A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit between Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14, 2012,[1] [2] [3] with a magnitude of 1.05. 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 only about 12 hours before perigee (on November 14, 2012, at 10:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[4]
Because it crossed the International Date Line it began in local time on November 14 west of the date line over northern Australia, and ended in local time on November 13 east of the date line near the west coast of South America. Totality was visible from parts of Northern Australia. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, West Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula, and southern South America.
For this eclipse, totality was visible from northern Australia to about 470 km north of the Chilean Juan Fernández Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean where totality ended. The most populous city to experience totality was Cairns, which had around 2 minutes of totality an hour after daybreak (06:39 AEST, 20:39 UTC) with the sun at an altitude of 14°.[5] Norfolk Island, a small Pacific island east of Australia, experienced a partial eclipse with a maximum eclipse of 98% of the sun obscured at 08:37 NFT and an altitude of 42°.
New Zealand experienced a partial eclipse. Auckland had 84.8% of the sun obscured, whereas Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin respectively had 71.2%, 61.9% and 52.9% of the sun obscured. Maximum eclipse over New Zealand occurred around 10:30 NZDT (21:30 UTC), with Auckland at 10:27, Wellington at 10:34, Christchurch at 10:35 and Dunedin at 10:36.[6] [7]
Most of Chile and parts of Argentina saw a partial eclipse at sunset. In some places over half the sun was obscured. In Chile, Talcahuano in Biobío saw 72% obscured, Castro in Los Lagos saw 56% obscured. Chilean coastal locations were ideally situated to observe an eclipsing sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Points further north, up to about Chañaral, saw the eclipse begin as the sun was setting.
West of the International Date Line the eclipse took place on the morning of November 14. The maximum eclipse totality, of duration 4 min 2 sec, occurred east of the International Date Line on November 13, approximately 2,000 km east of New Zealand, and 9,600 km west of Chile.
On the morning of November 14, skies in Auckland were cloudy, obscuring much of the eclipse, which peaked at 10:27 NZDT.[8] Cloud also obscured the moment of totality at Cairns, disappointing many tourists that had flocked to the area. Eclipse chasers along the northern beaches up through to Port Douglas generally got a clear view, however.
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.[9]
| First Penumbral External Contact | 2012 November 13 at 19:39:04.9 UTC | |
| First Umbral External Contact | 2012 November 13 at 20:36:15.3 UTC | |
| First Central Line | 2012 November 13 at 20:37:12.9 UTC | |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 2012 November 13 at 20:38:10.6 UTC | |
| First Penumbral Internal Contact | 2012 November 13 at 21:44:49.3 UTC | |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 2012 November 13 at 22:09:06.9 UTC | |
| Greatest Eclipse | 2012 November 13 at 22:12:55.2 UTC | |
| Greatest Duration | 2012 November 13 at 22:15:06.9 UTC | |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 2012 November 13 at 22:19:11.7 UTC | |
| Last Penumbral Internal Contact | 2012 November 13 at 22:40:51.6 UTC | |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 2012 November 13 at 23:47:34.6 UTC | |
| Last Central Line | 2012 November 13 at 23:48:32.9 UTC | |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 2012 November 13 at 23:49:31.1 UTC | |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 2012 November 14 at 00:46:41.3 UTC |
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.05004 | |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.10259 | |
| Gamma | −0.37189 | |
| Sun Right Ascension | 15h18m06.7s | |
| Sun Declination | -18°15'02.6" | |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'09.9" | |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" | |
| Moon Right Ascension | 15h17m51.2s | |
| Moon Declination | -18°37'29.5" | |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'42.4" | |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°01'19.0" | |
| ΔT | 66.8 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.