Solar eclipse of July 11, 2010

Last updated
Solar eclipse of July 11, 2010
Eclipse 2010 Hao 1.JPG
Totality from Hao, French Polynesia
SE2010Jul11T.png
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma -0.6788
Magnitude 1.058
Maximum eclipse
Duration320 sec (5 m 20 s)
Coordinates 19°42′S121°54′W / 19.7°S 121.9°W / -19.7; -121.9
Max. width of band259 km (161 mi)
Times (UTC)
(P1) Partial begin17:09:41
(U1) Total begin18:15:15
Greatest eclipse19:34:38
(U4) Total end20:51:42
(P4) Partial end21:57:16
References
Saros 146 (27 of 76)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9530

The total solar eclipse of July 11, 2010, occurred over the southern Pacific Ocean. [1] 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. This eclipse was on the same day as the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final.

Contents

The exact time of the greatest eclipse took place on Sunday, July 11, 2010, at 07:33:31.7 p.m. UTC, but occurring only 1.7 days before perigee (Perigee on Tuesday, July 13, 2010, at 11:21 a.m. UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was 4.5% larger than average, and the Moon's distance from the Earth was 363,354 km (225,778 mi).

Visibility

Animated map of the eclipse's visibility over the southern Pacific Ocean SE2010Jul11T.gif
Animated map of the eclipse's visibility over the southern Pacific Ocean

The eclipse on this day was one of the most remote in recorded history. It was visible over much of the southern Pacific Ocean, touching several atolls in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Easter Island, and Argentina's Patagonian plains. [2]

Fred Espenak, a NASA astrophysicist, said:

"One of the most unique things about this particular eclipse is that it crosses a unique and interesting archaeological site: Easter Island. On Easter Island there are these great statues... There's a lot of mystery about these statues, but in any case, this is the first total eclipse to hit the island in about 1,400 years." [3]

In French Polynesia, the eclipse was seen with 98 percent totality. During that time, the diamond ring effect and the Baily's beads occurred.

It ended at sunset over the southern tips of Argentina and Chile in South America, including the town of El Calafate. The Sun's altitude was only 1° during the 2 minute 47 second total phase, but Argentino Lake offered an adequate line-of-sight to the eclipse hanging just above the rugged Andes skyline. [1]

A 58% partiality occurred at sunset in Santiago, Chile, but it was not visible due to adverse weather conditions. In other cities such as Valparaíso and Coquimbo, clearer skies permitted the event to be witnessed in continental Chile.

Observations

The moon's diameter was 5.805% larger than the sun's, represented by the magnitude of eclipse of the table above, making for a relatively long eclipse duration of 5 minutes, 20.24 seconds. Solar eclipse July 11 2010 relative diameters.png
The moon's diameter was 5.805% larger than the sun's, represented by the magnitude of eclipse of the table above, making for a relatively long eclipse duration of 5 minutes, 20.24 seconds.
Time lapse images of the eclipse as seen from Vina del Mar, Chile ECLIPSEparcial chile.jpg
Time lapse images of the eclipse as seen from Viña del Mar, Chile

Total eclipse began 750 kilometers (470 mi) southeast of Tonga at approximately 18:15 UTC and reached Easter Island by 20:11 UTC. [4] The global sky photography project The World At Night stationed photographers throughout the eclipse's visibility track. Eclipse chasers photographed the event on board a chartered airplane, [5] cruise ships, numerous Pacific islands, and in Argentina's Patagonia region. Totality was observed for four minutes and 41 seconds (4:41) on Easter Island, [2] where it was observed for the first time in 1,400 years. [6] Approximately 4,000 observers visited Easter Island for this eclipse, including tourists, scientists, photographers, filmmakers and journalists, [7] prompting an increase in security at its important moai archeological sites. The eclipse occurred at the same time that the final game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was being played in South Africa, and many soccer fans in Tahiti watched the match instead of observing the partial eclipse with a high percentage of obscuring the sun by over 98%. [4] [8] The path of totality of this eclipse barely missed some significant inhabited islands, including passing just about 20 km north of the northern end of Tahiti.[ citation needed ]

This eclipse was the first one to happen over French Polynesia in 350 years. An estimated 5,000 tourists visited various islands in the archipelago to observe the event. Nearly 120,000 pairs of special glasses were distributed for observers. [9] Eclipse chasers were also able to observe the eclipse at El Calafate, near the southern tip of Argentina, before the sun set just two minutes later. [2]

Several hours after the eclipse was observed in continental Chile, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck in the Antofagasta Region. There were no major injuries or damage in the nearby cities of Calama, Chile and San Pedro de Atacama. [10]

