Solar eclipse of April 19, 2004

Solar eclipse of April 19, 2004
Map
Type of eclipse
Nature	Partial
Gamma	−1.1335
Magnitude	0.7367
Maximum eclipse
Coordinates	61.6°S 44.3°E / -61.6; 44.3
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse	13:35:05
References
Saros	119 (65 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000)	9517

A partial solar eclipse took place on Monday, 19 April 2004. 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 partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the Moon's shadow misses the Earth. It was largely visible over the south Atlantic Ocean and north shores of Antarctica, most prominently the Antarctic Peninsula. The eclipse was deep enough to be seen from a large portion of southern Africa, with over 50% totality at Cape Town, South Africa at approximately 4:10 PM. However, the eclipse remained visible to cities such as Harare, Maseru, Durban, and Bloemfontein, although to a much lesser extent.

The greatest eclipse of the Sun took place over a nigh inaccessible strip of ocean off the Antarctic coast; the maximum point displayed 73.5% totality, as compared to Cape Town's 51% totality.

Images

Animated eclipse path

Related eclipses

Solar eclipses 2004–2007

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.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2004 to 2007

Ascending node				Descending node
Saros	Map	Gamma		Saros	Map	Gamma
119	2004 April 19 Partial (south)	−1.13345		124	2004 October 14 Partial (north)	1.03481
129 Partial from Naiguatá	2005 April 08 Hybrid	−0.34733		134 Annular from Madrid, Spain	2005 October 03 Annular	0.33058
139 Total from Side, Turkey	2006 March 29 Total	0.38433		144 Partial from São Paulo, Brazil	2006 September 22 Annular	−0.40624
149 From Jaipur, India	2007 March 19 Partial (north)	1.07277		154 From Córdoba, Argentina	2007 September 11 Partial (south)	−1.12552

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, progressing from south to north 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	159	161	163	165
July 1, 2076

External links

• NASA Chart of the April 19 Solar Eclipse
• Science in Africa Document on April 19 Solar Eclipse, retrieved 2008-7-28
• Hybrid Eclipse of May 31: Future Eclipses, retrieved 2008-7-28