Solar eclipse of August 22, 1979


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, August 22, 1979, with a magnitude of 0.9329. 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. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus. An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 15 hours before apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
Annularity was visible for a part of Antarctica. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of southern South America and Antarctica. This was the last of 40 umbral eclipses in Solar Saros 125.

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.
EventTime
First Penumbral External Contact1979 August 22 at 14:55:55.6 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1979 August 22 at 16:43:17.2 UTC
First Central Line1979 August 22 at 16:51:47.8 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1979 August 22 at 17:03:32.7 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1979 August 22 at 17:11:15.7 UTC
Greatest Duration1979 August 22 at 17:22:05.7 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1979 August 22 at 17:22:38.0 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1979 August 22 at 17:52:40.4 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1979 August 22 at 17:41:20.6 UTC
Last Central Line1979 August 22 at 17:53:06.4 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1979 August 22 at 18:01:37.8 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1979 August 22 at 19:49:07.3 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.93295
Eclipse Obscuration0.87039
Gamma−0.96319
Sun Right Ascension10h04m36.4s
Sun Declination+11°48'55.0"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'48.8"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension10h03m42.7s
Moon Declination+10°58'46.8"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'42.1"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°53'57.5"
ΔT50.2 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.
August 22
Ascending node
September 6
Descending node
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 125		Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 137

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1979

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 125

Inex

Triad