Solar eclipse of May 1, 2079 explained

A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 1, 2079,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0512. 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. Occurring about 1.2 days before perigee (on May 2, 2079, at 14:45 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]

The path of totality will be visible from parts of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in the United States, eastern Canada (including Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island), and Greenland. A partial solar eclipse will also be visible for parts of eastern North America, the eastern Caribbean, Northwest Africa, Europe, and much of Russia.

This will be the first total eclipse visible from New York City since January 24, 1925, and unlike the previous eclipse, the city will experience totality across the entire city limits.

Visible cities

The path of totality will start in eastern Pennsylvania. A total eclipse will be visible along the path of Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford, Providence, Rhode Island, Boston, and Portland, Maine in the United States. Partial eclipses will be visible in Charlotte, Richmond, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Buffalo. In Canada, the total eclipse can be visible in Halifax, and Saint John, while the partial eclipse can be seen in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and most of northern Canada. The path then passes directly through Nuuk, making it visible to most of Greenland. The path will end near the Bering Strait. A partial eclipse can be visible in a very small part of South America, Northern Africa, Europe and Northern Asia (Mostly Russia). The path of totality barely misses the North Pole by about 100 miles (160 km).

Eclipse details

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.[3]

May 1, 2079 Solar Eclipse Times! Event! Time (UTC)
First Penumbral External Contact2079 May 01 at 08:41:50.7 UTC
First Umbral External Contact2079 May 01 at 10:04:20.0 UTC
First Central Line2079 May 01 at 10:07:06.5 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact2079 May 01 at 10:10:02.6 UTC
Greatest Eclipse2079 May 01 at 10:50:12.8 UTC
Greatest Duration2079 May 01 at 10:50:58.0 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction2079 May 01 at 10:59:21.0 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction2079 May 01 at 11:31:19.4 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact2079 May 01 at 11:29:55.4 UTC
Last Central Line2079 May 01 at 11:32:53.1 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact2079 May 01 at 11:35:41.3 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact2079 May 01 at 12:58:15.4 UTC
May 1, 2079 Solar Eclipse Parameters! Parameter! Value
Eclipse Magnitude1.05116
Eclipse Obscuration1.10494
Gamma0.90808
Sun Right Ascension02h35m18.8s
Sun Declination+15°12'06.8"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'52.6"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension02h33m47.0s
Moon Declination+16°02'36.5"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'34.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°00'50.6"
ΔT104.9 s

Eclipse season

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.

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2079

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 149

Inex

Triad

Inex series

Notes and References

  1. Web site: May 1, 2079 Total Solar Eclipse. timeanddate. 22 August 2024.
  2. Web site: Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England. timeanddate. 22 August 2024.
  3. Web site: Total Solar Eclipse of 2079 May 01. EclipseWise.com. 22 August 2024.