# March 1951 lunar eclipse

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Friday, March 23, 1951, with an umbral magnitude of −0.3660. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the Moon's near side passes into the Earth's penumbra. 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. Occurring about 3.9 days before perigee (on March 27, 1951, at 8:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
This eclipse was the second of four penumbral lunar eclipses in 1951, with the others occurring on February 21, August 17, and September 15.

## Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over northeast Asia, eastern Australia, and western North America, seen rising over east and southeast Asia and western Australia and setting over eastern North America and South America.

## Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
March 23, 1951 Lunar Eclipse Parameters :
| Parameter | Value |
| Penumbral Magnitude | 0.64195 |
| Umbral Magnitude | −0.36599 |
| Gamma | −1.20994 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 00h07m18.6s |
| Sun Declination | +00°47'32.7" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'02.8" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 12h05m01.7s |
| Moon Declination | -01°49'23.5" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 15'55.2" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°58'25.6" |
| ΔT | 29.6 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.
Eclipse season of February–March 1951 :
| February 21 Descending node (full moon) | March 7 Ascending node (new moon) | March 23 Descending node (full moon) |
| Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 103 | Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 129 | Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 141 |

## Related eclipses
### Eclipses in 1951

* A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 21.
* An annular solar eclipse on March 7.
* A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 23.
* A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 17.
* An annular solar eclipse on September 1.
* A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 15.

### Metonic

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 3, 1947
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 8, 1955

### Tzolkinex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 9, 1944
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 3, 1958

### Half-Saros

* Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 16, 1942
* Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 27, 1960

### Tritos

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 22, 1940
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 19, 1962

### Lunar Saros 141

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 12, 1933
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 2, 1969

### Inex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 11, 1922
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 1, 1980

### Triad

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 21, 1864
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 21, 2038

### Lunar eclipses of 1948–1951

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 eclipses on February 21, 1951 and August 17, 1951 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Lunar eclipse series sets from 1948 to 1951 :
| Descending node | Descending node | Descending node | Descending node | Ascending node | Ascending node | Ascending node | Ascending node |
| Saros | Date Viewing | Type Chart | Gamma | Saros | Date Viewing | Type Chart | Gamma |
| 111 | 1948 Apr 23 | Partial | 1.0017 | 116 | 1948 Oct 18 | Penumbral | −1.0245 |
| 121 | 1949 Apr 13 | Total | 0.2474 | 126 | 1949 Oct 07 | Total | −0.3219 |
| 131 | 1950 Apr 02 | Total | −0.4599 | 136 | 1950 Sep 26 | Total | 0.4101 |
| 141 | 1951 Mar 23 | Penumbral | −1.2099 | 146 | 1951 Sep 15 | Penumbral | 1.1187 |

### Saros 141

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 141, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on August 25, 1608. It contains partial eclipses from May 16, 2041 through July 20, 2149; total eclipses from August 1, 2167 through May 1, 2618; and a second set of partial eclipses from May 12, 2636 through July 16, 2744. The series ends at member 72 as a penumbral eclipse on October 11, 2888.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 39 at 104 minutes, 36 seconds on October 16, 2293. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.
| Greatest | First | First | First | First |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2293 Oct 16, lasting 104 minutes, 36 seconds. | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2293 Oct 16, lasting 104 minutes, 36 seconds. | 1608 Aug 25 | 2041 May 16 | 2167 Aug 01 | 2221 Sep 02 |
| Last ||||
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2293 Oct 16, lasting 104 minutes, 36 seconds. | Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2293 Oct 16, lasting 104 minutes, 36 seconds. | 2546 Mar 18 | 2618 May 01 | 2744 Jul 16 | 2888 Oct 11 |
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 12–33 occur between 1801 and 2200: :
| 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| 1806 Dec 25 | 1806 Dec 25 | 1825 Jan 04 | 1825 Jan 04 | 1843 Jan 16 | 1843 Jan 16 |
| 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
| 1861 Jan 26 | 1861 Jan 26 | 1879 Feb 07 | 1879 Feb 07 | 1897 Feb 17 | 1897 Feb 17 |
| 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
| 1915 Mar 01 | 1915 Mar 01 | 1933 Mar 12 | 1933 Mar 12 | 1951 Mar 23 | 1951 Mar 23 |
| 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
| 1969 Apr 02 | 1969 Apr 02 | 1987 Apr 14 | 1987 Apr 14 | 2005 Apr 24 | 2005 Apr 24 |
| 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 |
| 2023 May 05 | 2023 May 05 | 2041 May 16 | 2041 May 16 | 2059 May 27 | 2059 May 27 |
| 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| 2077 Jun 06 | 2077 Jun 06 | 2095 Jun 17 | 2095 Jun 17 | 2113 Jun 29 | 2113 Jun 29 |
| 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 |
| 2131 Jul 10 | 2131 Jul 10 | 2149 Jul 20 | 2149 Jul 20 | 2167 Aug 01 | 2167 Aug 01 |
| 33 ||
| 2185 Aug 11 ||

