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Solar eclipse of April 20, 2023

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Solar eclipse of April 20, 2023
Partial from Magetan, Indonesia
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureHybrid
Gamma−0.3952
Magnitude1.0132
Maximum eclipse
Duration76 s (1 min 16 s)
Coordinates9°36′S 125°48′E / 9.6°S 125.8°E / -9.6; 125.8
Max. width of band49 km (30 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse4:17:56
References
Saros129 (52 of 80)
Catalog # (SE5000)9559

A hybrid solar eclipse occurred on Thursday, April 20, 2023. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun thereby totally or partly obscuring the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A hybrid solar eclipse is a rare type of solar eclipse that changes its appearance from annular to total and back as the Moon's shadow moves across the Earth's surface. Totality occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the Earth, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometers wide. Hybrid solar eclipses are extremely rare, occurring in only 3.1% of solar eclipses in the 21st century.[1]

Totality for this eclipse was visible in the North West Cape peninsula and Barrow Island in Western Australia, eastern parts of East Timor, as well as Damar Island and parts of the province of Papua in Indonesia.[2] More than 20,000 people watched the eclipse from Exmouth, on Western Australia's North West Cape.[3] This event cost the State Government of Western Australia $20 million AUD ($13.5 million USD) in planning and logistics fees. The date marked a significant moment of astrotourism and tourism in Western Australia,[4] in addition to the beginning of the 2023 Margaret River Pro.[citation needed][relevant?]

Portions of the eclipse's path near sunrise and sunset were annular. Occurring only 4.1 days after perigee (Perigee on Sunday, April 16, 2023), the Moon's apparent diameter was 1.02% larger than average.[5]

Images


Animated path

East Timor

Indonesia

Philippines

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros cycle

Tritos

Solar Saros 129

Inex

Triad

Eclipses of 2023

Solar eclipses of 2022–2025

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.[6]

Solar eclipse series sets from 2022 to 2025
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
119

Partial in CTIO, Chile
April 30, 2022

Partial
−1.19008 124

Partial from Saratov, Russia
October 25, 2022

Partial
1.07014
129

Partial in Magetan, Indonesia
April 20, 2023

Hybrid
−0.39515 134

Annularity in Hobbs, NM, USA
October 14, 2023

Annular
0.37534
139

Totality in Dallas, TX, USA
April 8, 2024

Total
0.34314 144

Annularity in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
October 2, 2024

Annular
−0.35087
149 March 29, 2025

Partial
1.04053 154 September 21, 2025

Partial
−1.06509

Saros 129

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 129, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 80 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on October 3, 1103. It contains annular eclipses from May 6, 1464 through March 18, 1969; hybrid eclipses from March 29, 1987 through April 20, 2023; and total eclipses from April 30, 2041 through July 26, 2185. The series ends at member 80 as a partial eclipse on February 21, 2528. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.

The longest duration of annularity was produced by member 34 at 5 minutes, 10 seconds on October 4, 1698, and the longest duration of totality will be produced by member 58 at 3 minutes, 43 seconds on June 25, 2131. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.[7]

Series members 40–61 occur between 1801 and 2200:
40 41 42

December 10, 1806

December 20, 1824

December 31, 1842
43 44 45

January 11, 1861

January 22, 1879

February 1, 1897
46 47 48

February 14, 1915

February 24, 1933

March 7, 1951
49 50 51

March 18, 1969

March 29, 1987

April 8, 2005
52 53 54

April 20, 2023

April 30, 2041

May 11, 2059
55 56 57

May 22, 2077

June 2, 2095

June 13, 2113
58 59 60

June 25, 2131

July 5, 2149

July 16, 2167
61

July 26, 2185

Inex series

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.

Tritos series

This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

Metonic series

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 ascending node.

21 eclipse events between July 1, 2000 and July 1, 2076
July 1–2 April 19–20 February 5–7 November 24–25 September 12–13
117 119 121 123 125

July 1, 2000

April 19, 2004

February 7, 2008

November 25, 2011

September 13, 2015
127 129 131 133 135

July 2, 2019

April 20, 2023

February 6, 2027

November 25, 2030

September 12, 2034
137 139 141 143 145

July 2, 2038

April 20, 2042

February 5, 2046

November 25, 2049

September 12, 2053
147 149 151 153 155

July 1, 2057

April 20, 2061

February 5, 2065

November 24, 2068

September 12, 2072
157

July 1, 2076

References

  1. ^ "Hybrid solar eclipse: Everything you need to know about the rare and strange phenomenon". Space.com. 20 November 2022.
  2. ^ Hybrid Solar Eclipse of 2023 Apr 20, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  3. ^ "Solar eclipse chasers descend on tiny Western Australian town to experience 'wonders of the universe'". The Guardian. 20 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023.
  4. ^ Marcus, Lilit (19 April 2023). "How a solar eclipse could change this small Australian town forever". CNN. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Solar Eclipse 2023 Date, Time First Solar Eclipse of 2023". gotopnews.com. 20 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "NASA - Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 129". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.