Solar eclipse of May 10, 1994


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Tuesday, May 10, 1994, with a magnitude of 0.9431. 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 about 1.6 days after apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
The path of annularity crossed four states of Mexico, parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine in the United States, the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia and the southeastern tip of Quebec, the Azores Islands except Santa Maria Island, and part of Morocco including the capital city Rabat. The eclipse reached its moment of "greatest eclipse" in the United States near Wauseon, Ohio, about 35 miles west of Toledo, Ohio. Niagara Falls was also covered by the path of annularity. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of eastern Russia, North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and West Africa.
The Columbus Crew were originally named the "Columbus Eclipse" in their Major League Soccer bid in honor of the event.

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 Contact1994 May 10 at 14:13:11.3 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1994 May 10 at 15:21:36.4 UTC
First Central Line1994 May 10 at 15:24:17.3 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1994 May 10 at 15:26:58.9 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1994 May 10 at 16:55:59.3 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1994 May 10 at 17:07:34.4 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1994 May 10 at 17:12:26.5 UTC
Greatest Duration1994 May 10 at 17:17:41.1 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1994 May 10 at 17:20:50.9 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1994 May 10 at 17:28:40.2 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1994 May 10 at 18:57:48.7 UTC
Last Central Line1994 May 10 at 19:00:29.5 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1994 May 10 at 19:03:09.5 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1994 May 10 at 20:11:35.7 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.94315
Eclipse Obscuration0.88953
Gamma0.40771
Sun Right Ascension03h09m27.2s
Sun Declination+17°41'21.5"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'50.2"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension03h09m11.3s
Moon Declination+18°03'01.1"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'44.0"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°54'04.4"
ΔT60.3 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.
May 10
Descending node
May 25
Ascending node
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 128		Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 140

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1994

An annular solar eclipse on May 10.

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 128

Inex

Triad