Solar eclipse of May 30, 1984


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, May 30, 1984, with a magnitude of 0.998. 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. The Moon's apparent diameter was near the average diameter because it occurred 6.6 days after apogee and 7.8 days before perigee.
This was the first annular solar eclipse visible in the United States in 33 years.
Annularity was visible in Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia in the United States, the Azores Islands, Morocco and Algeria. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Hawaii, North America, Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, Western Europe, and Northwest Africa.

Observations

During this eclipse, the apex of the Moon's umbral cone was very close to the Earth's surface, and the magnitude was very large. The edges of the Moon and the Sun were very close to each other as seen from the Earth. Images of the chromosphere and Baily's beads on the lunar limb, which are usually only visible during a total solar eclipse, could also be taken. A team of the University of Florida took images, about half of which being those of the chromosphere and the other half the photosphere, in Greenville, South Carolina. Jay Pasachoff led a team from Williams College, Massachusetts to Picayune, Mississippi.

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 Contact1984 May 30 at 13:55:14.3 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1984 May 30 at 14:57:46.9 UTC
First Central Line1984 May 30 at 14:58:22.6 UTC
Greatest Duration1984 May 30 at 14:58:22.6 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1984 May 30 at 14:58:58.3 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1984 May 30 at 16:06:12.7 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1984 May 30 at 16:45:41.5 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1984 May 30 at 16:48:44.8 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1984 May 30 at 16:53:32.9 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1984 May 30 at 17:25:00.1 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1984 May 30 at 18:32:21.8 UTC
Last Central Line1984 May 30 at 18:32:54.6 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1984 May 30 at 18:33:27.3 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1984 May 30 at 19:35:58.9 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.99801
Eclipse Obscuration0.99602
Gamma0.27552
Sun Right Ascension04h31m02.1s
Sun Declination+21°52'05.5"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'46.4"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension04h30m45.4s
Moon Declination+22°07'14.4"
Moon Semi-Diameter15'30.3"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°56'54.1"
ΔT54.0 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.
May 15
Descending node
May 30
Ascending node
June 13
Descending node
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 111		Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 137		Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 149

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1984

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 137

Inex

Triad