Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26

Fred Espenak

Key to Lunar Eclipse Figure (below)

Introduction

The Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26 is visible from the following geographic regions:

  • eastern Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia

The diagram to the right depicts the Moon's path with respect to Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows. Below it is a map showing the geographic regions of eclipse visibility. Click on the figure to enlarge it. For an explanation of the features appearing in the figure, see Key to Lunar Eclipse Figures.

The instant of greatest eclipse takes place on 1931 Sep 26 at 19:48:29 TD (19:48:05 UT1). This is 0.3 days before the Moon reaches apogee. During the eclipse, the Moon is in the constellation Pisces. The synodic month in which the eclipse takes place has a Brown Lunation Number of 108.

The eclipse belongs to Saros 126 and is number 40 of 70 eclipses in the series. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node. The Moon moves southward with respect to the node with each succeeding eclipse in the series and gamma decreases.

This total eclipse is central meaning the Moon’s disk actually passes through the axis of Earth’s umbral shadow. It has an umbral eclipse magnitude of 1.3208, and Gamma has a value of -0.2698. Because they are so deep, such eclipses typically have the longest total phases. In this case, the duration of totality lasts 84.2 minutes.

The total lunar eclipse of 1931 Sep 26 is preceded two weeks earlier by a partial solar eclipse on 1931 Sep 12, and it is followed two weeks later by a partial solar eclipse on 1931 Oct 11.

These eclipses all take place during a single eclipse season.

The eclipse predictions are given in both Terrestrial Dynamical Time (TD) and Universal Time (UT1). The parameter ΔT is used to convert between these two times (i.e., TD = UT1 + ΔT). ΔT has a value of 24.0 seconds for this eclipse.

The following links provide maps and data for the eclipse.

The tables below contain detailed predictions and additional information on the Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26 .

Eclipse Data: Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26

Eclipse Characteristics
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 2.40586
Umbral Magnitude 1.32082
Gamma-0.26978
Epsilon 0.2426°
Opposition Times
Event Calendar Date & Time Julian Date
Greatest Eclipse 1931 Sep 26 at 19:48:28.8 TD (19:48:04.8 UT1) 2426611.325056
Ecliptic Opposition 1931 Sep 26 at 19:45:13.9 TD (19:44:49.9 UT1) 2426611.322800
Equatorial Opposition 1931 Sep 26 at 19:30:31.1 TD (19:30:07.1 UT1) 2426611.312583
Geocentric Coordinates of Sun and Moon
1931 Sep 26 at 19:48:28.8 TD (19:48:04.8 UT1)
Coordinate Sun Moon
Right Ascension12h10m06.0s00h10m34.4s
Declination-01°05'41.6"+00°52'59.0"
Semi-Diameter 15'57.4" 14'42.4"
Eq. Hor. Parallax 08.8" 0°53'58.3"
Geocentric Libration of Moon
Angle Value
l 0.5°
b 0.3°
c -21.9°
Earth's Shadows
Parameter Value
Penumbral Radius 1.1769°
Umbral Radius 0.6450°
Prediction Paramaters
Paramater Value
Ephemerides JPL DE405
ΔT 24.0 s
Shadow Rule Danjon
Shadow Enlargement 1.010
Saros Series 126 (40/70)

Explanation of Lunar Eclipse Data Tables

Eclipse Contacts: Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26

Lunar Eclipse Contacts
Eclipse Event Contact Time
TD		 Time
UT1		 Zenith Latitude Zenith Longitude Position Angle Axis Distance
Penumbral BeginsP116:42:49.216:42:25.200°09.0'N106°10.6'E 231.0° 1.4221°
Partial BeginsU117:55:00.217:54:36.200°26.1'N088°36.1'E 225.0° 0.8902°
Total BeginsU219:06:21.619:05:57.600°43.0'N071°13.7'E 203.5° 0.3999°
Greatest EclipseGreatest19:48:28.819:48:04.800°53.0'N060°58.4'E 150.8° 0.2426°
Total EndsU320:30:35.920:30:11.901°03.0'N050°43.1'E 98.2° 0.3999°
Partial EndsU421:41:57.221:41:33.201°19.9'N033°20.8'E 76.6° 0.8901°
Penumbral EndsP422:54:09.122:53:45.101°37.0'N015°46.1'E 70.6° 1.4220°
Eclipse Durations
Eclipse Phase Duration
Penumbral (P4 - P1)06h11m19.9s
Partial (U4 - U1)03h46m57.0s
Total (U3 - U2)01h24m14.3s

Explanation of Lunar Eclipse Contacts Table

Polynomial Besselian Elements: Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26

Polynomial Besselian Elements
1931 Sep 26 at 20:00:00.0 TD (=t0)
n x y d f1 f2 f3
0 0.19425 -0.16942 -0.0192 1.17690 0.64501 0.24510
1 0.39533 0.22087 -0.0003 -0.00001 -0.00002 -0.00000
2 -0.00001 -0.00000 0.0000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
3 -0.00000 -0.00000 - - - -

At time t1 (decimal hours), each besselian element is evaluated by:

x = x0 + x1*t + x2*t2 + x3*t3 (or x = Σ [xn*tn]; n = 0 to 3)

where: t = t1 - t0 (decimal hours) and t0 = 20.000

Explanation of Besselian Elements

Eclipse Publications

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For more visit: AstroPixels Publishing


Links for the Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26

Links to Additional Lunar Eclipse Information

• Decade Tables of Lunar Eclipses:
| 1901 - 1910 | 1911 - 1919 | 1921 - 1930 | 1931 - 1940 | 1941 - 1950 |
| 1951 - 1960 | 1961 - 1970 | 1971 - 1980 | 1981 - 1990 | 1991 - 2000 |
| 2001 - 2010 | 2011 - 2020 | 2021 - 2030 | 2031 - 2040 | 2041 - 2050 |
| 2051 - 2060 | 2061 - 2070 | 2071 - 2080 | 2081 - 2090 | 2091 - 2100 |

Lunar Eclipse Publications

Eclipse Predictions

Predictions for the Total Lunar Eclipse of 1931 Sep 26 were generated using the JPL DE405 solar and lunar ephemerides. The lunar coordinates were calculated with respect to the Moon's Center of Mass.

The Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows were calculated using the Danjon methodusing a mean mid-latitude ellipticity to compensate for the opacity of the terrestrial atmosphere.

The predictions are given in both Terrestrial Dynamical Time (TD) and Universal Time (UT1). The parameter ΔT is used to convert between these two times (i.e., UT1 = TD - ΔT). ΔT has a value of 24.0 seconds for this eclipse.

Acknowledgments

Some of the content on this web site is based on the book 21st Century Canon of Lunar Eclipses. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy.

Permission is granted to reproduce eclipse data when accompanied by a link to this page and an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, www.EclipseWise.com"

The use of diagrams and maps is permitted provided that they are NOT altered (except for re-sizing) and the embedded credit line is NOT removed or covered.