A total lunar eclipse is taking place on June 15, 2011. It is the first of two such eclipses in 2011, the second occurring on December 10, 2011.
This is a relatively rare central lunar eclipse where the center point of Earth's shadow passes across the Moon. The last time a lunar eclipse was closer to the center of the earth's shadow was on July 16, 2000. The next central total lunar eclipse will be on July 27, 2018.
Visibility
The eclipse will be visible rising over South America, western Africa, and Europe, and setting over eastern Asia. In western Asia, Australia and the Philippines, the lunar eclipse was visible just before sunrise.
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Related eclipses
It was preceded by the partial solar eclipse last January 4, 2011, and the partial solar eclipse that occurred on June 1, 2011.
Lunar year (354 days)
This eclipse is the center of five lunar eclipses in a short-lived series. The lunar year series repeats after 12 lunations or 354 days (Shifting back about 10 days in sequential years). Because of the date shift, the Earth's shadow will be about 11 degrees west in sequential events.
| Total lunar eclipse June 15, 2011 | |
|---|---|
 The moon passes right to left through the Earth's shadow | |
| Series (and member) | 130 (34 of 72) |
| Duration (hr:mn:sc) | |
| Totality | 01:40:52 |
| Partial | 3:39:58 |
| Penumbral | 5:39:10 |
| Contacts (UTC) | |
| P1 | 17:23:05 |
| U1 | 18:22:37 |
| U2 | 19:22:11 |
| Greatest | 20:12:37 |
| U3 | 21:03:22 |
| U4 | 22:02:35 |
| P4 | 23:02:15 |
 The moon's hourly motion across the Earth's shadow in the constellation of Ophiuchus (north of Scorpius) | |
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