Solar eclipse of October 2, 2024


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, with a magnitude of 0.9326. 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 2 hours before apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
Other than Easter Island and a small portion near the southern tips of Argentina and Chile and the north of the Falkland Islands, the path of the eclipse's antumbra occurred over the Pacific Ocean. The penumbra was visible from Hawaii, eastern Oceania, southern and central South America, the southwesternmost parts of Mexico, and portions of Antarctica. Approximately 175,000 people live in the path of annularity.

Images

Animated path

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 Contact2024 October 2 at 15:44:08.1 UTC
First Umbral External Contact2024 October 2 at 17:32:12.9 UTC
First Central Line2024 October 2 at 16:54:48.8 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact2024 October 2 at 16:57:52.5 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact2024 October 2 at 18:16:51.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse2024 October 2 at 18:46:13.3 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction2024 October 2 at 18:50:26.2 UTC
Greatest Duration2024 October 2 at 18:54:11.7 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction2024 October 2 at 19:09:14.7 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact2024 October 2 at 19:15:02.0 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact2024 October 2 at 20:34:19.4 UTC
Last Central Line2024 October 2 at 20:37:23.5 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact2024 October 2 at 20:40:27.0 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact2024 October 2 at 21:48:09.7 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.93261
Eclipse Obscuration0.86975
Gamma−0.35087
Sun Right Ascension12h36m58.9s
Sun Declination-03°59'03.9"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'58.9"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.8"
Moon Right Ascension12h36m22.3s
Moon Declination-04°15'35.4"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'41.8"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°53'56.4"
ΔT71.7 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.
September 18
Ascending node
October 2
Descending node
Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 118		Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 144

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2024

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 144

Inex

Triad