- Eclipse seasons occur when
the lunar node line aligns with
the
Earth-Sun line.
(See also
Wikipedia: Orbital node.)
- Because the Earth,
Moon,
and Sun have finite sizes,
exact alignment of the lunar node line
(i.e., an exact nodal alignment)
and the Earth,
Moon, and Sun
are NOT needed
for an eclipse.
Just close enough alignment.
So eclipse seasons
have a finite time length.
Whether an eclipse of any kind
happens in an
eclipse season depends on whether
the Moon is in the right place at any time
in the eclipse season.
- Eclipse seasons
(counting all types of eclipses) range from
31 to 37 days
with mean length 34 days
(see Wikipedia: Eclipse season: Details).
Since even the shortest length is more than the
mean lunar month = 29.530588853 days (J2000),
every eclipse season there is
at least one
lunar eclipse
of some type
(total lunar eclipse,
partial lunar eclipse,
penumbral lunar eclipse)
and at least one
solar eclipse
of some type
(total solar eclipse,
annular solar eclipse,
partial solar eclipse,
hybrid solar eclipse).
The lunar eclipse and
solar eclipse can happen in any order.
There can even be
3
eclipses:
lunar eclipse,
solar eclipse,
lunar eclipse
or vice versa.
The case of 3
eclipses happens when one
eclipse happens just at the
start of an eclipse season:
the
Moon then
has enough time in the
lunar month to race
around the Earth
an pick up 2 more
eclipses before the end of the
eclipse season.
However, yours truly does NOT think that
2
total eclipses
of any type
(i.e.,
total lunar eclipse
and
total solar eclipse)
can ever occur in an
eclipse season.
- Note that the eclipse season
for
total lunar eclipse
and
partial lunar eclipses
(i.e., excluding
penumbral lunar eclipses)
is only
24
days
(from 12
days before exact
lunar nodal alignment to
12
days after)
(Mo-128).
So you can have
eclipse season
with NO
total lunar eclipse
and
NO
partial lunar eclipse.
Most people consider such an
eclipse season a dud
for lunar eclipses,
since
penumbral lunar eclipses
are almost unnoticeable and no one pays much attention when they occur.
In fact, most people probably consider an
eclipse season a dud
for lunar eclipses
if there is NO
total lunar eclipse.
Since
total lunar eclipses
actually happen in
only about 28.7 % of
eclipse seasons
(see
Table:
Frequency of Lunar Eclipse Types for 2000 BCE--3000 CE at Eclipse Seasons (AKA Nodal Alignments)),
most eclipse seasons are probably duds
for lunar eclipses
for most people.
Note also if two
solar eclipses
happen in an
eclipse season,
the lunar eclipse
between them is always a
total lunar eclipse
(Mo-128).
- Counterfactually, if the lunar node line
had NO
absolute rotation
(i.e., rotation relative
observable universe:
i.e., to the bulk mass-energy
of observable universe)
(see Wikipedia:
Inertial frame of reference: General relativity),
nodal alignment would
happen every 6 months or a bit more precisely about every
182.6 days or even
more precisely every half
sidereal year = 365.256363004 days (J2000).
- However, the lunar node line
(absolutely) rotates westward
19.3549 degrees per
Julian year (Jyr),
and so has a total rotation period
of 18.60 Jyr
(see Wikipedia:
Orbit of the Moon: Nodes,
J2000 epoch???).
Now I know what you are thinking: why oh why must the
lunar node line rotate?
For an exact
gravitational two-body system
of just
Earth and Moon
isolated in space,
it would NOT rotate.
But the
Earth-Moon system is
surrounded by other
Solar System objects
which exert
gravitational perturbations
on the Earth-Moon system.
It's enough here to say that
gravitational perturbations
cause the rotation of the
lunar node line.
- Since the lunar node line
itself rotates westward as
the Earth revolves
eastward around the
Sun,
it turns out that
there is nodal alignment and
thus an eclipse season
every 173.31 days
(see Wikipedia: Eclipse season: Details).
- Because of the 173.31 days between
nodal alignments, the
eclipse season
eventually cycles through the entire
calendar year.
Thus, eclipses can occur at any time of the
calendar year.
Usually there are just 2
eclipse seasons.
But since 173.31 days is less than
half a year (of any kind),
there occasionally can be
3
eclipse seasons
in a year: one near the beginning,
one near the middle, and one near the end.
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