Solar eclipse of February 26, 1998

Summary

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s descending node of the orbit on Thursday, February 26, 1998. 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. Totality was visible in the Galápagos Islands, Panama, Colombia, the Paraguaná Peninsula in northwestern Venezuela, all of Aruba, most of Curaçao and the northwestern tip of Bonaire (belonging to Netherlands Antilles which dissolved later), all of Montserrat, Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda.

Solar eclipse of February 26, 1998
Total eclipse near Guadeloupe
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma0.2391
Magnitude1.0441
Maximum eclipse
Duration249 s (4 min 9 s)
Coordinates4°42′N 82°42′W / 4.7°N 82.7°W / 4.7; -82.7
Max. width of band151 km (94 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse17:29:27
References
Saros130 (51 of 73)
Catalog # (SE5000)9503

Related eclipses edit

Eclipses of 1998 edit

Solar eclipses 1997–2000 edit

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.[1]

Solar eclipse series sets from 1997 to 2000
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
120
 
Chita, Russia
1997 March 09
 
Total
0.91830 125 1997 September 02
 
Partial (south)
−1.03521
130
 
Total eclipse near Guadeloupe
1998 February 26
 
Total
0.23909 135 1998 August 22
 
Annular
−0.26441
140 1999 February 16
 
Annular
−0.47260 145
 
Totality from France
1999 August 11
 
Total
0.50623
150 2000 February 05
 
Partial (south)
−1.22325 155 2000 July 31
 
Partial (north)
1.21664

Partial solar eclipses on July 1, 2000 and December 25, 2000 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 130 edit

This eclipse is a part of Saros cycle 130, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 73 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on August 20, 1096. It contains total eclipses from April 5, 1475 through July 18, 2232. There are no annular eclipses in the series. The series ends at member 73 as a partial eclipse on October 25, 2394. The longest duration of totality was 6 minutes, 41 seconds on July 11, 1619. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon’s descending node.[2]

Series members 43–56 between 1853 and 2300
43 44 45
 
November 30, 1853
 
December 12, 1871
 
December 22, 1889
46 47 48
 
January 3, 1908
 
January 14, 1926
 
January 25, 1944
49 50 51
 
February 5, 1962
 
February 16, 1980
 
February 26, 1998 52 53 54  
March 9, 2016
 
March 20, 2034
 
March 30, 2052
55 56 57
 
April 11, 2070
 
April 21, 2088
 
May 3, 2106
58 59 60
 
May 14, 2124
 
May 25, 2142
 
June 4, 2160
61 62 63
 
June 16, 2178
 
June 26, 2196
 
July 8, 2214
64 65 66
 
July 18, 2232
 
July 30, 2250
 
August 9, 2268
67
 
August 20, 2286

Metonic cycle edit

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.

21 events between July 22, 1971 and July 22, 2047
July 21–22 May 9–11 February 26–27 December 14–15 October 2–3
116 118 120 122 124
 
July 22, 1971
 
May 11, 1975
 
February 26, 1979
 
December 15, 1982
 
October 3, 1986
126 128 130 132 134
 
July 22, 1990
 
May 10, 1994
 
February 26, 1998  
December 14, 2001
 
October 3, 2005
136 138 140 142 144
 
July 22, 2009
 
May 10, 2013
 
February 26, 2017
 
December 14, 2020
 
October 2, 2024
146 148 150 152 154
 
July 22, 2028
 
May 9, 2032
 
February 27, 2036
 
December 15, 2039
 
October 3, 2043
156
 
July 22, 2047

In popular culture edit

The 2001 Japanese film Orozco the Embalmer briefly featured the total eclipse as seen from Colombia.

Notes edit

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Saros Series catalog of solar eclipses". NASA.

References edit

  • Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
    • Google interactive map
    • Besselian elements

External links edit

Sites and Photos edit

  • Venezuela. Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site
  • Aruba. Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site
  • Solar Corona Shape
  • [1] APOD 3/11/1998, A Total Eclipse of the Sun, totality from Venezuela.
  • [2] APOD 3/12/1998, Moon Shadow satellite animation, 2/1998.
  • The 1998 Eclipse in Venezuela

Videos edit

  • Total eclipse, 1998 February 26, Venezuela
  • Aruba Eclipse - February 26, 1998
  • Maracaibo eclipse solar 1998