Solar eclipse of September 22, 2006


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Friday, September 22, 2006, with a magnitude of 0.9352. 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 5 hours after apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
The path of annularity of this eclipse passed through Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, the northern tip of Roraima and Amapá of Brazil, and the southern Atlantic. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of South America, West Africa, Southern Africa, the Antarctic Peninsula, and east Antarctica.

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 Contact2006 September 22 at 08:41:01.9 UTC
First Umbral External Contact2006 September 22 at 09:49:37.0 UTC
First Central Line2006 September 22 at 09:52:37.2 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact2006 September 22 at 09:55:38.2 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact2006 September 22 at 11:24:51.6 UTC
Greatest Duration2006 September 22 at 11:40:28.6 UTC
Greatest Eclipse2006 September 22 at 11:41:16.4 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction2006 September 22 at 11:46:08.5 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact2006 September 22 at 11:57:02.3 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction2006 September 22 at 12:08:15.8 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact2006 September 22 at 13:26:37.6 UTC
Last Central Line2006 September 22 at 13:29:39.0 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact2006 September 22 at 13:32:39.5 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact2006 September 22 at 14:41:20.1 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.93517
Eclipse Obscuration0.87455
Gamma−0.40624
Sun Right Ascension11h57m32.9s
Sun Declination+00°15'56.9"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'56.1"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.8"
Moon Right Ascension11h56m50.2s
Moon Declination-00°03'07.8"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'41.9"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°53'56.7"
ΔT65.0 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.
September 7
Ascending node
September 22
Descending node
Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 118		Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 144

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2006

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 144

Inex

Triad