Solar eclipse of May 1, 2079
A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 1, 2079, with a magnitude of 1.0512. 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 1.2 days before perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.
The path of totality will be visible from parts of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in the United States, eastern Canada, and Greenland. A partial solar eclipse will also be visible for parts of eastern North America, the eastern Caribbean, Northwest Africa, Europe, and much of Russia.
This will be the first total eclipse visible from New York City since January 24, 1925, and unlike the previous eclipse, the city will experience totality across the entire city limits.
Visible cities
The path of totality will start in eastern Pennsylvania. A total eclipse will be visible along the path of Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford, Providence, Rhode Island, Boston, and Portland, Maine in the United States. Partial eclipses will be visible in Charlotte, Richmond, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Buffalo. In Canada, the total eclipse can be visible in Halifax, and Saint John, while the partial eclipse can be seen in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and most of northern Canada. The path then passes directly through Nuuk, making it visible to most of Greenland. The path will end near the Bering Strait. A partial eclipse can be visible in a very small part of South America, Northern Africa, Europe and Northern Asia. The path of totality barely misses the North Pole by about 100 miles.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.| Event | Time |
| First Penumbral External Contact | 2079 May 01 at 08:41:50.7 UTC |
| First Umbral External Contact | 2079 May 01 at 10:04:20.0 UTC |
| First Central Line | 2079 May 01 at 10:07:06.5 UTC |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 2079 May 01 at 10:10:02.6 UTC |
| Greatest Eclipse | 2079 May 01 at 10:50:12.8 UTC |
| Greatest Duration | 2079 May 01 at 10:50:58.0 UTC |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 2079 May 01 at 10:59:21.0 UTC |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 2079 May 01 at 11:31:19.4 UTC |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 2079 May 01 at 11:29:55.4 UTC |
| Last Central Line | 2079 May 01 at 11:32:53.1 UTC |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 2079 May 01 at 11:35:41.3 UTC |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 2079 May 01 at 12:58:15.4 UTC |
| Parameter | Value |
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.05116 |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.10494 |
| Gamma | 0.90808 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 02h35m18.8s |
| Sun Declination | +15°12'06.8" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'52.6" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 02h33m47.0s |
| Moon Declination | +16°02'36.5" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'34.7" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°00'50.6" |
| ΔT | 104.9 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.| April 16 Descending node | May 1 Ascending node |
| Partial lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 123 | Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 149 |
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 2079
- A partial lunar eclipse on April 16.A total solar eclipse on May 1.
- A total lunar eclipse on October 10.
- An annular solar eclipse on October 24.
Metonic
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 13, 2075
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 2083
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 19, 2072
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 11, 2086
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 25, 2070
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 5, 2088
Tritos
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 31, 2068
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 31, 2090
Solar Saros 149
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 20, 2061
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 11, 2097
Inex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 20, 2050
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 11, 2108
Triad
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 30, 1992
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 2, 2166