 118) |
| 1891 May 23 (Saros 119) | 1891 May 23 (Saros 119) | 1920 May 03 (Saros 120) | 1920 May 03 (Saros 120) | 1949 Apr 13 (Saros 121) | 1949 Apr 13 (Saros 121) |
| 1978 Mar 24 (Saros 122) | 1978 Mar 24 (Saros 122) | 2007 Mar 03 (Saros 123) | 2007 Mar 03 (Saros 123) | 2036 Feb 11 (Saros 124) | 2036 Feb 11 (Saros 124) |
| 2065 Jan 22 (Saros 125) | 2065 Jan 22 (Saros 125) | 2094 Jan 01 (Saros 126) | 2094 Jan 01 (Saros 126) | 2122 Dec 13 (Saros 127) | 2122 Dec 13 (Saros 127) |
| 2151 Nov 24 (Saros 128) | 2151 Nov 24 (Saros 128) | 2180 Nov 02 (Saros 129) | 2180 Nov 02 (Saros 129) |

### 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 129.
| March 18, 1969 | March 29, 1987 |