Solar eclipse of June 21, 2001

Last updated
Solar eclipse of June 21, 2001
Williams College wl.jpg
Totality from Lusaka, Zambia by the Williams College eclipse expedition
SE2001Jun21T.png
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma −0.5701
Magnitude 1.0495
Maximum eclipse
Duration297 s (4 min 57 s)
Coordinates 11°18′S2°42′E / 11.3°S 2.7°E / -11.3; 2.7
Max. width of band200 km (120 mi)
Times (UTC)
(P1) Partial begin9:33:04
(U1) Total begin10:35:59
Greatest eclipse12:04:46
(U4) Total end13:31:37
(P4) Partial end14:35:25
References
Saros 127 (57 of 82)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9511

A total solar eclipse took place on June 21, 2001, 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 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 2.2 days before perigee (June 23, 2001), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

Contents

Many people traveled to Africa to watch the eclipse; [1] [2] [3] 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". [4]

Visibility

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.

Observations

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 [5] 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. [6]

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. [5] The Zambian government made it a national holiday with one day off, and ZamPost also issues special postage stamps and first-day covers. [7] Scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea and China observed it in Zambia. [7] 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. [8] [9] 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. [10]

Coincidence

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. [11]

Images

SE2001Jun21T.gif

Eclipses of 2001

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 127

Inex

Solar eclipses 2000–2003

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. [12]

Partial solar eclipses on February 5, 2000 and July 31, 2000 occur in the previous lunar year set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2000 to 2003
Ascending node Descending node
SarosMapGammaSarosMapGamma
117 2000 July 01
SE2000Jul01P.png
Partial (south)
−1.28214122 2000 December 25
SE2000Dec25P.png
Partial (north)
1.13669
127
Williams College wl.jpg
Totality from Lusaka, Zambia
2001 June 21
SE2001Jun21T.png
Total
−0.57013132
Partial solar eclipse December 14 2001 Minneapolis.jpg
Partial from Minneapolis, MN
2001 December 14
SE2001Dec14A.png
Annular
0.40885
137
Gregmote - 20020610 002 (by).jpg
Partial from Los Angeles, CA
2002 June 10
SE2002Jun10A.png
Annular
0.19933142
Eclipse 4-12-2002 Woomera.jpg
Totality from Woomera
2002 December 04
SE2002Dec04T.png
Total
−0.30204
147
Annular 2003-05-31 Culloden.png
Culloden, Scotland
2003 May 31
SE2003May31A.png
Annular
0.99598152 2003 November 23
SE2003Nov23T.png
Total
−0.96381

Saros 127

It is a part of Saros cycle 127, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 82 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on October 10, 991 AD. It contains total eclipses from May 14, 1352 through August 15, 2091. There are no annular eclipses in this series. The series ends at member 82 as a partial eclipse on March 21, 2452. The longest duration of totality was 5 minutes, 40 seconds on August 30, 1532. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon’s ascending node. [13]

Series members 52–68 occur between 1901 and 2200
525354
SE1911Apr28T.png
April 28, 1911
SE1929May09T.png
May 9, 1929
SE1947May20T.png
May 20, 1947
555657
SE1965May30T.png
May 30, 1965
SE1983Jun11T.png
June 11, 1983
SE2001Jun21T.png
June 21, 2001
585960
SE2019Jul02T.png
July 2, 2019
SE2037Jul13T.png
July 13, 2037
SE2055Jul24T.png
July 24, 2055
616263
SE2073Aug03T.png
August 3, 2073
SE2091Aug15T.png
August 15, 2091
August 26, 2109 (Partial)
646566
September 6, 2127 (PartialSeptember 16, 2145 (Partial)September 28, 2163 (Partial)
6768
October 8, 2181 (Partial)October 19, 2199 (Partial)

Tritos series

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

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 between June 21, 1982, and June 21, 2058
June 21April 8–9January 26November 13–14September 1–2
107109111113115
June 21, 1963April 9, 1967January 26, 1971November 14, 1974September 2, 1978
117119121123125
SE1982Jun21P.png
June 21, 1982
SE1986Apr09P.png
April 9, 1986
SE1990Jan26A.png
January 26, 1990
SE1993Nov13P.png
November 13, 1993
SE1997Sep02P.png
September 2, 1997
127129131133135
SE2001Jun21T.png
June 21, 2001
SE2005Apr08H.png
April 8, 2005
SE2009Jan26A.png
January 26, 2009
SE2012Nov13T.png
November 13, 2012
SE2016Sep01A.png
September 1, 2016
137139141143145
SE2020Jun21A.png
June 21, 2020
SE2024Apr08T.png
April 8, 2024
SE2028Jan26A.png
January 26, 2028
SE2031Nov14H.png
November 14, 2031
SE2035Sep02T.png
September 2, 2035
147149151153155
SE2039Jun21A.png
June 21, 2039
SE2043Apr09T.png
April 9, 2043
SE2047Jan26P.png
January 26, 2047
SE2050Nov14P.png
November 14, 2050
SE2054Sep02P.png
September 2, 2054
157
SE2058Jun21P.png
June 21, 2058

Notes

  1. "Thousands gather in Zambia for total solar eclipse". The News and Advance. 2001-06-21. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-10-25 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Solar eclipse: Day declared national holiday as thousands come to Zambia". Hickory Daily Record. 2001-06-22. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-10-25 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "First total eclipse of new millennium sweeps across Africa". Arizona Daily Sun. 2001-06-22. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-10-25 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Tradition and tourism flourish in solar eclipse". The Daily Telegraph. 2001-06-21. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-10-25 via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 "2001年6月21日非洲日全食" (in Chinese). Beijing Planetarium. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
  6. "各国科学家和游客云集安哥拉观看日全食". Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). Sohu News. 21 June 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 Zeng Wei (21 June 2001). "日全食搅热赞比亚". Beijing Youth Daily (in Chinese). People.cn. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  8. "宇宙起源理论可能改写 6科学家赴非观测日全食". Beijing Youth Daily (in Chinese). Sohu News. 15 June 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  9. Chai Shikuan, Xiong Sihao (25 June 2001). "中科院日全食观测队获得高质量观测数据" (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 2003-11-03.
  10. Sun Zifa (26 December 2012). "中国科学家全球首获引力场以光速传播的观测证据" (in Chinese). China News Service. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  11. "Diamond Ring in the Sun". APOD. 21 June 2001.
  12. 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.
  13. "Solar Saros series 127". NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

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References

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