Total Lunar Eclipse of -0623 Dec 17 (0624 Dec 17 BCE)

Fred Espenak

Introduction

The Total Lunar Eclipse of -0623 Dec 17 (0624 Dec 17 BCE) is visible from the geographic regions shown on the map to the right. The diagram above the map depicts the Moon's path with respect to Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows. 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 -0623 Dec 17 at 16:50:37 TD (11:34:38 UT1). This is 4.4 days before the Moon reaches apogee. During the eclipse, the Moon is in the constellation Gemini. The synodic month in which the eclipse takes place has a Brown Lunation Number of -31478.

The eclipse belongs to Saros 44 and is number 42 of 85 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 1.7564, and Gamma has a value of 0.0329. Because they are so deep, such eclipses typically have the longest total phases. In this case, the duration of totality lasts 103.6 minutes. That qualifies the eclipse as a member of a select class of exceptionally long total eclipses with durations exceeding 100 minutes.

The total lunar eclipse of -0623 Dec 17 is preceded two weeks earlier by a partial solar eclipse on -0623 Dec 03, and it is followed two weeks later by a partial solar eclipse on -0622 Jan 02.

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., UT1 = TD - ΔT). ΔT has a value of 18958.1 seconds for this eclipse. The uncertainty in ΔT is 477.1 seconds corresponding to a standard error in longitude of the eclipse visibility zones of 1.99°.

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 -0623 Dec 17 .

Eclipse Data: Total Lunar Eclipse of -0623 Dec 17

Eclipse Characteristics
Parameter Value
Penumbral Magnitude 2.83964
Umbral Magnitude 1.75637
Gamma 0.03288
Epsilon 0.0302°
Opposition Times
Event Calendar Date & Time Julian Date
Greatest Eclipse -0623 Dec 17 at 16:50:36.5 TD (11:34:38.4 UT1) 1493857.982389
Ecliptic Opposition -0623 Dec 17 at 16:50:59.9 TD (11:35:01.8 UT1) 1493857.982659
Equatorial Opposition -0623 Dec 17 at 16:51:17.8 TD (11:35:19.7 UT1) 1493857.982866
Geocentric Coordinates of Sun and Moon
-0623 Dec 17 at 16:50:36.5 TD (11:34:38.4 UT1)
Coordinate Sun Moon
Right Ascension17h16m07.4s05h16m06.0s
Declination-23°22'59.9"+23°24'46.9"
Semi-Diameter 16'15.8" 15'00.7"
Eq. Hor. Parallax 08.9" 0°55'05.7"
Geocentric Libration of Moon
Angle Value
l 4.0°
b -0.1°
c -2.7°
Earth's Shadows
Parameter Value
Penumbral Radius 1.2010°
Umbral Radius 0.6589°
Prediction Paramaters
Paramater Value
Ephemerides JPL DE406
ΔT 18958.1 s
Shadow Rule Danjon
Shadow Enlargement 1.010
Saros Series 44 (42/85)

Explanation of Lunar Eclipse Data Tables

Eclipse Contacts: Total Lunar Eclipse of -0623 Dec 17

Lunar Eclipse Contacts
Eclipse Event Contact Time
TD		 Time
UT1		 Zenith Latitude Zenith Longitude Position Angle Axis Distance
Penumbral BeginsP113:46:17.208:30:19.123°08.3'N129°09.9'W 261.0° 1.4523°
Partial BeginsU114:55:08.609:39:10.523°14.6'N145°47.6'W 261.7° 0.9098°
Total BeginsU215:58:48.910:42:50.823°20.3'N161°10.1'W 264.1° 0.4089°
Greatest EclipseGreatest16:50:36.511:34:38.423°24.8'N173°40.6'W 349.8° 0.0302°
Total EndsU317:42:23.212:26:25.123°29.2'N173°49.3'E 75.6° 0.4085°
Partial EndsU418:46:02.813:30:04.723°34.6'N158°27.0'E 78.0° 0.9084°
Penumbral EndsP419:55:01.414:39:03.223°40.2'N141°47.7'E 78.7° 1.4501°
Eclipse Durations
Eclipse Phase Duration
Penumbral (P4 - P1)06h08m44.1s
Partial (U4 - U1)03h50m54.2s
Total (U3 - U2)01h43m34.3s

Explanation of Lunar Eclipse Contacts Table

Polynomial Besselian Elements: Total Lunar Eclipse of -0623 Dec 17

Polynomial Besselian Elements
-0623 Dec 17 at 17:00:00.0 TD (=t0)
n x y d f1 f2 f3
0 0.06742 0.04275 -0.4081 1.20093 0.65884 0.25019
1 0.46478 0.08327 -0.0001 -0.00028 -0.00028 -0.00007
2 -0.00013 -0.00018 0.0000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
3 -0.00001 -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 = 17.000

Explanation of Besselian Elements

Links for the Total Lunar Eclipse of -0623 Dec 17 (0624 Dec 17 BCE)

Links to Additional Lunar Eclipse Information

Calendar

The Gregorian calendar (also called the Western calendar) is internationally the most widely used civil calendar. It is named for Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in 1582. On this website, the Gregorian calendar is used for all calendar dates from 1582 Oct 15 onwards. Before that date, the Julian calendar is used. For more information on this topic, see Calendar Dates.

The Julian calendar does not include the year 0. Thus the year 1 BCE is followed by the year 1 CE (See: BCE/CE Dating Conventions). This is awkward for arithmetic calculations. Years in this catalog are numbered astronomically and include the year 0. Historians should note there is a difference of one year between astronomical dates and BCE dates. Thus, the astronomical year 0 corresponds to 1 BCE, and astronomical year -1 corresponds to 2 BCE, etc..

Eclipse Predictions

Predictions for the Total Lunar Eclipse of -0623 Dec 17 were generated using the JPL DE406 solar and lunar ephemerides. The lunar coordinates were calculated with respect to the Moon's Center of Mass. 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 18958.1 seconds for this eclipse. The uncertainty in ΔT is 477.1 seconds corresponding to a standard error in longitude of the eclipse visibility zones of 1.99°.

Acknowledgments

Some of the content on this web site is based on the book Thousand Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1501 to 2500. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy.

Permission is granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by 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.