The eclipse of December 2010 was the first total lunar eclipse in almost three years, since the February 2008 lunar eclipse. It is the second of two lunar eclipses in 2010. The first was a partial lunar eclipse on June 26, 2010. The eclipse was the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern Winter Solstice since 1638, and only the second in the Common Era.
Related eclipses
This eclipse occurred at the descending node of the moon's orbit. Lunar eclipses are always paired with a solar eclipse either 2 weeks before or after at new moon in the opposite node. In this case, it was followed by a partial solar eclipse at the ascending node on January 4, 2011, visible from Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. The following two lunar eclipses were also total, occurring on June 15, 2011, and December 10, 2011. The next December solstice total lunar eclipse, as a Metonic twin eclipse, will be December 20, 2029, one day before solstice. A saros series lasts for many centuries and has a similar event every 18 years and 11 days. This eclipse is the 18th of 26 total lunar eclipses in lunar saros series 125. The previous occurrence was on December 9, 1992, and the next will occur on December 31, 2028.
Visibility
In North America, the eclipse was visible in its entirety on 21 December 2010, from 12:27 a.m. to 6:06 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. In the Central Standard Time zone and west, the eclipse began the night of 20 December. Observers along South America's east coast missed the late stages of the eclipse because they occurred after moon-set. Likewise much of Europe and Africa experienced moon-set while the eclipse was in progress. In Europe, only those observers in northern Scandinavia, Ireland and Britain could observe the entire event. For observers in eastern Asia the moon rose in eclipse. The eclipse was not visible from southern and eastern Africa, the Middle East or South Asia. In Japan and northeastern Asia, the eclipse's end was visible, with the moon rising at sunset. In the Philippines it was observable as a partial lunar eclipse just after sunset. Predictions suggested that the total eclipse may appear unusually orange or red, as a result of the eruption of Mount Merapi in Indonesia on 26 October.
The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunations or 354 days. Because of the date shift, the Earth's shadow will be about 11 degrees west in sequential events.
Metonic cycles (19 years)
Tritos series
Saros series
Half-Saros cycle
A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days. This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 132.
