Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012

Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012
Composite image taken from Red Bluff, California
Map
Type of eclipse
Nature Annular
Gamma 0.4828
Magnitude 0.9439
Maximum eclipse
Duration 346 sec (5 m 46 s)
Coordinates 49°06′N 176°18′E / 49.1°N 176.3°E / 49.1; 176.3
Max. width of band 237 km (147 mi)
Times (UTC)
(P1) Partial begin 20:56:07
(U1) Total begin 22:06:17
Greatest eclipse 23:53:54
(U4) Total end 1:39:11
(P4) Partial end 2:49:21
References
Saros 128 (58 of 73)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9535

The solar eclipse of May 20, 2012 (May 21, 2012 local time in the Eastern Hemisphere) was an annular solar eclipse that was visible in a band spanning through Eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America. As a partial solar eclipse, it was visible from northern Greenland to Hawaii, and from eastern Indonesia at sunrise to northwestern Mexico at sunset.

The annular eclipse was the first visible from the contiguous United States since the solar eclipse of May 10, 1994, and the first in Asia since the solar eclipse of January 15, 2010.[1] The path of the eclipse's antumbra included heavily populated regions of China and Japan, and an estimated 100 million people in those areas were capable of viewing annularity. In the western United States, its path included 8 states, and an estimated 6 million people were capable of viewing annularity.

Visibility and viewing

Animated path of the eclipse

The antumbra had a magnitude of .94 stretched 236 kilometres (147 mi) wide, and traveled eastbound at an average rate of 1.00 kilometre (0.62 mi) per second, remaining north of the equator throughout the event. The longest duration of annularity was 5 minutes and 43 seconds, occurring just south of the Aleutian Islands.[2] The eclipse began on a Monday and ended on the previous Sunday, as it crossed the International Date Line.[1]

Asia

The annular eclipse commenced over the Chinese province of Hainan at sunrise, at 6:06 a.m. China Standard Time. Travelling northeast, antumbra of the eclipse approached and passed over the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Xiamen, reaching Taipei, Taiwan by 6:10 a.m. After crossing the East China Sea, it passed over much of eastern Japan, including Nagoya and Tokyo at 7:28 a.m and 7:32 a.m respectively, before entering the Pacific Ocean. The penumbra of the eclipse was visible throughout Eastern Asia and various islands in the Pacific Ocean until noon.[3][2][4][5]

The path of the antumbra over highly populated areas allowed at least an estimated 100 million people to view annularity.[6] Because the eclipse took place during the summer monsoon season in Southeast Asia, viewing conditions were not ideal in some areas, including Hong Kong.[7]

North America

After traveling approximately 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) across the Pacific Ocean, the antumbra entered North America between the coastlines of Oregon and California, reaching the coastal city of Eureka, California at 6:28 p.m. PST. After passing over Medford, Oregon and Redding, California, it had reached Reno, Nevada by 6:31 p.m PST. The eclipse continued to travel southeast, passing 30 miles (48 km) north of Las Vegas, Nevada, over St. George, Utah, and reaching the Grand Canyon by approximately 6:35 p.m. After passing over Albuquerque, New Mexico and Lubbock, Texas, the eclipse terminated above central Texas at sunset, 8:39 p.m. CST.[2][4][8] An estimated 6.6 million people lived under the path of the antumbra.[9] The penumbra was visible throughout most of North America, including the islands of Hawaii.[2]

Asia

United States

Solar eclipses 2011–2014

This eclipse is a member of the 2011-2014 solar eclipse semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[10][Note 1]

Saros 128

This eclipse is a member of the Solar Saros cycle 128, which includes 73 eclipses occurring in intervals of 18 years and 11 days. From May 16, 1417 through June 18, 1471 the series produced total solar eclipses, followed by hybrid solar eclipses from June 28, 1489 through July 31, 1543, and annular solar eclipses from August 11, 1561 through July 25, 2120.[11]

Octon series

This eclipse is a member of the Octon eclipse series, which includes 21 eclipses occurring in approximately 4 year intervals from May 21, 1993 to August 2, 2065.[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ The partial solar eclipses of January 4, 2011 and July 1, 2011 occurred in the previous semester series.

References

  1. 1 2 Friedlander, Blaine (May 17, 2012). "Annular solar eclipse first in 18 years in continental United States on May 20". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Annular Solar Eclipse of 2012 May 20". NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Eclipse Website. NASA. May 13, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Eclipse Map - May 20-21 Solar Eclipse". TimeandDate.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Map of Annular Solar Eclipse of May 20, 2012" (Map). Annular Solar Eclipse of May 20, 2012. NASA. 2000. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  5. ↑ Matsutani, Minoru (May 4, 2012). "Tokyo to be treated to rare annular eclipse, Venus transit". The Japan Times. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  6. ↑ Beatty, Kelly (March 1, 2012). "May 20th's Annular Eclipse of the Sun". Sky and Telescope. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  7. ↑ "May the Sun Shine on Rare Eclipse". South China Morning Post. May 20, 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  8. ↑ Potter, Ned (May 18, 2012). "Solar Eclipse Visible From California to Texas Sunday Afternoon". ABC News. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  9. ↑ Tariq, Malik (May 21, 2012). "Spectacular "Ring of Fire" Solar Eclipse Wows Millions". Space.com. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  10. ↑ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "NASA Saros Series Catalog of Eclipses". NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Eclipse Website. NASA. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Freeth, Tony. "Note S1: Eclipses & Predictions". plos.org. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
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