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.
This eclipse wasn't visible in Columbus - Which upcoming eclipses can be seen in your location?
Where the Eclipse Was Seen
Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.
Regions seeing, at least, some parts of the eclipse: Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Much of North America, East in South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic.
This eclipse wasn't visible in Columbus - Which upcoming eclipses can be seen in your location?
Eclipse Map and Animation
The animation shows where this partial lunar eclipse is visible during the night (dark “wave” slowly moving across the Earth's surface).
Shades of darkness
Night, moon high up in sky.
Moon between 12 and 18 degrees above horizon.
Moon between 6 and 12 degrees above horizon. Make sure you have free line of sight.
Moon between 0 and 6 degrees above horizon. May be hard to see due to brightness and line of sight.
Day, moon and eclipse both not visible.
Note: Twilight will affect the visibility of the eclipse, as well as weather.
Eclipse was visible.
Only partial phase was visible. Missed partial phase.
Eclipse was not visible at all.
Note: Areas with lighter shadings left (West) of the center will experience the eclipse after moonrise/sunset. Areas with lighter shadings right (East) of the center will experience the eclipse until moonset/sunrise. Actual eclipse visibility depends on weather conditions and line of sight to the Moon.
When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide — Timeline
Lunar eclipses can be visible from everywhere on the night side of the Earth, if the sky is clear. From some places the entire eclipse will be visible, while in other areas the Moon will rise or set during the eclipse.
| Eclipse Stages Worldwide | UTC Time | Local Time in Columbus* | Visible in Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penumbral Eclipse began | Dec 31 at 17:17:08 | Dec 31 at 12:17:08 pm | No, below the horizon |
| Partial Eclipse began | Dec 31 at 18:52:48 | Dec 31 at 1:52:48 pm | No, below the horizon |
| Maximum Eclipse | Dec 31 at 19:22:42 | Dec 31 at 2:22:42 pm | No, below the horizon |
| Partial Eclipse ended | Dec 31 at 19:52:38 | Dec 31 at 2:52:38 pm | No, below the horizon |
| Penumbral Eclipse ended | Dec 31 at 21:28:15 | Dec 31 at 4:28:15 pm | No, below the horizon |
* The Moon was below the horizon during this eclipse, so it was not possible to view it in Columbus.
Quick Facts About This Eclipse
| Data | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Magnitude | 0.076 | Fraction of the Moon’s diameter covered by Earth’s umbra |
| Obscuration | 3.0% | Percentage of the Moon's area covered by Earth's umbra |
| Penumbral magnitude | 1.056 | Fraction of the Moon's diameter covered by Earth's penumbra |
| Overall duration | 4 hours, 11 minutes | Period between the beginning and end of all eclipse phases |
| Duration of partial phase | 1 hour | Period between the beginning and end of the partial phase |
| Duration of penumbral phases | 3 hours, 11 minutes | Combined period of both penumbral phases |
Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds
How Many People Can See This Eclipse?
| Number of People Seeing... | Number of People* | Fraction of World Population |
|---|---|---|
| At least some of the penumbral phase | 5,390,000,000 | 78.17% |
| At least some of the partial phase | 5,310,000,000 | 76.99% |
| All of partial phase | 5,290,000,000 | 76.80% |
| The entire eclipse from beginning to end | 5,040,000,000 | 73.20% |
* The number of people refers to the resident population (as a round number) in areas where the eclipse is visible. timeanddate has calculated these numbers using raw population data provided by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The raw data is based on population estimates from the year 2000 to 2020.
An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.
This is the first eclipse this season.
Second eclipse this season: January 15, 2010 — Annular Solar Eclipse