Solar eclipse of December 25, 1954


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Saturday, December 25, 1954, with a magnitude of 0.9323. It was the first solar eclipse to fall on Christmas since 1935, and the last until 2000. 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 kilometers wide. Occurring about 4.9 days after apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
Annularity was visible from the southwestern tip of South West Africa, Union of South Africa, Ashmore and Cartier Islands except Cartier Island, Indonesia and Portuguese Timor. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Southern Africa, Antarctica, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

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 Contact1954 December 25 at 04:35:22.0 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1954 December 25 at 05:40:42.2 UTC
First Central Line1954 December 25 at 05:43:40.3 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1954 December 25 at 05:46:38.6 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1954 December 25 at 06:56:43.3 UTC
Greatest Duration1954 December 25 at 07:29:49.2 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1954 December 25 at 07:32:58.2 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1954 December 25 at 07:33:39.3 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1954 December 25 at 07:36:42.4 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1954 December 25 at 08:16:48.3 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1954 December 25 at 09:26:50.4 UTC
Last Central Line1954 December 25 at 09:29:46.5 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1954 December 25 at 09:32:42.2 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1954 December 25 at 10:37:59.4 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.93233
Eclipse Obscuration0.86925
Gamma−0.25762
Sun Right Ascension18h12m59.7s
Sun Declination-23°24'41.6"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'15.7"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension18h13m07.2s
Moon Declination-23°38'40.4"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'56.4"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°54'49.7"
ΔT31.1 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.
December 25
Ascending node
January 8
Descending node
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 131		Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 143

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1954

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 131

Inex

Triad