Solar eclipse of June 20, 1974

Last updated
Solar eclipse of June 20, 1974
Total eclipse
SE1974Jun20T.png
Map
Gamma −0.8239
Magnitude 1.0592
Maximum eclipse
Duration309 s (5 min 9 s)
Coordinates 32°06′S103°42′E / 32.1°S 103.7°E / -32.1; 103.7
Max. width of band344 km (214 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse4:48:04
References
Saros 146 (25 of 76)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9452

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Thursday, June 20, 1974, [1] with a magnitude of 1.0592. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the view 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. Occurring about 1.4 days before perigee (on June 21, 1974, at 14:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger. [2]

Contents

The path of totality passed over the Indian Ocean, Amsterdam Island, and Western Australia. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of the Malagasy Republic (today's Madagascar), Indonesia, Australia, and the southwestern coast of South Island, New Zealand. [3]

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. [4]

June 20, 1974 Solar Eclipse Times
EventTime (UTC)
First Penumbral External Contact1974 June 20 at 02:33:32.2 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1974 June 20 at 03:47:06.1 UTC
First Central Line1974 June 20 at 03:49:24.2 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1974 June 20 at 03:51:46.3 UTC
Greatest Duration1974 June 20 at 04:47:57.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1974 June 20 at 04:48:04.4 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1974 June 20 at 04:55:25.3 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1974 June 20 at 04:56:24.3 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1974 June 20 at 05:44:15.8 UTC
Last Central Line1974 June 20 at 05:46:39.4 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1974 June 20 at 05:48:59.2 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1974 June 20 at 07:02:30.3 UTC
June 20, 1974 Solar Eclipse Parameters
ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.05919
Eclipse Obscuration1.12189
Gamma−0.82388
Sun Right Ascension05h53m26.3s
Sun Declination+23°26'00.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'44.3"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension05h53m07.9s
Moon Declination+22°36'22.0"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'30.9"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°00'36.8"
ΔT44.9 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 June 1974
June 4
Ascending node (full moon)
June 20
Descending node (new moon)
Lunar eclipse chart close-1974Jun04.png SE1974Jun20T.png
Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 120
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 146

Eclipses in 1974

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 146

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 1971–1974

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. [5]

The partial solar eclipses on February 25, 1971 and August 20, 1971 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1971 to 1974
Descending node Ascending node
SarosMapGammaSarosMapGamma
116 July 22, 1971
SE1971Jul22P.png
Partial
1.513121 January 16, 1972
SE1972Jan16A.png
Annular
−0.9365
126 July 10, 1972
SE1972Jul10T.png
Total
0.6872131 January 4, 1973
SE1973Jan04A.png
Annular
−0.2644
136 June 30, 1973
SE1973Jun30T.png
Total
−0.0785141 December 24, 1973
SE1973Dec24A.png
Annular
0.4171
146 June 20, 1974
SE1974Jun20T.png
Total
−0.8239151 December 13, 1974
SE1974Dec13P.png
Partial
1.0797

Saros 146

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 146, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 76 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on September 19, 1541. It contains total eclipses from May 29, 1938 through October 7, 2154; hybrid eclipses from October 17, 2172 through November 20, 2226; and annular eclipses from November 30, 2244 through August 10, 2659. The series ends at member 76 as a partial eclipse on December 29, 2893. 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 was produced by member 26 at 5 minutes, 21 seconds on June 30, 1992, and the longest duration of annularity will be produced by member 63 at 3 minutes, 30 seconds on August 10, 2659. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit. [6]

Series members 16–37 occur between 1801 and 2200:
161718
SE1801Apr13P.png
March 13, 1812
SE1819Apr24P.png
March 24, 1830
SE1837May04P.png
April 3, 1848
192021
SE1855May16P.png
April 15, 1866
SE1873May26P.png
April 25, 1884
SE1902May07P.png
May 7, 1902
222324
SE1920May18P.png
May 18, 1920
SE1938May29T.png
May 29, 1938
SE1956Jun08T.png
June 8, 1956
252627
SE1974Jun20T.png
June 20, 1974
SE1992Jun30T.png
June 30, 1992
SE2010Jul11T.png
July 11, 2010
282930
SE2028Jul22T.png
July 22, 2028
SE2046Aug02T.png
August 2, 2046
SE2064Aug12T.png
August 12, 2064
313233
SE2082Aug24T.png
August 24, 2082
SE2100Sep04T.png
September 4, 2100
SE2118Sep15T.png
September 15, 2118
343536
SE2136Sep26T.png
September 26, 2136
SE2154Oct07T.png
October 7, 2154
SE2172Oct17H.png
October 17, 2172
37
SE2190Oct29H.png
October 29, 2190

