Dec 31, 2009 Partial Lunar Eclipse
Eclipse enthusiasts in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia can celebrate New Year’s Eve by observing a partial lunar eclipse on December 31, 2009. The event’s duration is about four hours.
What this lunar eclipse looks like
The animation shows approximately what the eclipse looks like from the night side of earth.
BETA: This is a temporary animation, it would look different in real life. We hope to fix that issue soon.
Stages in eclipse
- Penumbral Eclipse just started
- Penumbral Eclipse in good progress
- Partial Eclipse starts
- Maximum Eclipse
- Full Eclipse ends
- Penumbral Eclipse continues
- Penumbral Eclipse about to end
Click the 'play' button to view the animation. The pause button can also be used to temporarily suspend the animation.
The animation shows where this penumbral solar eclipse is visible during the night (dark “wave” slowly moving across the Earth's surface).
The night (dark) areas in the animation are approximately those that can see the moon, and therefore also the eclipse.
Legend
Intense red shading: Observers within this area can see the eclipse from beginning to end.
Red shading right/east of intense shading: Observers within this area can see the eclipse until moonset/sunrise.
Red shading left/west of intense shading: Observers within this area can see the eclipse after moonrise/sunset.
No coloring: Eclipse is not visible at all
Note: Actual eclipse visibility depends on weather conditions and line of sight to the Moon.
Where to see the eclipse
Continents seeing at least some parts of the eclipse:
- Europe
- Asia
- East in Australia
- Parts of Africa
- Parts of North America
- East in South America
- Arctic
Partial eclipse visible in...
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Nouakchott, Mauritania
- Praia, Cape Verde
- Azores, Portugal
- Conakry, Guinea
- Jamestown, Saint Helena
- Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Cape Dorset, Nunavut Territory, Canada
- Banjul, Gambia
- Coral Harbour, Nunavut Territory, Canada
- Dakar, Senegal
- Monrovia, Liberia
- Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, Canada
- Albany, New York, U.S.A.
- Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
- Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
- Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico
- Asuncion, Paraguay
- Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
When the eclipse happens worldwide
Lunar eclipses look approximately the same all over the world and happen at the same time.The times displayed might be a minute or two off actual times.
| Event | UTC Time | Time in Washington DC* | Visible in Washington DC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penumbral Eclipse begins | Dec 31 at 5:19 PM | Dec 31 at 12:19 PM | No, under horizon |
| Partial Eclipse begins | Dec 31 at 7:03 PM | Dec 31 at 2:03 PM | No, under horizon |
| Maximum Eclipse | Dec 31 at 7:23 PM | Dec 31 at 2:23 PM | No, under horizon |
| Partial Eclipse ends | Dec 31 at 7:42 PM | Dec 31 at 2:42 PM | No, under horizon |
| Penumbral Eclipse ends | Dec 31 at 9:26 PM | Dec 31 at 4:26 PM | No, under horizon |
* The Moon is under the horizon during this eclipse, so it is not possible to view it in Washington DC.
Eclipses during year 2009
- Jan 26, 2009 Annular Solar Eclipse
- Feb 9, 2009 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
- Jul 7, 2009 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
- Jul 21 – Jul 22, 2009 Total Solar Eclipse
- Aug 5 – Aug 6, 2009 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
- Dec 31, 2009 Partial Lunar Eclipse (Currently shown)