Solar eclipse of January 15, 1991

Summary

An annular solar eclipse occurred on January 15–16, 1991. 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. Annularity was visible in southwestern Western Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and French Polynesia. It was visible over Australia as a partial solar eclipse at sunrise on January 16. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Solar eclipse of January 15, 1991
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureAnnular
Gamma−0.2727
Magnitude0.929
Maximum eclipse
Duration473 s (7 min 53 s)
Coordinates36°24′S 170°24′W / 36.4°S 170.4°W / -36.4; -170.4
Max. width of band277 km (172 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse23:53:51
References
Saros131 (49 of 70)
Catalog # (SE5000)9488

Images edit

 

Related eclipses edit

Eclipses of 1991 edit

Solar eclipses of 1990–1992 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.[11] This semester series contains only 7 eclipses.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1990 to 1992
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
111 1989 February 6 −1.56550 116 1989 August 1 1.58396
121 1990 January 26
 
Annular
−0.94571 126 1990 July 22
 
Total
0.75972
131 1991 January 15
 
Annular
−0.27275 136
 
From Playas del Coco
1991 July 11
 
Total
−0.00412
141 1992 January 4
 
Annular
0.40908 146 1992 June 30
 
Total
−0.75120
151 1992 December 24
 
Partial
1.07106 156 1993 June 20 −1.56439

Saros 131 edit

It is a part of Saros cycle 131, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 70 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on August 1, 1125. It contains total eclipses from March 27, 1522 through May 30, 1612 and hybrid eclipses from June 10, 1630 through July 24, 1702, and annular eclipses from August 4, 1720 through June 18, 2243. The series ends at member 70 as a partial eclipse on September 2, 2369. The longest duration of totality was only 58 seconds on May 30, 1612. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon’s ascending node.

Series members 33–70 occur between 1702 and 2369
33 34 35
 
July 24, 1702
 
August 4, 1720
 
August 15, 1738
36 37 38
 
August 25, 1756
 
September 6, 1774
 
September 16, 1792
39 40 41
 
September 28, 1810
 
October 9, 1828
 
October 20, 1846
42 43 44
 
October 30, 1864
 
November 10, 1882
 
November 22, 1900
45 46 47
 
December 3, 1918
 
December 13, 1936
 
December 25, 1954
48 49 50
 
January 4, 1973
 
January 15, 1991  
January 26, 2009
51 52 53
 
February 6, 2027
 
February 16, 2045
 
February 28, 2063
54 55 56
 
March 10, 2081
 
March 21, 2099
 
April 2, 2117
57 58 59
 
April 13, 2135
 
April 23, 2153
 
May 5, 2171
60 61 62
 
May 15, 2189
 
May 27, 2207
 
June 6, 2225
63 64 65
 
June 18, 2243
 
June 28, 2261
 
July 9, 2279
66 67 68
 
July 20, 2297
 
August 1, 2315
 
August 11, 2333
69 70
 
August 22, 2351
 
September 2, 2369

Tritos series edit

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.

Metonic series 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 ascending node.

21 eclipse events, progressing from south to north between June 10, 1964, and August 21, 2036
June 10–11 March 27–29 January 15–16 November 3 August 21–22
117 119 121 123 125
 
June 10, 1964
 
March 28, 1968
 
January 16, 1972
 
November 3, 1975
 
August 22, 1979
127 129 131 133 135
 
June 11, 1983
 
March 29, 1987
 
January 15, 1991  
November 3, 1994
 
August 22, 1998
137 139 141 143 145
 
June 10, 2002
 
March 29, 2006
 
January 15, 2010
 
November 3, 2013
 
August 21, 2017
147 149 151 153 155
 
June 10, 2021
 
March 29, 2025
 
January 14, 2029
 
November 3, 2032
 
August 21, 2036

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Hoy, eclipse anular de sol y luna nueva". El Nuevo Herald. Miami, Florida. 1991-01-15. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Marshfield area weather". Marshfield News-Herald. Marshfield, Wisconsin. 1991-01-15. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "AstroData". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. 1991-01-15. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "'Serious' Southland quake predicted". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. 1991-01-15. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Dread as eclipse blots out the sun". Birmingham Evening Mail. Birmingham, West Midlands, England. 1991-01-16. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Eye protection essential to watch solar eclipse". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia. 1991-01-16. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Solar eclipse ominous sign". Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. 1991-01-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Eclipse further darkens mood in New Zealand". The Sault Star. Sault St. Marie, Ontario, Canada. 1991-01-16. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Kiwis view ancient omen of doom". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 1991-01-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Visitor's Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia. 1991-01-16. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ 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.

References edit

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