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 7, 2170 (part of Saros 164) and November 7, 2181 (part of Saros 165) are also a part of this series but are not included in the table below.

Series members between 1801 and 2105
SE1810Sep28A.gif
September 28, 1810
(Saros 131)
SE1821Aug27A.gif
August 27, 1821
(Saros 132)
SE1832Jul27T.gif
July 27, 1832
(Saros 133)
SE1843Jun27H.gif
June 27, 1843
(Saros 134)
SE1854May26A.png
May 26, 1854
(Saros 135)
SE1865Apr25T.png
April 25, 1865
(Saros 136)
SE1876Mar25A.gif
March 25, 1876
(Saros 137)
SE1887Feb22A.png
February 22, 1887
(Saros 138)
SE1898Jan22T.png
January 22, 1898
(Saros 139)
SE1908Dec23H.png
December 23, 1908
(Saros 140)
SE1919Nov22A.png
November 22, 1919
(Saros 141)
SE1930Oct21T.png
October 21, 1930
(Saros 142)
SE1941Sep21T.png
September 21, 1941
(Saros 143)
SE1952Aug20A.png
August 20, 1952
(Saros 144)
SE1963Jul20T.png
July 20, 1963
(Saros 145)
SE1974Jun20T.png
June 20, 1974
(Saros 146)
SE1985May19P.png
May 19, 1985
(Saros 147)
SE1996Apr17P.png
April 17, 1996
(Saros 148)
SE2007Mar19P.png
March 19, 2007
(Saros 149)
SE2018Feb15P.png
February 15, 2018
(Saros 150)
SE2029Jan14P.png
January 14, 2029
(Saros 151)
SE2039Dec15T.png
December 15, 2039
(Saros 152)
SE2050Nov14P.png
November 14, 2050
(Saros 153)
SE2061Oct13A.png
October 13, 2061
(Saros 154)
SE2072Sep12T.png
September 12, 2072
(Saros 155)
SE2083Aug13P.png
August 13, 2083
(Saros 156)
SE2094Jul12P.png
July 12, 2094
(Saros 157)
Saros158 03van70 SE2105Jun12P.jpg
June 12, 2105
(Saros 158)

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
SE1829Sep28A.gif
September 28, 1829
(Saros 141)
SE1858Sep07T.png
September 7, 1858
(Saros 142)
SE1887Aug19T.png
August 19, 1887
(Saros 143)
SE1916Jul30A.png
July 30, 1916
(Saros 144)
SE1945Jul09T.png
July 9, 1945
(Saros 145)
SE1974Jun20T.png
June 20, 1974
(Saros 146)
SE2003May31A.png
May 31, 2003
(Saros 147)
SE2032May09A.png
May 9, 2032
(Saros 148)
SE2061Apr20T.png
April 20, 2061
(Saros 149)
SE2090Mar31P.png
March 31, 2090
(Saros 150)
Saros151 20van72 SE2119Mar11A.jpg
March 11, 2119
(Saros 151)
Saros152 20van70 SE2148Feb19T.jpg
February 19, 2148
(Saros 152)
Saros153 18van70 SE2177Jan29A.jpg
January 29, 2177
(Saros 153)

References

  1. "June 20, 1974 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  3. Duncombe, Julena S. (June 15, 1973). "Total Solar Eclipse of 20 June 1974". United States Naval Observatory Circular. 144: 2. Bibcode:1973USNOC.144.....D.
  4. "Total Solar Eclipse of 1974 Jun 20". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  5. 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.
  6. "NASA - Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 146". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.