Eclipses 2008

Retrograde windows run from the station-retrograde day to the station-direct day, both counted, in UTC — the same windows as the 2008 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 2008?

Annular solar: 7 Feb 2008, 17° Aquarius; Total lunar: 21 Feb 2008, 1° Virgo; Total solar: 1 Aug 2008, 9° Leo; Partial lunar: 16 Aug 2008, 24° Aquarius. Times of greatest eclipse are on this page, in UTC.

02When is eclipse season in 2008?

30 Jan 2008 to 5 Mar 2008 (north node); 23 Jul 2008 to 29 Aug 2008 (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 2008 eclipses?

Annular solar eclipse on 7 Feb: Retrograde that day: Mercury and Saturn. It falls on day 11 of a 23-day Mercury retrograde. Total lunar eclipse on 21 Feb: Retrograde that day: Saturn. Total solar eclipse on 1 Aug: Retrograde that day: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Partial lunar eclipse on 16 Aug: Retrograde that day: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

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.