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Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020

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Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020
Totality as viewed from Gorbea, Chile
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma−0.2939
Magnitude1.0254
Maximum eclipse
Duration130 s (2 min 10 s)
Coordinates40°18′S 67°54′W / 40.3°S 67.9°W / -40.3; -67.9
Max. width of band90 km (56 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse16:14:39
References
Saros142 (23 of 72)
Catalog # (SE5000)9554

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of orbit on Monday, December 14, 2020,[1][2][3][4][5][6] with a magnitude of 1.0254. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's and the apparent path of the Sun and Moon intersect, blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness; the Sun appears to be black with a halo around it. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 1.8 days after perigee (on December 12, 2020, at 20:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[7]

Totality was visible from parts of southern Chile and Argentina. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of central and southern South America, Southern Africa, and Antarctica. A total solar eclipse crossed a similar region of the Earth about a year and a half earlier on July 2, 2019.

Visibility

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Animated path

Chile

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Totality made landfall in Puerto Saavedra, before traversing through portions of Araucanía Region, Los Ríos Region, and a very small part of Bío Bío Region.[8] Cities in the path included Temuco, Villarrica, and Pucón. Totality was also visible on Mocha Island. The eclipse's path was similar to the solar eclipse of February 26, 2017. It occurred just 17 months after the solar eclipse of July 2, 2019 and, like the 2019 eclipse, was also visible from Chile and Argentina. It was also a partial solar eclipse in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Argentina

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Totality was visible across the Northern Patagonia (specifically the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro), passing through cities including Piedra del Águila, Sierra Colorada, Ministro Ramos Mexía, Junín de los Andes, and partially in San Martín de los Andes and San Carlos de Bariloche.

Scientific observations

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The ionospheric effects of the eclipse were expected to be monitored as part of the December 2020 Eclipse Festival of Frequency Measurement, a citizen science experiment organized through the Amateur Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI).[9] Also, a prediction was made for a group of ionospheric stations in South America, using a numerical model (SUPIM-INPE), of the ionospheric response to this event.[10]

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Eclipse details

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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.[11]

December 14, 2020 Solar Eclipse Times
Event Time (UTC)
First Penumbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 13:35:04.2 UTC
First Umbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 14:33:44.2 UTC
First Central Line 2020 December 14 at 14:34:00.3 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 14:34:16.4 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 15:38:01.7 UTC
Greatest Eclipse 2020 December 14 at 16:14:39.4 UTC
Greatest Duration 2020 December 14 at 16:14:45.1 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction 2020 December 14 at 16:17:44.3 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction 2020 December 14 at 16:19:21.9 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 16:51:09.2 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 17:55:01.7 UTC
Last Central Line 2020 December 14 at 17:55:15.8 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 17:55:29.8 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 18:54:16.8 UTC
December 14, 2020 Solar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Eclipse Magnitude 1.02536
Eclipse Obscuration 1.05136
Gamma −0.29394
Sun Right Ascension 17h30m05.9s
Sun Declination -23°15'32.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter 16'14.9"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9"
Moon Right Ascension 17h29m54.3s
Moon Declination -23°32'58.8"
Moon Semi-Diameter 16'23.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°00'10.4"
ΔT 70.2 s

Eclipse season

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This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) 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.

Eclipse season of November–December 2020
November 30
Ascending node (full moon)
December 14
Descending node (new moon)
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 116
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 142
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This eclipse took place one lunar year after the Solar eclipse of December 26, 2019.

Eclipses in 2020

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Metonic

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Tzolkinex

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Half-Saros

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Tritos

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Solar Saros 142

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Inex

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Triad

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Solar eclipses of 2018–2021

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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.[12]

The partial solar eclipses on February 15, 2018 and August 11, 2018 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2018 to 2021
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
117

Partial in Melbourne, Australia
July 13, 2018

Partial
−1.35423 122

Partial in Nakhodka, Russia
January 6, 2019

Partial
1.14174
127

Totality in La Serena, Chile
July 2, 2019

Total
−0.64656 132

Annularity in Jaffna, Sri Lanka
December 26, 2019

Annular
0.41351
137

Annularity in Beigang, Yunlin, Taiwan
June 21, 2020

Annular
0.12090 142

Totality in Gorbea, Chile
December 14, 2020

Total
−0.29394
147

Partial in Halifax, Canada
June 10, 2021

Annular
0.91516 152

From HMS Protector off South Georgia
December 4, 2021

Total
−0.95261

Saros 142

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This eclipse is a part of Saros series 142, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on April 17, 1624. It contains a hybrid eclipse on July 14, 1768, and total eclipses from July 25, 1786 through October 29, 2543. There are no annular eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 72 as a partial eclipse on June 5, 2904. 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 totality will be produced by member 38 at 6 minutes, 34 seconds on May 28, 2291. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[13]

