August 1971 lunar eclipse

August 1971 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
Date	6 August 1971
Gamma	−0.07944
Magnitude	1.72830
Saros cycle	128 (38 of 71)
Totality	99 minutes, 24.8 seconds
Partiality	215 minutes, 31.9 seconds
Penumbral	327 minutes, 33.3 seconds
P1
Contacts (UTC)
P1	16:59:26.4
U1	17:55:25.2
U2	18:53:28.4
Greatest	19:43:10.3
U3	20:32:53.2
U4	21:30:57.1
P4	22:26:49.7
	← February 1971 January 1972 →

A total lunar eclipse took place on Friday, August 6, 1971, the second of two total lunar eclipses in 1971. A dramatic total eclipse lasting 1 hour, 39 minutes and 24.8 seconds plunged the full Moon into deep darkness, as it passed right through the centre of the Earth's umbral shadow. While the visual effect of a total eclipse is variable, the Moon may have been stained a deep orange or red colour at maximum eclipse. This was a great spectacle for everyone who saw it. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours, 35 minutes and 31.9 seconds in total. Occurring only 2.2 days before perigee (Perigee on Monday, August 9, 1971), the Moon's apparent diameter was 3.6% larger than average and the moon passed through the center of the Earth's shadow.

Visibility

It was completely visible over Africa and Asia, rising over South America, and setting over Australia.

Relation to other lunar eclipses

Lunar year series

Lunar eclipse series sets from 1969–1973
Ascending node				Descending node
Saros	Date Viewing	Type Chart	Gamma	Saros	Date Viewing	Type Chart	Gamma
108	1969 Aug 27	Penumbral	−1.54066	113	1970 Feb 21	Partial	0.96198
118	1970 Aug 17	Partial	−0.80534	123	1971 Feb 10	Total	0.27413
128	1971 Aug 06	Total	−0.07944	133	1972 Jan 30	Total	−0.42729
138	1972 Jul 26	Partial	0.71167	143	1973 Jan 18	Penumbral	−1.08446
148	1973 Jul 15	Penumbral	1.51782

Last set	1969 Sep 25			Last set	1969 Apr 02

Next set	1973 Jun 15			Next set	1973 Dec 10

Saros series

Lunar saros series 128, repeating every 18 years and 11 days, has a total of 71 lunar eclipse events including 57 umbral eclipses (42 partial lunar eclipses and 15 total lunar eclipses). Solar Saros 135 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Greatest	First
The greatest eclipse of the series occurred on 1953 Jul 26, lasting 100.7 minutes.^[1]	Penumbral	Partial	Total	Central
	1304 Jun 18	1430 Sep 2	1845 May 21	1899 Jun 23
	Last
	Central	Total	Partial	Penumbral
	2007 Aug 28	2097 May 21	2440 May 17	2566 Aug 2

Lunar Saros 128 contains 15 total lunar eclipses between 1845 and 2097 (in years 1845, 1863, 1881, 1899, 1917, 1935, 1953, 1971, 1989, 2007, 2025, 2043, 2061, 2079 and 2097). Solar Saros 135 interleaves with this lunar saros with an event occurring every 9 years 5 days alternating between each saros series.

Inex series

The inex series repeats eclipses 20 days short of 29 years, repeating on average every 10571.95 days. This period is equal to 358 lunations (synodic months) and 388.5 draconic months. Saros series increment by one on successive Inex events and repeat at alternate ascending and descending lunar nodes.

This period is 383.6734 anomalistic months (the period of the Moon's elliptical orbital precession). Despite the average 0.05 time-of-day shift between subsequent events, the variation of the Moon in its elliptical orbit at each event causes the actual eclipse time to vary significantly. It is a part of Lunar Inex series 40.

All events in this series shown (from 1000 to 2500) are central total lunar eclipses.

Inex series from 1000–2500 AD
Descending node		Ascending node		Descending node		Ascending node
Saros	Date	Saros	Date	Saros	Date	Saros	Date
95	1016 May 24	96	1045 May 3	97	1074 Apr 14	98	1103 Mar 25
99	1132 Mar 3	100	1161 Feb 12	101	1190 Jan 23	102	1219 Jan 2
103	1247 Dec 13	104	1276 Nov 23	105	1305 Nov 2	106	1334 Oct 13
107	1363 Sep 23	108	1392 Sep 2	109	1421 Aug 13	110	1450 Jul 24
111	1479 Jul 4	112	1508 Jun 13	113	1537 May 24	114	1566 May 4
115	1595 Apr 24	116	1624 Apr 3	117	1653 Mar 14	118	1682 Feb 21
119	1711 Feb 3	120	1740 Jan 13	121	1768 Dec 23	122	1797 Dec 4
123	1826 Nov 14	124	1855 Oct 25	125	1884 Oct 4	126	1913 Sep 15
127	1942 Aug 26	128	1971 Aug 6	129	2000 Jul 16	130	2029 Jun 26
131	2058 Jun 6	132	2087 May 17	133	2116 Apr 27	134	2145 Apr 7
135	2174 Mar 18	136	2203 Feb 26	137	2232 Feb 7	138	2261 Jan 17
139	2289 Dec 27	140	2318 Dec 9	141	2347 Nov 19	142	2376 Oct 28
143	2405 Oct 8	144	2434 Sep 18	145	2463 Aug 29	146	2492 Aug 8

Half-Saros cycle

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).^[2] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 135.