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Solar eclipse of December 4, 2002

A total solar eclipse took place on December 4, 2002,[1][2] with a magnitude of 1.0244. 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 in southern Africa, the Indian Ocean and southern Australia. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of Africa and Australia. During the sunset after the eclipse many observers in Australia saw numerous and unusual forms of a green flash.[3]

Solar eclipse of December 4, 2002
The diamond ring effect at the end of totality, taken near Woomera, South Australia
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma−0.302
Magnitude1.0244
Maximum eclipse
Duration124 s (2 min 4 s)
Coordinates39°30′S 59°36′E / 39.5°S 59.6°E / -39.5; 59.6
Max. width of band87 km (54 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse7:32:16
References
Saros142 (22 of 72)
Catalog # (SE5000)9514

In some parts of Angola, it was the second total eclipse of the Sun within 18 months, following the Solar eclipse of June 21, 2001.

Images edit

 

Gallery edit

Related eclipses edit

Eclipses of 2002 edit

Tzolkinex edit

Half-Saros edit

Tritos edit

Solar Saros 142 edit

Inex edit

Solar eclipses 2000–2003 edit

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.[4]

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
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
117 2000 July 01
 
Partial (south) 		−1.28214 122 2000 December 25
 
Partial (north) 		1.13669
127
 
Totality from Lusaka, Zambia 		2001 June 21
 
Total 		−0.57013 132
 
Partial from Minneapolis, MN 		2001 December 14
 
Annular 		0.40885
137
 
Partial from Los Angeles, CA 		2002 June 10
 
Annular 		0.19933 142
 
Totality from Woomera 		2002 December 04
 
Total 		−0.30204
147
 
Culloden, Scotland 		2003 May 31
 
Annular 		0.99598 152 2003 November 23
 
Total 		−0.96381

Saros 142 edit

It is a part of Saros cycle 142, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 72 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on April 17, 1624. It contains one hybrid eclipse on July 14, 1768, and total eclipses from July 25, 1786 through October 29, 2543. The series ends at member 72 as a partial eclipse on June 5, 2904. The longest duration of totality will be 6 minutes, 34 seconds on May 28, 2291. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon’s descending node.[5]

Series members 17–41 occur between 1901 and 2359
17 18 19
 
October 10, 1912 		 
October 21, 1930 		 
November 1, 1948
20 21 22
 
November 12, 1966 		 
November 22, 1984 		 
December 4, 2002
23 24 25
 
December 14, 2020 		 
December 26, 2038 		 
January 5, 2057
26 27 28
 
January 16, 2075 		 
January 27, 2093 		 
February 8, 2111
29 30 31
 
February 18, 2129 		 
March 2, 2147 		 
March 12, 2165
32 33 34
 
March 23, 2183 		 
April 4, 2201 		 
April 15, 2219
35 36 37
 
April 25, 2237 		 
May 7, 2255 		 
May 17, 2273
38 39 40
 
May 28, 2291 		 
June 9, 2309 		 
June 20, 2327
41
 
June 30, 2345

Tritos series edit

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 edit

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 10–12 April 29–30 February 15–16 December 4–5 September 21–23
116 118 120 122 124
 
July 11, 1953 		 
April 30, 1957 		 
February 15, 1961 		 
December 4, 1964 		 
September 22, 1968
126 128 130 132 134
 
July 10, 1972 		 
April 29, 1976 		 
February 16, 1980 		 
December 4, 1983 		 
September 23, 1987
136 138 140 142 144
 
July 11, 1991 		 
April 29, 1995 		 
February 16, 1999 		 
December 4, 2002 		 
September 22, 2006
146 148 150 152 154
 
July 11, 2010 		 
April 29, 2014 		 
February 15, 2018 		 
December 4, 2021 		 
September 21, 2025
156 158 160 162 164
 
July 11, 2029

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Total solar eclipse 'magnificent'". News-Press. 2002-12-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Solar eclipse bedazzles southern Africa crowds". News and Record. 2002-12-05. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-10-25 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Maunder, Michael (2007). Lights in the Sky: Identifying and Understanding Astronomical and Meteorological Phenomena. Springer. p. 116. ISBN 978-1846287619. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros142.html

References edit

Photos:

 
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