# March 1979 lunar eclipse

A partial lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Tuesday, March 13, 1979, with an umbral magnitude of 0.8538. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when one part of the Moon is in the Earth's umbra, while the other part is in 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 3.5 days after apogee (on March 10, 1979, at 10:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.

## Visibility

The eclipse was completely visible over much of Africa, Europe, and the western half of Asia, seen rising over eastern North America, South America, and west Africa and setting over east and northeast Asia and Australia.

## Eclipse details

Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
March 13, 1979 Lunar Eclipse Parameters :
| Parameter | Value |
| Penumbral Magnitude | 1.93496 |
| Umbral Magnitude | 0.85377 |
| Gamma | 0.52537 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 23h33m09.8s |
| Sun Declination | -02°53'59.0" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'05.4" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 11h33m44.4s |
| Moon Declination | +03°21'20.5" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'52.9" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'36.9" |
| ΔT | 49.7 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 February–March 1979 :
| February 26 Descending node (new moon) | March 13 Ascending node (full moon) |
| Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 120 | Partial lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 132 |

## Related eclipses
### Eclipses in 1979

* A total solar eclipse on February 26.
* A partial lunar eclipse on March 13.
* An annular solar eclipse on August 22.
* A total lunar eclipse on September 6.

### Metonic

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 25, 1975
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 30, 1982

### Tzolkinex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 30, 1972
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 24, 1986

### Half-Saros

* Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 7, 1970
* Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988

### Tritos

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 13, 1968
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 9, 1990

### Lunar Saros 132

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 2, 1961
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 24, 1997

### Inex

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 2, 1950
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 21, 2008

### Triad

* Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 11, 1892
* Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 11, 2066

### 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 132

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 132, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 12, 1492. It contains partial eclipses from August 16, 1636 through March 24, 1997; total eclipses from April 4, 2015 through August 2, 2213; and a second set of partial eclipses from August 13, 2231 through November 30, 2411. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on June 26, 2754.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 36 at 106 minutes, 6 seconds on June 9, 2123. 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 will occur on 2123 Jun 09, lasting 106 minutes, 6 seconds. | Penumbral | Partial | Total | Central |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2123 Jun 09, lasting 106 minutes, 6 seconds. | 1492 May 12 | 1636 Aug 16 | 2015 Apr 04 | 2069 May 06 |
| Last ||||
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2123 Jun 09, lasting 106 minutes, 6 seconds. | Central | Total | Partial | Penumbral |
| The greatest eclipse of the series will occur on 2123 Jun 09, lasting 106 minutes, 6 seconds. | 2177 Jul 11 | 2213 Aug 02 | 2411 Nov 30 | 2754 Jun 26 |
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 19–40 occur between 1801 and 2200: :
| 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
| 1816 Dec 04 | 1816 Dec 04 | 1834 Dec 16 | 1834 Dec 16 | 1852 Dec 26 | 1852 Dec 26 |
| 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 |
| 1871 Jan 06 | 1871 Jan 06 | 1889 Jan 17 | 1889 Jan 17 | 1907 Jan 29 | 1907 Jan 29 |
| 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
| 1925 Feb 08 | 1925 Feb 08 | 1943 Feb 20 | 1943 Feb 20 | 1961 Mar 02 | 1961 Mar 02 |
| 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| 1979 Mar 13 | 1979 Mar 13 | 1997 Mar 24 | 1997 Mar 24 | 2015 Apr 04 | 2015 Apr 04 |
| 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 |
| 2033 Apr 14 | 2033 Apr 14 | 2051 Apr 26 | 2051 Apr 26 | 2069 May 06 | 2069 May 06 |
| 34 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 36 | 36 |
| 2087 May 17 | 2087 May 17 | 2105 May 28 | 2105 May 28 | 2123 Jun 09 | 2123 Jun 09 |
| 37 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 39 |
| 2141 Jun 19 | 2141 Jun 19 | 2159 Jun 30 | 2159 Jun 30 | 2177 Jul 11 | 2177 Jul 11 |
| 40 ||
| 2195 Jul 22 ||

