Did you know that Solar and lunar eclipses come in pairs? A lunar eclipse always takes place two weeks before or after a solar eclipse. The Sept 27/ 28, 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse was preceded by a Partial Solar Eclipse on Sept 13, 2015. 2015 has 4 eclipses, the minimum number of eclipses that can happen in a calendar year. March 20th total, April 4, partial Sept 13th and total Sept 28 lunar eclipse marks the last eclipse of the year.
The Sept 28, 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse is the fourth and final eclipse in a series of four total lunar eclipses. Each of the eclipses in the tetrad occurs about 6 months apart and have 5 full Moons between them.
Lunar tetrads can be rare in some centuries and can occur frequently in others. The 21st century will have 8 lunar tetrads, the maximum number of lunar tetrads that can occur in a century. The last time this happened was in the 9th century. The next lunar tetrad starts with April 25, 2032 Total Lunar Eclipse.
The Jewish Calendar is a lunar calendar and Passover always occurs around a full Moon. Since a total lunar eclipse can only occurs on a full Moon, it will happen that an eclipse will take place on or near Passover.
Seasons are opposite on either side of the Equator, so the equinox in September is also called the Harvest Moon or Fall equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern Hemisphere, it's known as the Spring or Vernal equinox. This time it will all happen together. It is a Supermoon, Harvest Moon, Blood Moon.
Lunar eclipses occur in 18 year cycles called Saros cycles. Saros cycles share time of the year and the distance of the Moon from Earth. Eclipses that are separated by a Saros cycle are included in a Saros series. The Sept 27/ 28, 2015 Lunar Eclipse belongs to Saros Series 137. It is the 28th eclipse and the last total lunar eclipse in a series of 81 lunar eclipses. The series began with a penumbral eclipse on Dec 17, 1564 and will end with another penumbral eclipse on April 20, 2953.
