Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971
A partial solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Friday, August 20 and Saturday, August 21, 1971, with a magnitude of 0.508. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between 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 for parts of Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica.
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 attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.| Event | Time |
| First Penumbral External Contact | 1971 August 20 at 20:52:59.2 UTC |
| Greatest Eclipse | 1971 August 20 at 22:39:31.5 UTC |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 1971 August 20 at 22:54:02.4 UTC |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 1971 August 20 at 23:50:24.9 UTC |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 1971 August 21 at 00:25:39.4 UTC |
| Parameter | Value |
| Eclipse Magnitude | 0.50797 |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 0.39282 |
| Gamma | −1.26591 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 09h57m48.0s |
| Sun Declination | +12°25'50.7" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'48.4" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 09h55m45.7s |
| Moon Declination | +11°23'25.4" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'56.3" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'49.4" |
| ΔT | 41.8 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.| July 22 Descending node | August 6 Ascending node | August 20 Descending node |
| Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 116 | Total lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 128 | Partial solar eclipse Solar Saros 154 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 1971
- A total lunar eclipse on February 10.
- A partial solar eclipse on February 25.
- A partial solar eclipse on July 22.
- A total lunar eclipse on August 6.
- '''A partial solar eclipse on August 20.'''
Metonic
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 2, 1967
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 9, 1964
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 2, 1978
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 15, 1962
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 26, 1980
Tritos
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 20, 1960
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 20, 1982
Solar Saros 154
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 9, 1953
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 31, 1989
Inex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 10, 1942
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 31, 2000
Triad
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 19, 1884
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 21, 2058