Eclipses 2006

Retrograde windows run from the station-retrograde day to the station-direct day, both counted, in UTC — the same windows as the 2006 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 2006?

Penumbral lunar: 14 Mar 2006, 24° Virgo; Total solar: 29 Mar 2006, 8° Aries; Partial lunar: 7 Sep 2006, 15° Pisces; Annular solar: 22 Sep 2006, 29° Virgo. Times of greatest eclipse are on this page, in UTC.

02When is eclipse season in 2006?

7 Mar 2006 to 12 Apr 2006 (north node); 30 Aug 2006 to 6 Oct 2006 (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 2006 eclipses?

Penumbral lunar eclipse on 14 Mar: Retrograde that day: Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. It falls on day 13 of a 24-day Mercury retrograde. Total solar eclipse on 29 Mar: Retrograde that day: Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. Partial lunar eclipse on 7 Sep: Retrograde that day: Uranus and Neptune. Annular solar eclipse on 22 Sep: Retrograde that day: Uranus and Neptune.

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.