Home   Sun, Moon & Space   Eclipses   Vanuatu   Port Vila   Sep 16, 1978
Flag for Vanuatu

September 17, 1978 — Total Lunar Eclipse — Port Vila, Vanuatu

Sep 17, 1978 at 5:39 am
Near max in Port Vila
Global Event: Total Lunar Eclipse
Local Type: Total Lunar Eclipse, in Port Vila
Began: Sun, Sep 17, 1978 at 3:22 am
Maximum: Sun, Sep 17, 1978 at 5:40 am 1.190 Magnitude
Ended: Sun, Sep 17, 1978 at 5:42 am
Duration: 2 hours, 21 minutes

All times shown on this page are local time.

Location

September 17, 1978 — Total Lunar Eclipse — Port Vila

Live Eclipse Animation will start at:
Sun, Sep 17, 1978 at 3:17 am VUT
Live Eclipse Animation has ended.
You are using an outdated browser, to view the animation please update or switch to a modern browser.

The animation shows what the eclipse approximately looked like in Port Vila. Stages and times of the eclipse are outlined below. All times were local time (VUT) for Port Vila.

TimePhaseEventDirectionAltitude
3:22 am Sun, Sep 17
Penumbral Eclipse begins The Earth's penumbra start touching the Moon's face.Map direction West 278°
31.7°
4:20 am Sun, Sep 17
Partial Eclipse begins Partial moon eclipse starts - moon is getting red.Map direction West 273°
18.2°
5:24 am Sun, Sep 17
Total Eclipse begins Total moon eclipse starts - completely red moon.
Moon close to horizon, so make sure you have free sight to West.		Map direction West 268°
3.5°
5:40 am Sun, Sep 17
Maximum in Port Vila This is the moment when the eclipse reaches its greatest magnitude while the entire Moon is above the horizon in Port Vila. The true maximum point of this eclipse cannot be seen in Port Vila because the Moon is below the horizon at that time.
Since the Moon is near the horizon at this time, we recommend going to a high point or finding an unobstructed area with free sight to West for the best view of the eclipse.		Map direction West 267°
0.2°
5:42 am Sun, Sep 17SettingMoonset Setting, but the combination of a very low moon and the total eclipse phase makes the Moon so dim before it sets, that it might disappear from view some time before it sets.Map direction West 267°
-0.2°
6:04 am Sun, Sep 17Not directly visibleMaximum Eclipse Below horizonMap direction West 266°
-5.8°
6:43 am Sun, Sep 17Not directly visibleTotal Eclipse ends Below horizonMap direction West 263°
-14.7°
7:47 am Sun, Sep 17Not directly visiblePartial Eclipse ends Below horizonMap direction West-southwest 257°
-29.3°
8:46 am Sun, Sep 17Not directly visiblePenumbral Eclipse ends Below horizonMap direction West-southwest 250°
-42.1°

How to use altitude & direction to find in the sky

The curvature of the shadow's path and the apparent rotation of the Moon's disk is due to the Earth's rotation.

This total lunar eclipse was fully visible in Port Vila. The total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a blood moon, as the Moon turns red.

Cloud Coverage (Sep 17)

In the past, this day was cloudy 72% of the time (since 2000).

Lunar Eclipses
  1. When Is the Next Lunar Eclipse?
  2. Total Lunar Eclipse
  3. Why Does the Moon Turn Red?
  4. Partial Lunar Eclipse
  5. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
  6. Can I See a Lunar Eclipse?
  7. Blood Moon - Total Lunar Eclipse
  8. Eclipse Seasons
  9. What Is a Tetrad?
  10. Magnitude of Eclipses
  11. Accuracy of Our Eclipse Calculations
  12. Why Two Dates for a Lunar Eclipse?

Eclipses

Eclipses and Transits Visible in Port Vila

Eclipse Visibility From Port VilaVisibility Worldwide
Feb 21, 1970 Partial Lunar EclipsePartial Lunar Eclipse
May 9, 1970 Mercury TransitMercury Transit
Sep 1, 1970 Partial Solar EclipseAnnular Solar Eclipse
Feb 10, 1971 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse
Aug 7, 1971 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse
Jan 30–31, 1972 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse
Jul 26, 1972 Partial Lunar EclipsePartial Lunar Eclipse
Jun 16, 1973 Penumbral Lunar EclipsePenumbral Lunar Eclipse
Jul 15, 1973 Penumbral Lunar EclipsePenumbral Lunar Eclipse
Nov 29–30, 1974 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse
May 25, 1975 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse
May 14, 1976 Penumbral Lunar EclipsePartial Lunar Eclipse
Oct 23, 1976 Partial Solar EclipseTotal Solar Eclipse
Sep 27, 1977 Penumbral Lunar EclipsePenumbral Lunar Eclipse
Mar 25, 1978 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse
Sep 17, 1978 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse
Mar 14, 1979 Penumbral Lunar EclipsePartial Lunar Eclipse
Sep 6–7, 1979 Total Lunar EclipseTotal Lunar Eclipse

Note: Click on the date link for details in Port Vila, or the path map image for global details. Currently shown eclipse is highlighted.

Next total solar eclipse visible in Port Vila

Other eclipses visible in Port Vila

Other eclipses worldwide

Need some help?