| Type: | total |
| Date: | May 16, 2003 |
| Gamma: | 0.4123 |
| Magnitude: | 1.1294 |
| Saros Ser: | 121 |
| Saros No: | 54 of 82 |
| Totality: | 51 minutes, 12 seconds |
| Partiality: | 193 minutes, 53 seconds |
| Penumbral: | 306 minutes, 31 seconds |
| P1: | 1:06:53 |
| U1: | 2:03:11 |
| U2: | 3:14:26 |
| Greatest: | 3:40:09 |
| U3: | 4:05:51 |
| U4: | 5:17:05 |
| P4: | 6:13:24 |
| Previous: | November 2002 |
| Next: | November 2003 |
A total lunar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Friday, May 16, 2003,[1] with an umbral magnitude of 1.1294. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. Occurring only about 15 hours after perigee (on May 15, 2003, at 11:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
This lunar eclipse marks the beginning of a tetrad, with four total lunar eclipses in series, the others being on November 9, 2003; May 4, 2004; and October 28, 2004. The previous series was in 1985 and 1986, starting with the May 1985 lunar eclipse. The next series was in 2014 and 2015, starting with the April 2014 lunar eclipse.
The eclipse was completely visible over eastern North America, South America, the Caribbean, Antarctica, and west Africa, seen rising over western North America and the Pacific Ocean and setting over Europe, west Asia, and much of Africa.[3]
Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[4]
| Penumbral Magnitude | 2.07649 | |
| Umbral Magnitude | 1.12938 | |
| Gamma | 0.41234 | |
| Sun Right Ascension | 03h30m07.2s | |
| Sun Declination | +18°59'20.2" | |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'49.2" | |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" | |
| Moon Right Ascension | 15h30m43.0s | |
| Moon Declination | -18°35'31.7" | |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'42.2" | |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°01'18.2" | |
| ΔT | 64.4 s |
See also: Eclipse cycle. This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.
This eclipse is the second of four Metonic cycle lunar eclipses on the same date, 15–16 May, each separated by 19 years.
A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[5] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 128.