Solar eclipse of November 23, 2003


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Sunday, November 23 and Monday, November 24, 2003, with a magnitude of 1.0379. 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 25 minutes before perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was near its maximum. Perigee did occur just past the greatest point of this eclipse.
For most solar eclipses the path of totality moves eastwards. In this case the path moved south and then west round Antarctica.
Totality was visible from a corridor in eastern Antarctica. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, southern Chile, and southern Argentina.

Observations

A Russian icebreaker departed from Port Elizabeth, South Africa carrying tourists to observe the eclipse near the Shackleton Ice Shelf and Novolazarevskaya Station, and then sailed to Hobart, Tasmania. About 100 people from 15 countries were on board, including Iranian amateur astronomer Babak Amin Tafreshi, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center astrophysicist Fred Espenak, Williams College professor Jay Pasachoff. There are also about 200 scientists and tourists taking two commercial charter flights to observe it over Antarctica. This was the first time humans observed a total solar eclipse from Antarctica.

Images


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 Contact2003 November 23 at 20:47:10.0 UTC
First Umbral External Contact2003 November 23 at 22:20:25.7 UTC
First Central Line2003 November 23 at 22:23:45.1 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact2003 November 23 at 22:27:31.3 UTC
Greatest Duration2003 November 23 at 22:50:18.7 UTC
Greatest Eclipse2003 November 23 at 22:50:21.7 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction2003 November 23 at 23:00:01.3 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction2003 November 23 at 23:21:19.7 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact2003 November 23 at 23:12:52.0 UTC
Last Central Line2003 November 23 at 23:16:38.4 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact2003 November 23 at 23:19:57.9 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact2003 November 24 at 00:53:20.5 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.03789
Eclipse Obscuration1.07721
Gamma−0.96381
Sun Right Ascension15h56m23.2s
Sun Declination-20°24'22.8"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'11.8"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension15h55m07.5s
Moon Declination-21°20'45.7"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'44.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°01'27.3"
ΔT64.5 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.
November 9
Ascending node
November 23
Descending node
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 126		Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 152

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2003

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 152

Inex

Triad