Solar eclipse of January 26, 1990


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Friday, January 26, 1990, with a magnitude of 0.967. 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 7.1 days after apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
Annularity was visible from a part of Antarctica. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Antarctica, southern and eastern South America, and New Zealand.

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 Contact1990 January 26 at 17:14:16.9 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1990 January 26 at 18:52:41.6 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1990 January 26 at 18:52:52.1 UTC
First Central Line1990 January 26 at 18:56:20.7 UTC
Greatest Duration1990 January 26 at 18:56:20.7 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1990 January 26 at 19:00:22.0 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1990 January 26 at 19:20:58.8 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1990 January 26 at 19:31:23.9 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1990 January 26 at 20:02:53.7 UTC
Last Central Line1990 January 26 at 20:06:51.8 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1990 January 26 at 20:10:27.5 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1990 January 26 at 21:48:40.7 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.96698
Eclipse Obscuration0.93506
Gamma−0.94571
Sun Right Ascension20h35m55.4s
Sun Declination-18°37'40.0"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'14.5"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension20h37m14.5s
Moon Declination-19°28'27.1"
Moon Semi-Diameter15'38.0"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°57'22.4"
ΔT56.9 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 26
Ascending node
February 9
Descending node
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 121		Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 133

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1990

An annular solar eclipse on January 26.

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 121

Inex

Triad