Eclipses 2009

Retrograde windows run from the station-retrograde day to the station-direct day, both counted, in UTC — the same windows as the 2009 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 2009?

Annular solar: 26 Jan 2009, 6° Aquarius; Penumbral lunar: 9 Feb 2009, 20° Leo; Penumbral lunar: 7 Jul 2009, 15° Capricorn; Total solar: 22 Jul 2009, 29° Cancer; Penumbral lunar: 6 Aug 2009, 13° Aquarius; Partial lunar: 31 Dec 2009, 10° Cancer. Times of greatest eclipse are on this page, in UTC.

02When is eclipse season in 2009?

11 Jan 2009 to 15 Feb 2009 (north node); 4 Jul 2009 to 10 Aug 2009 (south node); 24 Dec 2009 to 29 Jan 2010 (north 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 2009 eclipses?

Annular solar eclipse on 26 Jan: Retrograde that day: Mercury and Saturn. It falls on day 16 of a 22-day Mercury retrograde. Penumbral lunar eclipse on 9 Feb: Retrograde that day: Saturn. Penumbral lunar eclipse on 7 Jul: Retrograde that day: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Total solar eclipse on 22 Jul: Retrograde that day: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Penumbral lunar eclipse on 6 Aug: Retrograde that day: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Partial lunar eclipse on 31 Dec: Retrograde that day: Mercury and Mars. It falls on day 6 of a 21-day Mercury retrograde.

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.