NASA has revamped its eclipse calculators

Phases of a Lunar Eclipse. Photo (cc) Fort Photo.

Alexandra Smith has also told me that NASA have updated their Solar Eclipse calculator, which could be very useful for archaeoastronomers.

There’s a Lunar eclipse calculator too, which reveals that the first full moon after the battle of Marathon, a dark and bloody moon rose over Persepolis – assuming there weren’t any clouds. This was because the moon was in the middle of a Total Lunar Eclipse when it rose over the eastern horizon. It wasn’t so dramatic in Greece because, being further west, night fell there a little later. The moon didn’t rise until it was exiting the partial phase and passing into the penumbra. Probably not historically meaningful, but fun.