Solar eclipse of February 26, 2017

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Solar eclipse of February 26, 2017
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureAnnular
Gamma−0.4578
Magnitude0.9922
Maximum eclipse
Duration44 s (0 min 44 s)
Coordinates34°42′S 31°12′W / 34.7°S 31.2°W / -34.7; -31.2
Max. width of band31 km (19 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse14:54:33
References
Saros140 (29 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000)9545

An annular solar eclipse took place on February 26, 2017.[1][2][3] 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 (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring only 4.7 days before perigee (Perigee on March 3, 2017), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger. The moon's apparent diameter was just over 0.7% smaller than the Sun's.

It was visible across southern South America in the morning and ended in south-western Africa at sunset. In Argentina, the best places to see the eclipse were located in the south of the Chubut Province, in the towns of Facundo, Sarmiento and Camarones. Lunar perigee occurred at about 2017 Mar 03 at 07:41:24.5 UTC, 4.7 days later.

Predictions and additional information[edit]

Eclipse characteristics[edit]

Eclipse magnitude: 0.99223

Eclipse obscuration: 0.98451

Gamma: -0.45780

Saros Series: 140th (29 of 71)

Conjunction times[edit]

Greatest eclipse: 26 Feb 2017 14:53:24.5 UTC (14:54:32.8 TD)

Ecliptic conjunction: 26 Feb 2017 14:58:23.4 UTC (14:59:31.7 TD)

Equatorial Ccnjunction: 26 Feb 2017 14:38:46.0 UTC (14:39:54.4 TD)

Geocentric coordinates of sun and moon[edit]

Sun right ascension: 22.656

Sun declination: -8.49°

Sun diameter: 1938.0 arcseconds

Moon right ascension: 22.665

Moon declination: -8.92°

Moon diameter: 1895.6 arcseconds

Geocentric libration of moon[edit]

Latitude: 5.1 degrees south

Longitude: 0.6 degrees east

Direction: 336.5 (NNW)

Images[edit]

Animation assembled from 3 images acquired by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera.

Gallery[edit]

Related eclipses[edit]

Eclipses of 2017[edit]

Solar eclipses descending node 2015-2018[edit]

Tzolkinex[edit]

Preceded: Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010

Followed: Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024

Half-Saros cycle[edit]

Preceded: Lunar eclipse of February 21, 2008

Followed: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2026

Tritos[edit]

Preceded: Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006

Followed: Solar eclipse of January 26, 2028

Solar Saros 140[edit]

Preceded: Solar eclipse of February 16, 1999

Followed: Solar eclipse of March 9, 2035

Inex[edit]

Preceded: Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988

Followed: Solar eclipse of February 5, 2046

Triad[edit]

Preceded: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1930

Followed: Solar eclipse of December 29, 2103

Solar eclipses 2015–2018[edit]

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[4]

Solar eclipse series sets from 2015 to 2018
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
120

Longyearbyen, Svalbard
2015 March 20

Total
0.94536 125

Solar Dynamics Observatory

2015 September 13

Partial (south)
−1.10039
130

Balikpapan, Indonesia
2016 March 9

Total
0.26092 135

L'Étang-Salé, Réunion
2016 September 1

Annular
−0.33301
140

Partial from Buenos Aires
2017 February 26

Annular
−0.45780 145

Casper, Wyoming
2017 August 21

Total
0.43671
150

Partial from Olivos, Buenos Aires
2018 February 15

Partial (south)
−1.21163 155

Partial from Huittinen, Finland
2018 August 11

Partial (north)
1.14758

Partial solar eclipses on July 13, 2018, and January 6, 2019, occur during the next semester series.

Saros 140[edit]

It is a part of Saros cycle 140, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on April 16, 1512. It contains total eclipses from July 21, 1656 through November 9, 1836, hybrid eclipses from November 20, 1854 through December 23, 1908, and annular eclipses from January 3, 1927 through December 7, 2485. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on June 1, 2774. The longest duration of totality was 4 minutes, 10 seconds on August 12, 1692.

Inex series[edit]

This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

Metonic cycle[edit]

The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's descending node.

21 events between July 22, 1971 and July 22, 2047
July 21–22 May 9–11 February 26–27 December 14–15 October 2–3
116 118 120 122 124

July 22, 1971

May 11, 1975

February 26, 1979

December 15, 1982

October 3, 1986
126 128 130 132 134

July 22, 1990

May 10, 1994

February 26, 1998

December 14, 2001

October 3, 2005
136 138 140 142 144

July 22, 2009

May 10, 2013

February 26, 2017

December 14, 2020

October 2, 2024
146 148 150 152 154

July 22, 2028

May 9, 2032

February 27, 2036

December 15, 2039

October 3, 2043
156

July 22, 2047

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ Cofield, Calla (February 26, 2017). "Moon Blocks (Most of) the Sun in 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse". Space.com.
  2. ^ Dwyer, Colin (February 25, 2017). "'Ring Of Fire' Eclipse Set To Blaze In Southern Skies". NPR.
  3. ^ ""Ring of fire" annular eclipse: Stunning views of first solar eclipse of 2017". www.cbsnews.com. February 27, 2017.
  4. ^ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.

References[edit]

External links[edit]