Solar eclipse of May 11, 2078


A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 11, 2078, with a magnitude of 1.0701. 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 16 hours after perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.
The path of totality will be visible from parts of Kiribati, Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, the western Florida panhandle, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, in the United States, and the eastern Canary Islands. A partial solar eclipse will also be visible for parts of Oceania, North America, Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, Western Europe, and Northwest Africa.

Path description

The path of totality will begin over the Pacific Ocean near Caroline Island, Kiribati. From there, it will track northeast towards North America, making landfall on the Mexican coast. In Mexico, totality will be visible in the cities of Manzanillo, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Ciudad Victoria, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The path then briefly crosses into the United States in southern Texas, including McAllen and Brownsville before crossing the Gulf of Mexico. It then re-enters the United States, passing through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, far northwestern Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. It then passes over the Atlantic Ocean and ends near the Canary Islands.

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 Contact2078 May 11 at 15:20:00.9 UTC
First Umbral External Contact2078 May 11 at 16:14:08.4 UTC
First Central Line2078 May 11 at 16:15:33.1 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact2078 May 11 at 16:16:57.9 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact2078 May 11 at 17:12:36.4 UTC
Greatest Eclipse2078 May 11 at 17:56:54.8 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction2078 May 11 at 17:58:47.4 UTC
Greatest Duration2078 May 11 at 18:02:17.5 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction2078 May 11 at 18:04:05.9 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact2078 May 11 at 18:41:03.0 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact2078 May 11 at 19:36:48.0 UTC
Last Central Line2078 May 11 at 19:38:12.0 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact2078 May 11 at 19:39:36.1 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact2078 May 11 at 20:33:47.3 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.07012
Eclipse Obscuration1.14516
Gamma0.18380
Sun Right Ascension03h16m09.4s
Sun Declination+18°07'17.6"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'50.2"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension03h15m52.6s
Moon Declination+18°17'46.7"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'39.9"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°01'09.6"
ΔT104.1 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 27
Descending node
May 11
Ascending node
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 113		Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 139

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2078

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 139

Inex

Triad