Solar eclipse of January 15, 1991


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit between Tuesday, January 15 and Wednesday, January 16, 1991, with a magnitude of 0.929. 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 3.5 days after apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
Annularity was visible in southwestern Western Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and French Polynesia. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Indonesia, 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.
EventTime
First Penumbral External Contact1991 January 15 at 20:51:57.9 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1991 January 15 at 21:57:45.6 UTC
First Central Line1991 January 15 at 22:00:52.7 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1991 January 15 at 22:04:00.1 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1991 January 15 at 23:15:21.5 UTC
Greatest Duration1991 January 15 at 23:40:06.1 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1991 January 15 at 23:44:29.4 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1991 January 15 at 23:50:36.9 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1991 January 15 at 23:53:51.3 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1991 January 16 at 00:32:36.2 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1991 January 16 at 01:43:50.2 UTC
Last Central Line1991 January 16 at 01:46:55.5 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1991 January 16 at 01:50:00.3 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1991 January 16 at 02:55:44.0 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.92901
Eclipse Obscuration0.86306
Gamma−0.27275
Sun Right Ascension19h49m11.2s
Sun Declination-21°04'21.2"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'15.5"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension19h49m29.1s
Moon Declination-21°18'36.9"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'53.1"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°54'37.7"
ΔT57.6 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 15
Ascending node
January 30
Descending node
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 131		Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 143

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1991

An annular solar eclipse on January 15.

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 131

Inex

Triad