Solar eclipse of May 19, 1985


A partial solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit between Sunday, May 19 and Monday, May 20, 1985, with a magnitude of 0.8406. 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 partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the Moon's shadow misses the Earth.
A partial eclipse was visible near sunrise on May 20 over Japan and northeast Russia and ended on May 19 over Alaska and near sunset over northern Canada and Greenland.

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 Contact1985 May 19 at 19:15:42.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1985 May 19 at 21:29:37.8 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1985 May 19 at 21:42:01.7 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1985 May 19 at 22:11:12.4 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1985 May 19 at 23:43:13.0 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.84064
Eclipse Obscuration0.77714
Gamma1.07197
Sun Right Ascension03h46m23.8s
Sun Declination+19°54'02.6"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'48.3"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension03h45m05.8s
Moon Declination+20°49'15.8"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'49.5"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°54'24.6"
ΔT54.5 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 4
Descending node
May 19
Ascending node
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 121
Partial solar eclipse
Solar Saros 147

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1985

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 147

Inex

Triad