Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020

Last updated
Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020
Eclipse total Gorbea 2020.jpg
Totality as viewed from Gorbea, Chile
SE2020Dec14T.png
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma -0.2939
Magnitude 1.0254
Maximum eclipse
Duration130 sec (2 m 10 s)
Coordinates 40°18′S67°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
Saros 142 (23 of 72)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9554

A total solar eclipse took place on Monday, December 14, 2020, when the Moon passed between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. Totality occurred in a narrow path across Earth's surface across parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean, when the Moon's apparent diameter was larger than the Sun's so all direct sunlight was blocked. The partial solar eclipse was visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide, including parts of the Pacific Ocean, South America, southwestern Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Moon's apparent diameter was larger than average because the eclipse occurred only 1.8 days after perigee (on December 12, 2020).

Contents

Visibility

Animated path SE2020Dec14T.gif
Animated path

Chile

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. [1] 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

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

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). [2] 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. [3]

This eclipse took place one lunar year after the Solar eclipse of December 26, 2019.

Eclipses of 2020

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros cycle

Tritos

Solar Saros 142

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 2018–2021

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]

Note: Partial solar eclipses on February 15, 2018, and August 11, 2018, occurred during the previous semester series.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2018–2021
Ascending node Descending node
SarosMapGammaSarosMapGamma
117
Eclipse (41629136430).jpg
Partial from Melbourne, Australia
2018 July 13
SE2018Jul13P.png
Partial
-1.35423122
Solar eclipse of January 6, 2019 in Nakhodka, Primorsky Krai.jpg
Partial from Nakhodka, Russia
2019 January 6
SE2019Jan06P.png
Partial
1.14174
127
20190702 Totality LaSerena Chile.jpg
La Serena, Chile
2019 July 2
SE2019Jul02T.png
Total
-0.64656132
Annular Solar Eclipse in Jaffna - 26 December 2019 (1).jpg
Jaffna, Sri Lanka
2019 December 26
SE2019Dec26A.png
Annular
0.41351
137
Solar eclipse of 21 June 2020 in Beigang, Yunlin, Taiwan.jpg
Beigang, Yunlin, Taiwan
2020 June 21
SE2020Jun21A.png
Annular
0.12090142
Eclipse total Gorbea 2020.jpg
Gorbea, Chile
2020 December 14
SE2020Dec14T.png
Total
-0.29394
147
Sun - 2021.06.10 Partial Solar Eclipse 2 (51238095123).jpg
Huittinen, Finland
2021 June 10
SE2021Jun10A.png
Annular
0.91516152

Totality from 76°46.6’S, 046°13.9’W
2021 December 4
SE2021Dec04T.png
Total
-0.95261

Saros 142

It is a part of Saros cycle 142, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 72 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on April 17, 1624. It contains one hybrid eclipse on July 14, 1768, and total eclipses from July 25, 1786 through October 29, 2543. The series ends at member 72 as a partial eclipse on June 5, 2904. The longest duration of totality will be 6 minutes, 34 seconds on May 28, 2291. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon’s descending node. [5]

Series members 17–41 occur between 1901 and 2359
171819
SE1912Oct10T.png
October 10, 1912
SE1930Oct21T.png
October 21, 1930
SE1948Nov01T.png
November 1, 1948
202122
SE1966Nov12T.png
November 12, 1966
SE1984Nov22T.png
November 22, 1984
SE2002Dec04T.png
December 4, 2002
232425
SE2020Dec14T.png
December 14, 2020
SE2038Dec26T.png
December 26, 2038
SE2057Jan05T.png
January 5, 2057
262728
SE2075Jan16T.png
January 16, 2075
SE2093Jan27T.png
January 27, 2093
SE2111Feb08T.png
February 8, 2111
293031
SE2129Feb18T.png
February 18, 2129
SE2147Mar02T.png
March 2, 2147
SE2165Mar12T.png
March 12, 2165
323334
SE2183Mar23T.png
March 23, 2183
SE2201Apr04T.png
April 4, 2201
SE2219Apr15T.png
April 15, 2219
353637
SE2237Apr25T.png
April 25, 2237
SE2255May07T.png
May 7, 2255
SE2273May17T.png
May 17, 2273
383940
SE2291May28T.png
May 28, 2291
SE2309Jun09T.png
June 9, 2309
SE2327Jun20T.png
June 20, 2327
41
SE2345Jun30T.png
June 30, 2345

Metonic cycle

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 21–22May 9–11February 26–27December 14–15October 2–3
106108110112114
July 21, 1952May 10, 1956February 26, 1960December 16, 1963October 3, 1967
116118120122124
SE1971Jul22P.png
July 22, 1971
SE1975May11P.png
May 11, 1975
SE1979Feb26T.png
February 26, 1979
SE1982Dec15P.png
December 15, 1982
SE1986Oct03H.png
October 3, 1986
126128130132134
SE1990Jul22T.png
July 22, 1990
SE1994May10A.png
May 10, 1994
SE1998Feb26T.png
February 26, 1998
SE2001Dec14A.png
December 14, 2001
SE2005Oct03A.png
October 3, 2005
136138140142144
SE2009Jul22T.png
July 22, 2009
SE2013May10A.png
May 10, 2013
SE2017Feb26A.png
February 26, 2017
SE2020Dec14T.png
December 14, 2020
SE2024Oct02A.png
October 2, 2024
146148150152154
SE2028Jul22T.png
July 22, 2028
SE2032May09A.png
May 9, 2032
SE2036Feb27P.png
February 27, 2036
SE2039Dec15T.png
December 15, 2039
SE2043Oct03A.png
October 3, 2043
156
SE2047Jul22P.png
July 22, 2047

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References

  1. Garcia, Richard (30 December 2018). "Chile será protagonista de tres eclipses totales de Sol consecutivos por primera vez". EyN (in Spanish).
  2. "December 2020 Eclipse Festival of Frequency Measurement". HamSCI.
  3. 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.
  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.
  5. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros142.html