A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Sun and the Moon are not quite lined up. In this case, the Moon covers only a section of the Sun. This kind of eclipse usually goes unnoticed by most people on Earth because the sunlight is scarcely dimmed.
A total solar eclipse, however, is much more spectacular. At totality, the disk of the Sun is completely obscured by the new Moon, and only the ghostly solar corona and perhaps gigantic solar flares are visible around the edges of the Moon. Those parts of the Earth experiencing totality become very dark and it is possible to see stars in the sky.
An annular solar eclipse is similar to a total eclipse except that the new Moon is near apogee and its disk appears slightly smaller than that of the Sun. Thus, a bright ring or annulus of the solar disk remains at maximum eclipse, and the sky does not become dark.
There are at least two and sometimes as many as five solar eclipses every year. Why don't we have a solar eclipse during every new Moon? This is because the Moon's orbit around the Earth is at an angle to the ecliptic. The new Moon usually passes above or below the Sun as seen from the Earth and thus there is no eclipse. The proper alignment for a solar eclipse occurs only a few times a year.
Another kind of eclipse is a lunar eclipse which occurs when the Moon passes through the shadow cast by the Earth. A lunar eclipse only occurs when the Moon is full and for the same reasons given above, happens only two or three times a year.
A lunar eclipse may be total, partial or penumbral. A total lunar eclipse causes the full Moon to slowly darken as it enters the umbra of the Earth and at totality, the Moon may take on a dark coppery color. During a partial lunar eclipse, the Moon does not fully enter the umbra of the Earth. A penumbral lunar eclipse is likely to go unnoticed as the Moon passes through the Earth's penumbra and does not dim a great deal.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 03:52 UT | The partial eclipse begins with the first contact of the Moon's penumbra with the Earth's surface. |
| 04:57 UT | The annular eclipse begins with the first contact of the Moon's umbra with the Earth's surface. |
| 06:20 UT | This is the time of greatest eclipse. |
| 06:39 UT | The Moon reaches new phase. |
| 08:10 UT | The annular eclipse ends with the last contact of the Moon's umbra with the Earth's surface. |
| 09:15 UT | The partial eclipse ends with the last contact of the Moon's penumbra with the Earth's surface. |
The eclipse is visible from the southern hemisphere. The path of the annular eclipse begins in the South Atlantic Ocean and moves eastward into the Indian Ocean before making landfall in western Australia. The path crosses western and northern parts of Australia before ending in the South Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse is visible from South Africa, all of Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and most of Antarctica.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 08:26 UT | The partial eclipse begins with the first contact of the Moon's penumbra with the Earth's surface. |
| 09:30 UT | The total eclipse begins with the first contact of the Moon's umbra with the Earth's surface. |
| 10:51 UT | This is the time of greatest eclipse. |
| 11:08 UT | The Moon reaches new phase. |
| 12:36 UT | The total eclipse ends with the last contact of the Moon's umbra with the Earth's surface. |
| 13:40 UT | The partial eclipse ends with the last contact of the Moon's penumbra with the Earth's surface. |
The path of totality begins in the North Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Canada. It progresses eastward, brushing the southwest corner of England before moving into continental Europe. The path of totality passes through some of the most densely populated regions of Western Europe before entering Turkey and the Middle East, and ending just off the eastern coast of India. The partial eclipse is visible from the North Atlantic Ocean, Arctic regions, all of Europe and the Middle East, most of Asia, and northern parts of Africa.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 14:05 UT | The penumbral eclipse begins with the first contact of the Earth's penumbra with the Moon. |
| 16:01 UT | The Moon reaches full phase. |
| 16:18 UT | This is the time of greatest eclipse. |
| 18:30 UT | The penumbral eclipse ends with the last contact of the Earth's penumbra with the Moon. |
The beginning of the eclipse is visible from Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and western parts of Canada and the United States. The end of the eclipse can be seen from much of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 08:56 UT | The partial eclipse begins with the first contact of the Earth's penumbra with the Moon. |
| 10:22 UT | The Moon makes first contact with the Earth's umbra. |
| 11:25 UT | The Moon reaches full phase. |
| 11:38 UT | This is the time of greatest eclipse. |
| 12:46 UT | The Moon makes last contact with the Earth's umbra. |
| 14:11 UT | The partial eclipse ends with the last contact of the Earth's penumbra with the Moon. |
The beginning of the eclipse is visible from eastern parts of Asia including Japan, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, most of North America, and parts of Central and South America. The end of the eclipse can be seen from eastern parts of Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and western parts of North America.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 21:15 UT | The transit begins with ingress (exterior contact) of the disk of Mercury with the disk of the Sun. |
| 21:41 UT | This is the time of least angular distance between Mercury and the Sun. |
| 22:07 UT | The transit ends with egress (exterior contact) of the disk of Mercury with the disk of the Sun. |
The complete transit is visible from eastern Asia, northeastern Australia, most of North America (except the far northeast), western parts of South America, and most of the Pacific Ocean. A partial transit is visible from Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and the South Pacific Ocean.
Copyright 1995-99 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman