Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006

Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006

Totality from Side, Turkey
Map
Type of eclipse
Nature Total
Gamma 0.3843
Magnitude 1.0515
Maximum eclipse
Duration 247 sec (4 m 7 s)
Coordinates 23°12′N 16°42′E / 23.2°N 16.7°E / 23.2; 16.7
Max. width of band 184 km (114 mi)
Times (UTC)
(P1) Partial begin 7:36:50
(U1) Total begin 8:34:20
Greatest eclipse 10:12:23
(U4) Total end 11:47:55
(P4) Partial end 12:45:35
References
Saros 139 (29 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000) 9521

A total solar eclipse occurred on March 28-29, 2006. 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. It was visible from a narrow corridor which traversed half the Earth. The magnitude, that is, the ratio between the apparent sizes of the Moon and that of the Sun, was 1.052, and it was part of Saros 139.

Visibility

Animated path

The path of totality of the Moon's shadow began at sunrise in Brazil and extended across the Atlantic to Africa, traveling across Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Libya, and a small corner of northwest Egypt, from there across the Mediterranean Sea to Greece (Kastellórizo) and Turkey, then across the Black Sea via Georgia, Russia, and Kazakhstan to Western Mongolia, where it ended at sunset. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including the northern two-thirds of Africa, the whole of Europe, and Central Asia.

Observations

People gathered in large areas where solar eclipse is visible around the World to view the event. Manchester Astronomical Society, the Malaysian Space Agency, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, as well as dozens of tour groups met at the Apollo temple and the theater in Side, Turkey. The San Francisco Exploratorium featured a live webcast from the site, where thousands took their seats in the ancient, Roman-style theater.[1]

Almost all actively visited areas in the path of totality had perfect weather. Many observers reported an unusually beautiful eclipse, with many or all effects visible, and a very nice corona despite proximity to solar minimum. The partial phase of the eclipse was also visible from the International Space Station, while the astronauts on board took spectacular pictures of the shadow on the Earth's surface. At first, it looked as though an orbit correction in the middle of March would bring the ISS in the path of totality, but this correction was postponed.

Satellite failure

The satellite responsible for SKY Network Television, a New Zealand pay TV company, failed the day after this eclipse at around 1900 local time. While SKY didn't directly attribute the failure to the eclipse, they said in a media release that it took longer to resolve the issue because of it, but this claim was refuted by astronomers. The main reason for the failure was because of an aging and increasingly faulty satellite.[2]

This solar eclipse was preceded by the penumbral lunar eclipse on March 14, 2006.

Solar eclipses 2004–2008

Each member 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.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2004–2007
Ascending node   Descending node
SarosMap SarosMap
119 2004 April 19

Partial (south)		 124 2004 October 14

Partial (north)
129 2005 April 8

Hybrid		 134

Annular from Spain		 2005 October 3

Annular
139

Total from Side, Turkey		 2006 March 29

Total		 144

Partial from São Paulo, Brazil		 2006 September 22

Annular
149 2007 March 19

Partial (north)		 154 2007 September 11

Partial (south)

Saros 139

It is a part of saros series 139, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 17, 1501. It contains hybrid eclipses on August 11, 1627 through December 9, 1825 and total eclipses from December 21, 1843 through March 26, 2601. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 3, 2763. Members in the same column are one exeligmos apart and thus occur in the same geographic area.

The solar eclipse of June 13, 2132 will be the longest total solar eclipse since July 11, 1991 at 6 minutes, 55 seconds.

The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 39 at 7 minutes, 29 seconds on July 16, 2186.[3] This is the longest solar eclipse computed between 4000BC and 6000AD.[4]

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).

Notes

  1. ↑ Total Solar Eclipse: Live from Turkey in 2006
  2. ↑ Press release by Sky TV. Solar eclipse interferes with satellite restoration Friday, 31 March 2006.
  3. ↑ Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses NASA Eclipse Web Site
  4. ↑ Ten Millennium Catalog of Long Solar Eclipses, -3999 to +6000 (4000 BCE to 6000 CE) Fred Espinak

References

Photos:

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