Solar eclipse of April 17, 1996
A partial solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18, 1996, with a magnitude of 0.8799. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the Moon's shadow misses the Earth.
A partial eclipse was visible in parts of Antarctica, New Zealand, and eastern Oceania.
Eclipse details
Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the Moon's penumbra or umbra attained the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.| Event | Time |
| First penumbral external contact | 1996 April 17 at 20:32:24.8 UTC |
| Equatorial conjunction | 1996 April 17 at 22:06:05.6 UTC |
| Greatest eclipse | 1996 April 17 at 22:38:12.1 UTC |
| Ecliptic conjunction | 1996 April 17 at 22:49:47.9 UTC |
| Last penumbral external contact | 1996 April 18 at 00:44:20.0 UTC |
| Parameter | Value |
| Eclipse magnitude | 0.87994 |
| Eclipse obscuration | 0.84058 |
| Gamma | −1.05796 |
| Sun right ascension | 01h44m43.7s |
| Sun declination | +10°49'43.1" |
| Sun semi-diameter | 15'55.6" |
| Sun equatorial horizontal parallax | 08.8" |
| Moon right ascension | 01h45m48.3s |
| Moon declination | +09°51'28.1" |
| Moon semi-diameter | 15'35.4" |
| Moon equatorial horizontal parallax | 0°57'13.0" |
| ΔT | 61.8 s |
Eclipse season
This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.| April 4 Ascending node | April 17 Descending node |
| Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 122 | Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 148 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 1996
- A total lunar eclipse on April 4A partial solar eclipse on April 17
- A total lunar eclipse on September 27
- A partial solar eclipse on October 12
Metonic
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 30, 1992
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 5, 2000
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 7, 1989
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 31, 2003
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 14, 1987
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 24, 2005
Tritos
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 19, 1985
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 19, 2007
Solar Saros 148
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 7, 1978
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 29, 2014
Inex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 9, 1967
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 29, 2025
Triad
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 17, 1909
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 2083