Solar eclipse of August 31, 1970

Last updated
Solar eclipse of August 31, 1970
SE1970Aug31A.png
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureAnnular
Gamma −0.5364
Magnitude 0.94
Maximum eclipse
Duration407 s (6 min 47 s)
Coordinates 20°18′S164°00′W / 20.3°S 164°W / -20.3; -164
Max. width of band258 km (160 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse21:55:30
References
Saros 144 (14 of 70)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9443

An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Monday, August 31 and Tuesday, September 1, 1970, [1] with a magnitude of 0.94. 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. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 20 hours after apogee (on August 31, 1970, at 2:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller. [2]

Contents

Annularity was visible from the Territory of Papua and New Guinea (today's Papua New Guinea), Gilbert and Ellice Islands (the part that belongs to Tuvalu now) on September 1 (Tuesday), West Samoa (name changed to Samoa later) and the whole American Samoa except Swains Island on August 31 (Monday). A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Eastern Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica.

Eclipse details

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. [3]

August 31, 1970 Solar Eclipse Times
EventTime (UTC)
First Penumbral External Contact1970 August 31 at 19:00:38.3 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1970 August 31 at 20:12:19.4 UTC
First Central Line1970 August 31 at 20:15:18.7 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1970 August 31 at 20:18:19.6 UTC
Greatest Duration1970 August 31 at 21:42:42.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1970 August 31 at 21:55:29.9 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1970 August 31 at 22:01:53.6 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1970 August 31 at 22:28:51.4 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1970 August 31 at 23:32:19.4 UTC
Last Central Line1970 August 31 at 23:35:20.4 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1970 August 31 at 23:38:19.7 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1970 September 1 at 00:50:07.5 UTC
August 31, 1970 Solar Eclipse Parameters
ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.93997
Eclipse Obscuration0.88354
Gamma−0.53640
Sun Right Ascension10h38m53.2s
Sun Declination+08°32'52.7"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'50.8"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension10h37m59.0s
Moon Declination+08°07'17.6"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'42.6"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°53'59.0"
ΔT40.8 s

Eclipse season

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 August 1970
August 17
Ascending node (full moon)
August 31
Descending node (new moon)
Lunar eclipse chart close-1970Aug17.png SE1970Aug31A.png
Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 118
Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 144

Eclipses in 1970

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 144

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 1968–1971

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]

The partial solar eclipse on July 22, 1971 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1968 to 1971
Ascending node Descending node
SarosMapGammaSarosMapGamma
119 March 28, 1968
SE1968Mar28P.png
Partial
−1.037124 September 22, 1968
SE1968Sep22T.png
Total
0.9451
129 March 18, 1969
SE1969Mar18A.png
Annular
−0.2704134 September 11, 1969
SE1969Sep11A.png
Annular
0.2201
139
C72pct (4321372614).jpg
Totality in Williamston, NC
USA
March 7, 1970
SE1970Mar07T.png
Total
0.4473144 August 31, 1970
SE1970Aug31A.png
Annular
−0.5364
149 February 25, 1971
SE1971Feb25P.png
Partial
1.1188154 August 20, 1971
SE1971Aug20P.png
Partial
−1.2659

Saros 144

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 144, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 70 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on April 11, 1736. It contains annular eclipses from July 7, 1880 through August 27, 2565. There are no hybrid or total eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 70 as a partial eclipse on May 5, 2980. 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 annularity will be produced by member 51 at 9 minutes, 52 seconds on December 29, 2168. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit. [5]

Series members 5–26 occur between 1801 and 2200:
567
SE1808May25P.png
May 25, 1808
SE1826Jun05P.png
June 5, 1826
SE1844Jun16P.png
June 16, 1844
8910
SE1862Jun27P.png
June 27, 1862
SE1880Jul07A.png
July 7, 1880
SE1898Jul18A.png
July 18, 1898
111213
SE1916Jul30A.png
July 30, 1916
SE1934Aug10A.png
August 10, 1934
SE1952Aug20A.png
August 20, 1952
141516
SE1970Aug31A.png
August 31, 1970
SE1988Sep11A.png
September 11, 1988
SE2006Sep22A.png
September 22, 2006
171819
SE2024Oct02A.png
October 2, 2024
SE2042Oct14A.png
October 14, 2042
SE2060Oct24A.png
October 24, 2060
202122
SE2078Nov04A.png
November 4, 2078
SE2096Nov15A.png
November 15, 2096
SE2114Nov27A.png
November 27, 2114
232425
SE2132Dec07A.png
December 7, 2132
SE2150Dec19A.png
December 19, 2150
SE2168Dec29A.png
December 29, 2168
26
SE2187Jan09A.png
January 9, 2187

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 descending node.

