Solar eclipse of March 29, 1987


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Sunday, March 29, 1987, with a magnitude of 1.0013. It was a hybrid event, with only a fraction of its path as total, and longer sections at the start and end as an annular eclipse. The eclipse lasted a maximum of only 7.57 seconds. 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. The Moon's apparent diameter was larger because it occurred 4.7 days after perigee and 7.8 days before apogee.
Totality of this eclipse was not visible on any land, while annularity was visible in southern Argentina, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of southern and central South America, Antarctica, Africa, and the Middle East.

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 Contact1987 March 29 at 10:03:29.8 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1987 March 29 at 11:05:14.4 UTC
First Central Line1987 March 29 at 11:05:40.9 UTC
Greatest Duration1987 March 29 at 11:05:40.9 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1987 March 29 at 11:06:07.5 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1987 March 29 at 12:14:03.2 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1987 March 29 at 12:31:19.9 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1987 March 29 at 12:46:28.0 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1987 March 29 at 12:49:47.3 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1987 March 29 at 13:25:55.5 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1987 March 29 at 14:33:36.4 UTC
Last Central Line1987 March 29 at 14:34:05.6 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1987 March 29 at 14:34:34.9 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1987 March 29 at 15:36:18.1 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.00134
Eclipse Obscuration1.00267
Gamma−0.30531
Sun Right Ascension00h30m29.5s
Sun Declination+03°17'32.1"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'01.1"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.8"
Moon Right Ascension00h31m03.7s
Moon Declination+03°02'04.7"
Moon Semi-Diameter15'47.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°57'58.2"
ΔT55.4 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.
March 29
Ascending node
April 14
Descending node
Hybrid solar eclipse
Solar Saros 129		Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 141

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1987

A hybrid solar eclipse on March 29.

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 129

Inex

Triad