Solar eclipse of March 9, 1997


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, 1997, with a magnitude of 1.042. 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 total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 18.5 hours after perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
Totality was visible in eastern Russia, northern Mongolia, the northern tip of Xinjiang and Northeastern China and the eastern tip of Kazakhstan. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Southeast Asia, East Asia, Alaska, and western Canada.

Unusual gravity variations

This solar eclipse is somewhat special in the sense that some unexplained gravity anomalies of about 7 10−8 m/s2 during the solar eclipse were observed. Attempts to explain these anomalies have not been able to reach a definite conclusion.

Observations

Russia

Russian Academy of Sciences sent an observation team near Lake Baikal to study multiple aspects of the solar corona, providing complement to the imperfections of the corona observation of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft.

China

In China, only a partial eclipse was visible from most areas. The path of totality covered only two narrow areas not adjacent to each other. In Northwestern China, it covered the northern part of Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang. In Northeast China, it covered the northern part of Hulunbuir League, Inner Mongolia and the northern part of neighbouring Daxing'anling Prefecture, Heilongjiang. Therefore, observations of the total eclipse in China are concentrated in these two areas.
In Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang, the total phase occurred right after sunrise. By observing the change in the brightness in Altay, the Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project concluded that the phrase of "day dawned twice in Zheng" in the ancient chronicle Bamboo Annals referred to a solar eclipse on April 21, 899 BC which also occurred right after sunrise, thus determining the year of the Battle of Muye and the starting year of the Zhou dynasty. However, doubts also exist on this conclusion. For example, Douglas J. Keenan published on the journal East Asian History, stating that calculations show that the eclipse in 899 BC reduced the brightness perceived subjectively by a human observer by less than 25%, and clouds can even cause the same effect very often, thus questioning the conclusion.
Mohe County, Heilongjiang, the northernmost county in China, was considered the best observation site in China due to the high solar zenith angle and the long duration of totality. Within the county, the longest duration occurred in Mohe Township, the northernmost township in China. Comet Hale–Bopp also appeared during totality, which also attracted many Chinese to travel to this northernmost town. In addition, the first amateur radio communication experiment during a total solar eclipse in mainland China, and China Central Television's first live broadcast of a solar eclipse were also completed there.

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 Contact1997 March 8 at 23:17:38.3 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1997 March 9 at 00:42:04.9 UTC
First Central Line1997 March 9 at 00:44:28.2 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1997 March 9 at 00:46:59.1 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1997 March 9 at 01:15:36.8 UTC
Greatest Duration1997 March 9 at 01:24:17.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1997 March 9 at 01:24:50.6 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1997 March 9 at 01:54:40.0 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1997 March 9 at 02:02:20.9 UTC
Last Central Line1997 March 9 at 02:04:51.3 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1997 March 9 at 02:07:14.0 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1997 March 9 at 03:31:50.3 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.04202
Eclipse Obscuration1.08580
Gamma0.91830
Sun Right Ascension23h17m46.1s
Sun Declination-04°32'29.2"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'06.5"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension23h16m38.7s
Moon Declination-03°38'59.4"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'40.8"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°01'12.9"
ΔT62.4 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 9
Descending node
March 24
Ascending node
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 120		Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 132

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1997

A total solar eclipse on March 9.

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 120

Inex

Triad