22 eclipse events between April 8, 1902 and August 31, 1989
April 7–8January 24–25November 12August 31–September 1June 19–20
108110112114116
SE1902Apr08P.png
April 8, 1902
SE1913Aug31P.png
August 31, 1913
SE1917Jun19P.png
June 19, 1917
118120122124126
SE1921Apr08A.png
April 8, 1921
SE1925Jan24T.png
January 24, 1925
SE1928Nov12P.png
November 12, 1928
SE1932Aug31T.png
August 31, 1932
SE1936Jun19T.png
June 19, 1936
128130132134136
SE1940Apr07A.png
April 7, 1940
SE1944Jan25T.png
January 25, 1944
SE1947Nov12A.png
November 12, 1947
SE1951Sep01A.png
September 1, 1951
SE1955Jun20T.png
June 20, 1955
138140142144146
SE1959Apr08A.png
April 8, 1959
SE1963Jan25A.png
January 25, 1963
SE1966Nov12T.png
November 12, 1966
SE1970Aug31A.png
August 31, 1970
SE1974Jun20T.png
June 20, 1974
148150152154
SE1978Apr07P.png
April 7, 1978
SE1982Jan25P.png
January 25, 1982
SE1985Nov12T.png
November 12, 1985
SE1989Aug31P.png
August 31, 1989

Tritos series

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.

The partial solar eclipses on December 18, 2188 (part of Saros 164) and November 18, 2199 (part of Saros 165) are also a part of this series but are not included in the table below.

Series members between 1801 and 2134
SE1806Dec10A.gif
December 10, 1806
(Saros 129)
SE1817Nov09T.gif
November 9, 1817
(Saros 130)
SE1828Oct09A.gif
October 9, 1828
(Saros 131)
SE1839Sep07A.png
September 7, 1839
(Saros 132)
SE1850Aug07T.gif
August 7, 1850
(Saros 133)
SE1861Jul08A.gif
July 8, 1861
(Saros 134)
SE1872Jun06A.gif
June 6, 1872
(Saros 135)
SE1883May06T.png
May 6, 1883
(Saros 136)
SE1894Apr06H.gif
April 6, 1894
(Saros 137)
SE1905Mar06A.png
March 6, 1905
(Saros 138)
SE1916Feb03T.png
February 3, 1916
(Saros 139)
SE1927Jan03A.png
January 3, 1927
(Saros 140)
SE1937Dec02A.png
December 2, 1937
(Saros 141)
SE1948Nov01T.png
November 1, 1948
(Saros 142)
SE1959Oct02T.png
October 2, 1959
(Saros 143)
SE1970Aug31A.png
August 31, 1970
(Saros 144)
SE1981Jul31T.png
July 31, 1981
(Saros 145)
SE1992Jun30T.png
June 30, 1992
(Saros 146)
SE2003May31A.png
May 31, 2003
(Saros 147)
SE2014Apr29A.png
April 29, 2014
(Saros 148)
SE2025Mar29P.png
March 29, 2025
(Saros 149)
SE2036Feb27P.png
February 27, 2036
(Saros 150)
SE2047Jan26P.png
January 26, 2047
(Saros 151)
SE2057Dec26T.png
December 26, 2057
(Saros 152)
SE2068Nov24P.png
November 24, 2068
(Saros 153)
SE2079Oct24A.png
October 24, 2079
(Saros 154)
SE2090Sep23T.png
September 23, 2090
(Saros 155)
Saros156 06van69 SE2101Aug24P.jpg
August 24, 2101
(Saros 156)
Saros157 04van70 SE2112Jul23P.jpg
July 23, 2112
(Saros 157)
Saros158 04van70 SE2123Jun23P.jpg
June 23, 2123
(Saros 158)
Saros159 01van70 SE2134May23P.jpg
May 23, 2134
(Saros 159)

Inex series

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
SE1825Dec09H.png
December 9, 1825
(Saros 139)
SE1854Nov20H.png
November 20, 1854
(Saros 140)
SE1883Oct30A.gif
October 30, 1883
(Saros 141)
SE1912Oct10T.png
October 10, 1912
(Saros 142)
SE1941Sep21T.png
September 21, 1941
(Saros 143)
SE1970Aug31A.png
August 31, 1970
(Saros 144)
SE1999Aug11T.png
August 11, 1999
(Saros 145)
SE2028Jul22T.png
July 22, 2028
(Saros 146)
SE2057Jul01A.png
July 1, 2057
(Saros 147)
SE2086Jun11T.png
June 11, 2086
(Saros 148)
SE2115May24T.png
May 24, 2115
(Saros 149)
Saros150 24van71 SE2144May03A.jpg
May 3, 2144
(Saros 150)
Saros151 23van72 SE2173Apr12A.jpg
April 12, 2173
(Saros 151)

Notes

  1. "August 31–September 1, 1970 Annular Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  3. "Annular Solar Eclipse of 1970 Aug 31". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  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. "NASA - Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 144". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.

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References