Image: The Earth and Moon during the total lunar eclipse of 27.10.2004 Additional images
A total lunar eclipse will be visible from Europe and a large part of the world in the night of Saturday, 3 March. The Moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow, with the greatest eclipse occuring at around 23:21 UT. The totality will last for 73 minutes.
The eclipse will be visible in all of Europe, Africa, South America, and in nearly all of North America, Asia and Australia. The partial eclipse phase starts at 21:30:22 UT, when the Moon enters the Earth’s Penumbra. The totality will last from 22:44:13 UT until 23:57:37 UT, when the Moon is entirely within the Earth’s Umbral shadow. The following partial eclipse phase will last another 74 minutes, ending at 01:11:28 UT.
| Event | Time (UT)
| Penumbral Eclipse Begins |
20:18:11 |
Partial Eclipse Begins |
21:30:22 |
Total Eclipse Begins |
22:44:13 |
Greatest Eclipse |
23:20:56 |
Total Eclipse Ends |
23:57:37 |
Partial Eclipse Ends |
01:11:28 |
Penumbral Eclipse Ends |
02:23:44 |
|
SMART-1 Search During Lunar Eclipse
The last total lunar eclipse occured on 27 October 2004. At that time, the SMART-1 probe was still en route from Earth to the Moon, two weeks before its lunar capture on 15 November 2004. SMART-1 observed the first family portrait of the Earth-Moon system during a lunar eclipse and obtained the time series of pictures seen here on the right, using the AMIE instrument.
On 3 September 2006, the SMART-1 mission ended by a controlled impact with the lunar surface.
We call the community and public to observe the site of the SMART-1 lunar impact flash and debris in Lacus Excellentiae (lake of Excellence). In particular during the total lunar eclipse. The coordinates of the SMART-1 impact site are longitude 46.2° West, latitude 34.4° South.
See also the links on the right-hand side for more information on the SMART-1 impact site.
You are invited to share your pictures of this total lunar eclipse, by sending them to scitech.editorial
esa.int or the below contact.
Lunar Geography
A lunar eclipse also gives an opportunity to observe the Moon and learn more about the lunar geography, as various craters will be immerged into or emerge from shadow at well defined times. The below table lists crater immersion and emersion times (UT) for the total lunar eclipse of 3 March 2007 (from Fred Espenak)
| Immersion Time (UT) |
Crater |
Emersion |
Crater |
| 21:35 | Grimaldi | 00:06 | Grimaldi |
| 21:37 | Billy | 00:06 | Aristarchus |
| 21:43 | Campanus | 00:13 | Kepler |
| 21:49 | Kepler | 00:13 | Billy |
| 21:49 | Tycho | 00:17 | Plato |
| 21:54 | Aristarchus | 00:19 | Pytheas |
| 21:57 | Copernicus | 00:22 | Timocharis |
| 22:02 | Pytheas | 00:22 | Copernicus |
| 22:08 | Timocharis | 00:26 | Campanus |
| 22:13 | Dionysius | 00:28 | Aristoteles |
| 22:13 | Manilius | 00:30 | Eudoxus |
| 22:17 | Menelaus | 00:36 | Tycho |
| 22:21 | Plinius | 00:37 | Manilius |
| 22:22 | Goclenius | 00:41 | Menelaus |
| 22:23 | Plato | 00:45 | Dionysius |
| 22:27 | Taruntius | 00:45 | Plinius |
| 22:27 | Langrenus | 00:56 | Proclus |
| 22:28 | Eudoxus | 00:59 | Taruntius |
| 22:31 | Aristoteles | 01:01 | Goclenius |
| 22:31 | Proclus | 01:07 | Langrenus |
Contact
Bernard H. Foing
SMART-1 Project scientist
Bernard.Foingesa.int