### 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 2147 :
| 1809 Apr 30 (Saros 128) | 1809 Apr 30 (Saros 128) | 1820 Mar 29 (Saros 129) | 1820 Mar 29 (Saros 129) | 1831 Feb 26 (Saros 130) | 1831 Feb 26 (Saros 130) | 1842 Jan 26 (Saros 131) | 1842 Jan 26 (Saros 131) | 1852 Dec 26 (Saros 132) | 1852 Dec 26 (Saros 132) |
| 1863 Nov 25 (Saros 133) | 1863 Nov 25 (Saros 133) | 1874 Oct 25 (Saros 134) | 1874 Oct 25 (Saros 134) | 1885 Sep 24 (Saros 135) | 1885 Sep 24 (Saros 135) | 1896 Aug 23 (Saros 136) | 1896 Aug 23 (Saros 136) | 1907 Jul 25 (Saros 137) | 1907 Jul 25 (Saros 137) |
| 1918 Jun 24 (Saros 138) | 1918 Jun 24 (Saros 138) | 1929 May 23 (Saros 139) | 1929 May 23 (Saros 139) | 1940 Apr 22 (Saros 140) | 1940 Apr 22 (Saros 140) | 1951 Mar 23 (Saros 141) | 1951 Mar 23 (Saros 141) | 1962 Feb 19 (Saros 142) | 1962 Feb 19 (Saros 142) |
| 1973 Jan 18 (Saros 143) | 1973 Jan 18 (Saros 143) | 1983 Dec 20 (Saros 144) | 1983 Dec 20 (Saros 144) | 1994 Nov 18 (Saros 145) | 1994 Nov 18 (Saros 145) | 2005 Oct 17 (Saros 146) | 2005 Oct 17 (Saros 146) | 2016 Sep 16 (Saros 147) | 2016 Sep 16 (Saros 147) |
| 2027 Aug 17 (Saros 148) | 2027 Aug 17 (Saros 148) | 2038 Jul 16 (Saros 149) | 2038 Jul 16 (Saros 149) | 2049 Jun 15 (Saros 150) | 2049 Jun 15 (Saros 150) | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2114 Dec 12 (Saros 156) | 2114 Dec 12 (Saros 156) | | |
| | | 2147 Sep 09 (Saros 159) | 2147 Sep 09 (Saros 159) |

### 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 :
| 1806 Jun 30 (Saros 136) | 1806 Jun 30 (Saros 136) | 1835 Jun 10 (Saros 137) | 1835 Jun 10 (Saros 137) | 1864 May 21 (Saros 138) | 1864 May 21 (Saros 138) |
| 1893 Apr 30 (Saros 139) | 1893 Apr 30 (Saros 139) | 1922 Apr 11 (Saros 140) | 1922 Apr 11 (Saros 140) | 1951 Mar 23 (Saros 141) | 1951 Mar 23 (Saros 141) |
| 1980 Mar 01 (Saros 142) | 1980 Mar 01 (Saros 142) | 2009 Feb 09 (Saros 143) | 2009 Feb 09 (Saros 143) | 2038 Jan 21 (Saros 144) | 2038 Jan 21 (Saros 144) |
| 2066 Dec 31 (Saros 145) | 2066 Dec 31 (Saros 145) | 2095 Dec 11 (Saros 146) | 2095 Dec 11 (Saros 146) | 2124 Nov 21 (Saros 147) | 2124 Nov 21 (Saros 147) |
| 2153 Nov 01 (Saros 148) | 2153 Nov 01 (Saros 148) | 2182 Oct 11 (Saros 149) | 2182 Oct 11 (Saros 149) |

### 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 total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 148.
| March 16, 1942 | March 27, 1960 |