| Solar eclipse of March 20, 2015 | |
|---|---|
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Map
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| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | 0.9454 |
| Magnitude | 1.0445 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 2m 47s |
| Coordinates | 64.4N 6.6W |
| Max. width of band | 463 km |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 9:46:47 |
| References | |
| Saros | 120 (61 of 71) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9541 |
A total solar eclipse will occur on March 20, 2015. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially 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, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the Earth, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible over a region thousands of kilometres wide.
It will have a magnitude of 1.045. The longest duration of totality will be 2 minutes 47 seconds off the coast of the Faroe Islands. It is the last solar eclipse visible in Europe until the eclipse of August 12, 2026. [1]
At the end of its path, the shadow of the Moon rises from the Earth's surface to space at the north pole. As March 20 is the vernal equinox, the eclipse occurs as the Sun rises at the north pole for the first time in six months, ending the winter polar night.
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A total lunar eclipse will follow on April 4, 2015, visible over Australia, and the Pacific coast of Asia and North America.
This set of solar eclipses repeat approximately every 177 days and 4 hours at alternating nodes of the moon's orbit.
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | March 20, 2015 Total |
125 | September 13, 2015 Partial |
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| 130 | March 9, 2016 Total |
135 | September 1, 2016 Annular |
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| 140 | February 26, 2017 Annular |
145 | August 21, 2017 Total |
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| 150 | February 15, 2018 Partial |
155 | August 11, 2018 Partial |
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| Partial solar eclipses on July 13, 2018 and January 6, 2019 occur on the next lunar year eclipse set. | ||||||
It is a part of Saros cycle 120, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 27, 933 AD, and reached an annular eclipse on August 11, 1059. It was a hybrid event for 3 dates: May 8, 1510, through May 29, 1546, and total eclipses from June 8, 1564 through March 30, 2033. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 7, 2195. The longest duration of totality was 2 minutes, 16 seconds on August 12, 1654.[2]
Series members 55-65 occur between 1901 and 2100:
| 55 | 56 | 57 |
|---|---|---|
January 14, 1907 |
January 24, 1925 |
February 4, 1943 |
| 58 | 59 | 60 |
February 15, 1961 |
February 26, 1979 |
March 9, 1997 |
| 61 | 62 | 63 |
March 20, 2015 |
March 30, 2033 |
April 11, 2051 |
| 64 | 65 | |
April 21, 2069 |
May 2, 2087 |
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).
This series has 21 eclipse events between June 1, 2011 and June 1, 2087.
| May 31 – June 1 | March 20 | January 5–6 | October 24–25 | August 12–13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 118 | 119 | 121 | 123 | 125 |
June 1, 2011 |
March 20, 2015 |
January 6, 2019 |
October 25, 2022 |
August 12, 2026 |
| 128 | 129 | 131 | 133 | 135 |
June 1, 2030 |
March 20, 2034 |
January 5, 2038 |
October 25, 2041 |
August 12, 2045 |
| 138 | 139 | 141 | 143 | 145 |
May 31, 2049 |
March 20, 2053 |
January 5, 2057 |
October 24, 2060 |
August 12, 2064 |
| 148 | 149 | 151 | 153 | 155 |
May 31, 2068 |
March 19, 2072 |
January 6, 2076 |
October 24, 2079 |
August 13, 2083 |
| 157 | ||||
June 1, 2087 |
