Solar eclipse of November 23, 2003

A total solar eclipse took place on Sunday, November 23, 2003,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0379. 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 total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. It was visible from a corridor in the Antarctic region. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including the southern tip of South America and most of Australia.

Solar eclipse of November 23, 2003
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma−0.9638
Magnitude1.0379
Maximum eclipse
Duration117 s (1 min 57 s)
Coordinates72°42′S 88°24′E / 72.7°S 88.4°E / -72.7; 88.4
Max. width of band495 km (308 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse22:50:22
References
Saros152 (12 of 70)
Catalog # (SE5000)9516

For most solar eclipses the path of totality moves eastwards. In this case the path moved south and then west round Antarctica.

Images edit

 
Animated map

 
A photo of the eclipse.

Related eclipses edit

Eclipses of 2003 edit

Solar eclipses 2000–2003 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.[2]

Partial solar eclipses on February 5, 2000 and July 31, 2000 occur in the previous lunar year set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2000 to 2003
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
117 2000 July 01
 
Partial (south)
−1.28214 122 2000 December 25
 
Partial (north)
1.13669
127
 
Totality from Lusaka, Zambia
2001 June 21
 
Total
−0.57013 132
 
Partial from Minneapolis, MN
2001 December 14
 
Annular
0.40885
137
 
Partial from Los Angeles, CA
2002 June 10
 
Annular
0.19933 142
 
Totality from Woomera
2002 December 04
 
Total
−0.30204
147
 
Culloden, Scotland
2003 May 31
 
Annular
0.99598 152 2003 November 23
 
Total
−0.96381

Saros 152 edit

Solar saros 152, repeating every about 18 years and 11 days, contains 70 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on July 26, 1805. It has total eclipses from November 2, 1967, to September 14, 2490; hybrid eclipses from September 26, 2508, to October 17, 2544; and annular eclipses from October 29, 2562, to June 16, 2941. The series ends at member 70 as a partial eclipse on August 20, 3049. The longest total eclipse will occur on June 9, 2328, at 5 minutes and 15 seconds; the longest annular eclipse will occur on February 16, 2743, at 5 minutes and 20 seconds.[3]

Series members 7–17 occur between 1901 and 2100:
7 8 9
 
September 30, 1913
 
October 11, 1931
 
October 21, 1949
10 11 12
 
November 2, 1967
 
November 12, 1985
 
November 23, 2003
13 14 15
 
December 4, 2021
 
December 15, 2039
 
December 26, 2057
16 17
 
January 6, 2076
 
January 16, 2094

Metonic series 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.

22 eclipse events between September 12, 1931 and July 1, 2011.
September 11-12 June 30-July 1 April 17-19 February 4-5 November 22-23
114 116 118 120 122
 
September 12, 1931
 
June 30, 1935
 
April 19, 1939
 
February 4, 1943
 
November 23, 1946
124 126 128 130 132
 
September 12, 1950
 
June 30, 1954
 
April 19, 1958
 
February 5, 1962
 
November 23, 1965
134 136 138 140 142
 
September 11, 1969
 
June 30, 1973
 
April 18, 1977
 
February 4, 1981
 
November 22, 1984
144 146 148 150 152
 
September 11, 1988
 
June 30, 1992
 
April 17, 1996
 
February 5, 2000
 
November 23, 2003
154 156
 
September 11, 2007
 
July 1, 2011

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Eclipse of sun viewed on Antarctic for first time". Whitehorse Daily Star. 2003-11-24. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-10-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses NASA Eclipse Web Site.

References edit

Photos: