A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Thursday, June 21, 2001,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0495. It was the first solar eclipse of the 21st century. 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 totalsolar 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 2.25 days before perigee (on June 23, 2001, at 18:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
Many people traveled to Africa to watch the eclipse;[3] [4] [5] the Daily Telegraph reported that "while some tribesmen watch a celestial crocodile eating the sun, the modern African will be counting the cash brought in by thousands of visitors".[6]
It was visible from a narrow corridor in the southern Atlantic Ocean and southern Africa, including Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the southern tip of Malawi, and Madagascar. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including eastern South America and most of Africa.
Within the path of totality, Angola got the best conditions with the highest solar zenith angle, longest duration and largest chance of clear weather. Sumbe, capital of Cuanza Sul Province, where the path first touched land, was the best in Angola with 4 minutes and 34 seconds of totality. However, the Angolan Civil War[7] prevented many from traveling to the county, and only about 500 people observed the eclipse there. Besides tourists, there were also scientists from the United States, France, Brazil, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Hungary.[8]
Zambia, though inferior to its neighbouring country Angola in the chance of clear weather, attracted many scientists and tourists due to its stable political situation and also the fact that its capital city Lusaka was also located within the path of totality.[7] The Zambian government made it a national holiday with one day off, and ZamPost also issues special postage stamps and first-day covers.[9] Scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea and China observed it in Zambia.[9] The Chinese Academy of Sciences sent a team of 6 people, carrying 3 gravimeters, 2 nuclear gyromagnetometers, 4 digital acquisition systems and recording systems to study the gravity anomalies recorded by Indian scientists during the total solar eclipse of October 24, 1995, and by Chinese scientists during the total solar eclipse of March 9, 1997, in Mohe County.[10] [11] With continuous observation for more than 10 years after that, China obtained the first observational evidence that the gravity field propagates at the speed of light.[12]
Besides the eclipse, the day was also the June solstice (winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere where the path of totality passed) when the sun was at the northernmost limit. It was also the closest approach of Mars since 1988.[13]
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.[14]
| First Penumbral External Contact | 2001 June 21 at 09:34:04.6 UTC | |
| First Umbral External Contact | 2001 June 21 at 10:37:00.4 UTC | |
| First Central Line | 2001 June 21 at 10:38:10.0 UTC | |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 2001 June 21 at 10:39:19.9 UTC | |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 2001 June 21 at 11:58:49.4 UTC | |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 2001 June 21 at 11:58:54.2 UTC | |
| Greatest Eclipse | 2001 June 21 at 12:04:46.3 UTC | |
| Greatest Duration | 2001 June 21 at 12:07:11.5 UTC | |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 2001 June 21 at 13:30:14.3 UTC | |
| Last Central Line | 2001 June 21 at 13:31:26.2 UTC | |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 2001 June 21 at 13:32:37.9 UTC | |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 2001 June 21 at 14:35:26.2 UTC |
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.04954 | |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.10153 | |
| Gamma | −0.57013 | |
| Sun Right Ascension | 06h00m46.1s | |
| Sun Declination | +23°26'18.2" | |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'44.3" | |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" | |
| Moon Right Ascension | 06h01m00.5s | |
| Moon Declination | +22°52'27.2" | |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'17.6" | |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°59'47.9" | |
| ΔT | 64.2 s |
See also: Eclipse cycle. 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.
Photos: