Eclipses 2002

Retrograde windows run from the station-retrograde day to the station-direct day, both counted, in UTC — the same windows as the 2002 retrograde calendar.

Eclipses and times of greatest eclipse are computed with astronomy-engine and checked against NASA’s eclipse catalog; see the method.

01When are the eclipses in 2002?

Penumbral lunar: 26 May 2002, 5° Sagittarius; Annular solar: 10 Jun 2002, 19° Gemini; Penumbral lunar: 24 Jun 2002, 3° Capricorn; Penumbral lunar: 20 Nov 2002, 27° Taurus; Total solar: 4 Dec 2002, 11° Sagittarius. Times of greatest eclipse are on this page, in UTC.

02When is eclipse season in 2002?

21 May 2002 to 27 Jun 2002 (north node); 13 Nov 2002 to 18 Dec 2002 (south node). A season here is every UTC day on which the Sun stands within 18.5° of one of the Moon’s nodes.

03Which planets were retrograde during the 2002 eclipses?

Penumbral lunar eclipse on 26 May: Retrograde that day: Mercury, Neptune and Pluto. It falls on day 12 of a 25-day Mercury retrograde. Annular solar eclipse on 10 Jun: Retrograde that day: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Penumbral lunar eclipse on 24 Jun: Retrograde that day: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Penumbral lunar eclipse on 20 Nov: Retrograde that day: Venus and Saturn. Total solar eclipse on 4 Dec: Retrograde that day: Jupiter and Saturn.

04What is an eclipse season?

The Moon’s orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Sun’s path, so most new and full moons pass above or below the Sun or Earth’s shadow. Twice a year, for about five weeks, the Sun stands near one of the two points where the orbits cross, the nodes; any new or full moon then is close enough to the node to cast or catch a shadow. Every season has at least two eclipses, a solar and a lunar, and sometimes three.