Solar eclipse of June 30, 1973

Solar eclipse of June 30, 1973
Map
Type of eclipse
Nature Total
Gamma -0.0785
Magnitude 1.0792
Maximum eclipse
Duration 424 sec (7 m 4 s)
Coordinates 18°48′N 5°36′E / 18.8°N 5.6°E
Max. width of band 256 km (159 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse 11:38:41
References
Saros 136 (35 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9450

A total solar eclipse occurred on June 30, 1973. 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. 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. With a maximum eclipse of 7 minutes and 4 seconds, this was the last total solar eclipse that exceeds 7 minutes in this series. There aren't any longer total solar eclipse until June 25, 2150.

Observations

This eclipse was observed by a group of scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory using two airplanes to extend the apparent time of totality by flying along the eclipse path in the same direction as the Moon's shadow as it passed over Africa. One of the planes was a prototype of what later became the Concorde, which has a top speed of almost 1,300 miles per hour (2,100 km/h). This enabled the scientists to experience a period of totality that lasted more than 74 minutes, nearly 10 times longer than is possible when viewing a total solar eclipse from a stationary location.[1]

The eclipse was also observed by a charter flight from Mount San Antonio College in Southern California. The DC-8 with 150 passengers intercepted the eclipse at 35,000 feet (11,000 m) just off the east coast of Africa and tracked the eclipse for three minutes. The passengers rotated seats every 20 seconds so that each passenger had three 20 second opportunities at the window to observe and take pictures.

Related eclipses

Solar eclipses of 1971-1974

Each member 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.

Note: Partial solar eclipses on February 25, 1971 and August 20, 1971 occur in the next lunar year set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1971-1974
Descending node   Ascending node
SarosMap SarosMap
116
July 22, 1971
Partial		 121
January 16, 1972
Annular
126
July 10, 1972
Total		 131
January 4, 1973
Annular
136
June 30, 1973
Total		 141
December 24, 1973
Annular
146
June 20, 1974
Total		 151
December 13, 1974
Partial

Saros 136

Solar Saros 136, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, contains 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on Jun 14, 1360, and reached a first annular eclipse on September 8, 1504. It was a hybrid event from November 22, 1612, through January 17, 1703, and total eclipses from January 27, 1721 through May 13, 2496. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 30, 2622, with the entire series lasting 1262 years. The longest eclipse occurred on June 20, 1955, with a maximum duration of totality at 7 minutes, 8 seconds.[2]

Series members 29–42 occur between 1865 and 2100:

28 29 30

April 25, 1865
May 6, 1883
31 32 33

May 18, 1901
May 29, 1919
Jun 8, 1937
34 35 36

Jun 20, 1955
Jun 30, 1973
Jul 11, 1991
37 38 39

Jul 22, 2009
Aug 2, 2027
Aug 12, 2045
40 41 42

Aug. 24, 2063
Sep. 3, 2081
Sep. 14, 2099

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).

This series has 22 eclipse events between September 12, 1931 and July 1, 2011.

September 11-12 June 30-July 1 April 18-19 February 4-5 November 22-23
114 116 118 120 122

September 12, 1931
June 30, 1935
April 19, 1939
February 4, 1943
November 23, 1946
124 126 128 130 132

September 12, 1950
June 30, 1954
April 19, 1958
February 5, 1962
November 23, 1965
134 136 138 140 142

September 11, 1969
June 30, 1973
April 18, 1977
February 4, 1981
November 22, 1984
144 146 148 150 152

September 11, 1988
June 30, 1992
April 17, 1996
February 5, 2000
November 23, 2003
154 156

September 11, 2007
July 1, 2011

Notes

  1. ↑ Mulkin, Barb (1981). "In Flight: The Story of Los Alamos Eclipse Missions" (PDF). Los Alamos National Laboratory. p. 42. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
  2. ↑ SEsaros136 at NASA.gov

References

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