Solar eclipse of February 15, 2018


A partial solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Thursday, February 15, 2018, with a magnitude of 0.5991. 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 Antarctica and southern South America.

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 Contact2018 February 15 at 18:56:59.4 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction2018 February 15 at 20:16:17.1 UTC
Greatest Eclipse2018 February 15 at 20:52:33.3 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction2018 February 15 at 21:06:21.5 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact2018 February 15 at 22:48:19.3 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.59911
Eclipse Obscuration0.49084
Gamma−1.21163
Sun Right Ascension21h57m18.8s
Sun Declination-12°28'07.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'11.4"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension21h58m26.9s
Moon Declination-13°32'29.9"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'59.4"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°55'00.9"
ΔT69.0 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.
January 31
Ascending node
February 15
Descending node
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 124
Partial solar eclipse
Solar Saros 150

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2018

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 150

Inex

Triad