Series members 11–32 occur between 1801 and 2200:
11 12 13

August 5, 1804

August 16, 1822

August 27, 1840
14 15 16

September 7, 1858

September 17, 1876

September 29, 1894
17 18 19

October 10, 1912

October 21, 1930

November 1, 1948
20 21 22

November 12, 1966

November 22, 1984

December 4, 2002
23 24 25

December 14, 2020

December 26, 2038

January 5, 2057
26 27 28

January 16, 2075

January 27, 2093

February 8, 2111
29 30 31

February 18, 2129

March 2, 2147

March 12, 2165
32

March 23, 2183

Metonic series

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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 eclipse events between July 22, 1971 and July 22, 2047
July 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

Tritos series

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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.

Series members between 1801 and 2200

August 28, 1802
(Saros 122)

July 27, 1813
(Saros 123)

June 26, 1824
(Saros 124)

May 27, 1835
(Saros 125)

April 25, 1846
(Saros 126)

March 25, 1857
(Saros 127)

February 23, 1868
(Saros 128)

January 22, 1879
(Saros 129)

December 22, 1889
(Saros 130)

November 22, 1900
(Saros 131)

October 22, 1911
(Saros 132)

September 21, 1922
(Saros 133)

August 21, 1933
(Saros 134)

July 20, 1944
(Saros 135)

June 20, 1955
(Saros 136)

May 20, 1966
(Saros 137)

April 18, 1977
(Saros 138)

March 18, 1988
(Saros 139)

February 16, 1999
(Saros 140)

January 15, 2010
(Saros 141)

December 14, 2020
(Saros 142)

November 14, 2031
(Saros 143)

October 14, 2042
(Saros 144)

September 12, 2053
(Saros 145)

August 12, 2064
(Saros 146)

July 13, 2075
(Saros 147)

June 11, 2086
(Saros 148)

May 11, 2097
(Saros 149)

April 11, 2108
(Saros 150)

March 11, 2119
(Saros 151)

February 8, 2130
(Saros 152)

January 8, 2141
(Saros 153)

December 8, 2151
(Saros 154)

November 7, 2162
(Saros 155)

October 7, 2173
(Saros 156)

September 4, 2184
(Saros 157)

August 5, 2195
(Saros 158)

Inex series

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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.

Series members between 1801 and 2200

May 5, 1818
(Saros 135)

April 15, 1847
(Saros 136)

March 25, 1876
(Saros 137)

March 6, 1905
(Saros 138)

February 14, 1934
(Saros 139)

January 25, 1963
(Saros 140)

January 4, 1992
(Saros 141)

December 14, 2020
(Saros 142)

November 25, 2049
(Saros 143)

November 4, 2078
(Saros 144)

October 16, 2107
(Saros 145)

September 26, 2136
(Saros 146)

September 5, 2165
(Saros 147)

August 16, 2194
(Saros 148)

References

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  1. ^ "December 14, 2020 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. ^ Urrutia, Doris Elin (December 14, 2020). "Only total solar eclipse of 2020 thrills spectators in South America". Space.com.
  3. ^ "Thousands watch solar eclipse in Chile but fog and clouds mar view". December 14, 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
  4. ^ "Daytime darkness: Total solar eclipse wows in Latin America". www.spokesman.com.
  5. ^ "Solar eclipse plunges parts of Chile, Argentina into darkness for two minutes". France 24. December 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Cappucci, Matthew (December 14, 2020). "Year's only total solar eclipse swept across Chile, Argentina today". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ^ Garcia, Richard (30 December 2018). "Chile será protagonista de tres eclipses totales de Sol consecutivos por primera vez". EyN (in Spanish).
  9. ^ "December 2020 Eclipse Festival of Frequency Measurement". HamSCI.
  10. ^ Martínez‐Ledesma, M.; Bravo, M.; Urra, B.; Souza, J.; Foppiano, A. (2020). "Prediction of the Ionospheric Response to the 14 December 2020 Total Solar Eclipse Using SUPIM-INPE". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 125 (11): e2020JA028625. Bibcode:2020JGRA..12528625M. doi:10.1029/2020JA028625. S2CID 228824043.
  11. ^ "Total Solar Eclipse of 2020 Dec 14". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "NASA - Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 142". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
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