Eclipses of 2010

Eclipses cycles

Solar eclipses 2008–2011

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]

Solar eclipse series sets from 2008–2011
Ascending node Descending node
SarosMapGammaSarosMapGamma
121
Solar eclipse 2008Feb07-New Zealand-partial-Greg Hewgill.jpg
Partial from Christchurch, NZ
2008 February 07
SE2008Feb07A.png
Annular
-0.95701126
NovosibirskTotalEclipsePhoto-cropped.jpg
Novosibirsk, Russia
2008 August 01
SE2008Aug01T.png
Total
0.83070
131
Solar Eclipse from Riversdale South Africa by Wim Filmalter (3238794030) (cropped).jpg
Partial from Riversdal
2009 January 26
SE2009Jan26A.png
Annular
-0.28197136
Solar eclipse 22 July 2009 taken by Lutfar Rahman Nirjhar from Bangladesh.jpg
Kurigram, Bangladesh
2009 July 22
SE2009Jul22T.png
Total
0.06977
141
(closeup) Solar annular eclipse of January 15, 2010 in Bangui, Central African Republic.JPG
Bangui, Central African Republic
2010 January 15
SE2010Jan15A.png
Annular
0.40016146
Eclipse 2010 Hao 1.JPG
Hao, French Polynesia
2010 July 11
SE2010Jul11T.png
Total
-0.67877
151
Solar eclipse Vienna 2011-1-4 a.jpg
Partial from Vienna, Austria
2011 January 04
SE2011Jan04P.png
Partial (north)
1.06265156 2011 July 01
SE2011Jul01P.png
Partial (south)
-1.49171

Partial solar eclipses on June 1, 2011, and November 25, 2011, occur on the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 146

It is a part of Saros cycle 146, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 76 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on September 19, 1541. It contains total eclipses from May 29, 1938, through October 7, 2154, hybrid eclipses from October 17, 2172, through November 20, 2226, and annular eclipses from December 1, 2244, through August 10, 2659. The series ends at member 76 as a partial eclipse on December 29, 2893. The longest duration of totality was 5 minutes, 21 seconds on June 30, 1992.

Metonic series

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 eclipse events, progressing from north to south between July 11, 1953 and July 11, 2029
July 10–12April 29–30February 15–16December 4–5September 21–23
116118120122124
SE1953Jul11P.png
July 11, 1953
SE1957Apr30A.png
April 30, 1957
SE1961Feb15T.png
February 15, 1961
SE1964Dec04P.png
December 4, 1964
SE1968Sep22T.png
September 22, 1968
126128130132134
SE1972Jul10T.png
July 10, 1972
SE1976Apr29A.png
April 29, 1976
SE1980Feb16T.png
February 16, 1980
SE1983Dec04A.png
December 4, 1983
SE1987Sep23A.png
September 23, 1987
136138140142144
SE1991Jul11T.png
July 11, 1991
SE1995Apr29A.png
April 29, 1995
SE1999Feb16A.png
February 16, 1999
SE2002Dec04T.png
December 4, 2002
SE2006Sep22A.png
September 22, 2006
146148150152154
SE2010Jul11T.png
July 11, 2010
SE2014Apr29A.png
April 29, 2014
SE2018Feb15P.png
February 15, 2018
SE2021Dec04T.png
December 4, 2021
SE2025Sep21P.png
September 21, 2025
156158160162164
SE2029Jul11P.png
July 11, 2029

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Total Solar Eclipse of 2010 July 11". NASA. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Malik, Tariq (July 12, 2010). "Total solar eclipse blots out sun, amazes skywatchers". The Christian Science Monitor . Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  3. "Solar Eclipse to Darken Easter Island Sunday". National Geographic Society. July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Total solar eclipse crosses South Pacific". BBC News. July 11, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  5. Grossman, Lisa (July 22, 2010). "Longest Eclipse Ever: Airplane Chases the Moon's Shadow". Wired. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  6. "Solar Eclipse to Darken Easter Island Sunday". National Geographic. July 8, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  7. Eclipse chasing: four minutes of bliss Archived 2013-06-27 at the Wayback Machine , Australian Geographic, July 16, 2010
  8. Tee, Gillian (July 10, 2010). "Solar eclipse predicted at same time as World Cup final". CNN . Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  9. "French Polynesia awaits first solar eclipse in 350 years". Australia Network. July 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 13, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  10. "6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Chile Hours After Solar Eclipse". All Headline News. July 12, 2010. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  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.

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References