List of solar eclipses visible from China

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This list of solar eclipses seen from China describes precise visibility information for solar eclipses and major cities in China.

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A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring Earth's view of the Sun. Eclipses can be total, annular, or partial. The zone of a total eclipse where the sky appears dark is often just a few miles wide. This is known as the path of totality.

An eclipse that is "visible from Asia" in general terms might not be visible at all at a specific location. E.g., parts of Sri Lanka may fall into darkness for a few seconds, people in Indonesia, India, and Pakistan enjoy the partial eclipse, and Beijing may be too far away to fall under the Moon's shadow.

Occasionally a major city lies in the direct path of an annular or total eclipse, which is of great interest to astronomy buffs – some people make travel arrangements years in advance to observe eclipses. Nearly two-thirds of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans, thus a total eclipse at a major metropolitan area where hotels and amenities are available is an event of considerable interest.

Eclipses were of great interest to ancient Chinese astronomers, who viewed them as omens. Many are recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals and in the Twenty-Four Histories, which has been helpful to historians in assigning absolute dates to events from Chinese history.

Eclipses between 1801 and 2200

Last and next eclipses for major cities

NameGeographical coordinateTotalAnnular
LastNextLastNext
Beijing 39°54.4′N116°23.5′E / 39.9067°N 116.3917°E / 39.9067; 116.3917 1277 Oct 28 2035 Sep 02 2020 Jun 21 2118 Mar 22
Shanghai 31°13.9′N121°28.2′E / 31.2317°N 121.4700°E / 31.2317; 121.4700 2009 Jul 22 2309 Jun 09 1987 Sep 23 2312 Apr 07
Tianjin 39°07.5′N117°11.7′E / 39.1250°N 117.1950°E / 39.1250; 117.1950 1277 Oct 28 2187 Jul 06 1802 Aug 28 2118 Mar 22
Chongqing 29°33.6′N106°34.4′E / 29.5600°N 106.5733°E / 29.5600; 106.5733 2009 Jul 22 2241 Aug 08 2010 Jan 15 2429 Jul 02
Hong Kong 22°17.0′N114°09.0′E / 22.2833°N 114.1500°E / 22.2833; 114.1500 1814 Jul 17  [ zh ] 2881 Mar 21 2012 May 21 2320 May 9
Macau 22°12.0′N113°33.0′E / 22.2000°N 113.5500°E / 22.2000; 113.5500 1814 Jul 17  [ zh ] 2881 Mar 21 2012 May 21 2685 March 27

Eclipses between 1001 and 3000 for major cities

Chinese people observing an eclipse in the early 19th century Sargent print of solar eclipse in China.png
Chinese people observing an eclipse in the early 19th century
August 2008 solar eclipse as seen from Yiwu County Corona.jpg
August 2008 solar eclipse as seen from Yiwu County
July 2009 solar eclipse, as seen partial from Yunnan Province Partial Sun Eclipse in Yunnan Province P.R.China.JPG
July 2009 solar eclipse, as seen partial from Yunnan Province

Beijing

Shanghai

Tianjin

Chongqing

Last and next eclipses for Hong Kong

Last and next eclipses for Macau