### 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 :
| 1804 Jul 22 (Saros 116) | 1804 Jul 22 (Saros 116) | 1815 Jun 21 (Saros 117) | 1815 Jun 21 (Saros 117) | 1826 May 21 (Saros 118) | 1826 May 21 (Saros 118) | 1837 Apr 20 (Saros 119) | 1837 Apr 20 (Saros 119) | 1848 Mar 19 (Saros 120) | 1848 Mar 19 (Saros 120) |
| 1859 Feb 17 (Saros 121) | 1859 Feb 17 (Saros 121) | 1870 Jan 17 (Saros 122) | 1870 Jan 17 (Saros 122) | 1880 Dec 16 (Saros 123) | 1880 Dec 16 (Saros 123) | 1891 Nov 16 (Saros 124) | 1891 Nov 16 (Saros 124) | 1902 Oct 17 (Saros 125) | 1902 Oct 17 (Saros 125) |
| 1913 Sep 15 (Saros 126) | 1913 Sep 15 (Saros 126) | 1924 Aug 14 (Saros 127) | 1924 Aug 14 (Saros 127) | 1935 Jul 16 (Saros 128) | 1935 Jul 16 (Saros 128) | 1946 Jun 14 (Saros 129) | 1946 Jun 14 (Saros 129) | 1957 May 13 (Saros 130) | 1957 May 13 (Saros 130) |
| 1968 Apr 13 (Saros 131) | 1968 Apr 13 (Saros 131) | 1979 Mar 13 (Saros 132) | 1979 Mar 13 (Saros 132) | 1990 Feb 09 (Saros 133) | 1990 Feb 09 (Saros 133) | 2001 Jan 09 (Saros 134) | 2001 Jan 09 (Saros 134) | 2011 Dec 10 (Saros 135) | 2011 Dec 10 (Saros 135) |
| 2022 Nov 08 (Saros 136) | 2022 Nov 08 (Saros 136) | 2033 Oct 08 (Saros 137) | 2033 Oct 08 (Saros 137) | 2044 Sep 07 (Saros 138) | 2044 Sep 07 (Saros 138) | 2055 Aug 07 (Saros 139) | 2055 Aug 07 (Saros 139) | 2066 Jul 07 (Saros 140) | 2066 Jul 07 (Saros 140) |
| 2077 Jun 06 (Saros 141) | 2077 Jun 06 (Saros 141) | 2088 May 05 (Saros 142) | 2088 May 05 (Saros 142) | 2099 Apr 05 (Saros 143) | 2099 Apr 05 (Saros 143) | 2110 Mar 06 (Saros 144) | 2110 Mar 06 (Saros 144) | 2121 Feb 02 (Saros 145) | 2121 Feb 02 (Saros 145) |
| 2132 Jan 02 (Saros 146) | 2132 Jan 02 (Saros 146) | 2142 Dec 03 (Saros 147) | 2142 Dec 03 (Saros 147) | 2153 Nov 01 (Saros 148) | 2153 Nov 01 (Saros 148) | 2164 Sep 30 (Saros 149) | 2164 Sep 30 (Saros 149) | 2175 Aug 31 (Saros 150) | 2175 Aug 31 (Saros 150) |
| 2186 Jul 31 (Saros 151) | 2186 Jul 31 (Saros 151) | 2197 Jun 29 (Saros 152) | 2197 Jun 29 (Saros 152) |

### 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 :
| 1805 Jul 11 (Saros 126) | 1805 Jul 11 (Saros 126) | 1834 Jun 21 (Saros 127) | 1834 Jun 21 (Saros 127) | 1863 Jun 01 (Saros 128) | 1863 Jun 01 (Saros 128) |
| 1892 May 11 (Saros 129) | 1892 May 11 (Saros 129) | 1921 Apr 22 (Saros 130) | 1921 Apr 22 (Saros 130) | 1950 Apr 02 (Saros 131) | 1950 Apr 02 (Saros 131) |
| 1979 Mar 13 (Saros 132) | 1979 Mar 13 (Saros 132) | 2008 Feb 21 (Saros 133) | 2008 Feb 21 (Saros 133) | 2037 Jan 31 (Saros 134) | 2037 Jan 31 (Saros 134) |
| 2066 Jan 11 (Saros 135) | 2066 Jan 11 (Saros 135) | 2094 Dec 21 (Saros 136) | 2094 Dec 21 (Saros 136) | 2123 Dec 03 (Saros 137) | 2123 Dec 03 (Saros 137) |
| 2152 Nov 12 (Saros 138) | 2152 Nov 12 (Saros 138) | 2181 Oct 22 (Saros 139) | 2181 Oct 22 (Saros 139) |

### 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 139.
| March 7, 1970 | March 18, 1988 |