A total solar eclipse occurred on March 18, 1988. 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. Totality was visible in Indonesia and southern Philippines.
| Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988 | |
|---|---|
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | 0.4188 |
| Magnitude | 1.0464 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 226 s (3 min 46 s) |
| Coordinates | 20°42′N 140°00′E / 20.7°N 140°E |
| Max. width of band | 169 km (105 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 1:58:56 |
| References | |
| Saros | 139 (28 of 71) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9482 |
Observation edit
The tourism office of the General Santos City government in the Philippines promoted it as a big tourism event. Hordes of scientists, astronomers, journalists, TV crews and tourists from all over the globe observed the totality from there. Then President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino also joined in to experience the event.[1]
Related eclipses edit
Eclipses of 1988 edit
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 3.
- A total solar eclipse on March 18.
- A partial lunar eclipse on August 27.
- An annular solar eclipse on September 11.
Solar eclipses of 1986–1989 edit
There were 8 solar eclipses between April 9, 1986 and August 31, 1989.
| Solar eclipse series sets from 1986 to 1989 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
| Saros | Map | Gamma | Saros | Map | Gamma | |
| 119 |  1986 April 9 Partial |
−1.08215 | 124 |  1986 October 3 Hybrid |
0.99305 | |
| 129 |  1987 March 29 Hybrid |
−0.30531 | 134 |  1987 September 23 Annular |
0.27869 | |
| 139 | 1988 March 18 Total |
0.41879 | 144 |  1988 September 11 Annular |
−0.46811 | |
| 149 |  1989 March 7 Partial |
1.09815 | 154 |  1989 August 31 Partial |
−1.19279 | |
Saros 139 edit
This eclipse is a member of saros series 139, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 17, 1501. It contains hybrid eclipses on August 11, 1627, through to December 9, 1825; and total eclipses from December 21, 1843, through to March 26, 2601. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 3, 2763. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
The solar eclipse of June 13, 2132, will be the longest total solar eclipse since July 11, 1991, at 6 minutes, 55.02 seconds.
The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 39 at 7 minutes, 29.22 seconds on July 16, 2186.[2] After that date, the durations of totality will decrease until the series ends. This date is the longest solar eclipse computed between 4000 BC and AD 6000.[3] Saros series eclipses occur during the Moon's ascending node (a term related to our equator and polar-naming conventions).
| Series members 24–45 occur between 1901 and 2300 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 25 | 26 |
 February 3, 1916 |
 February 14, 1934 |
 February 25, 1952 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 |
 March 7, 1970 |
March 18, 1988 |
 March 29, 2006 |
| 30 | 31 | 32 |
 April 8, 2024 |
 April 20, 2042 |
 April 30, 2060 |
| 33 | 34 | 35 |
 May 11, 2078 |
 May 22, 2096 |
 June 3, 2114 |
| 36 | 37 | 38 |
 June 13, 2132 |
 June 25, 2150 |
 July 5, 2168 |
| 39 | 40 | 41 |
 July 16, 2186 |
 July 27, 2204 |
 August 8, 2222 |
| 42 | 43 | 44 |
 August 18, 2240 |
 August 29, 2258 |
 September 9, 2276 |
| 45 | ||
 September 20, 2294 | ||
Inex series edit
This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
| Inex series members between 1901 and 2100: | ||
|---|---|---|
 May 18, 1901 (Saros 136) |
 April 28, 1930 (Saros 137) |
 April 8, 1959 (Saros 138) |
| March 18, 1988 (Saros 139) |
 February 26, 2017 (Saros 140) |
 February 5, 2046 (Saros 141) |
 January 16, 2075 (Saros 142) |
||
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 ascending node.
| 22 eclipse events between January 5, 1935 and August 11, 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 4-5 | October 23-24 | August 10-12 | May 30-31 | March 18-19 |
| 111 | 113 | 115 | 117 | 119 |
 January 5, 1935 |
 August 12, 1942 |
 May 30, 1946 |
 March 18, 1950 | |
| 121 | 123 | 125 | 127 | 129 |
 January 5, 1954 |
 October 23, 1957 |
 August 11, 1961 |
 May 30, 1965 |
 March 18, 1969 |
| 131 | 133 | 135 | 137 | 139 |
 January 4, 1973 |
 October 23, 1976 |
 August 10, 1980 |
 May 30, 1984 |
March 18, 1988 |
| 141 | 143 | 145 | 147 | 149 |
 January 4, 1992 |
 October 24, 1995 |
 August 11, 1999 |
 May 31, 2003 |
 March 19, 2007 |
| 151 | 153 | 155 | ||
 January 4, 2011 |
 October 23, 2014 |
 August 11, 2018 |
||
References edit
- ^ "Solar Eclipse Photos circa 1988 in GenSan". GenSan News Online Mag. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
- ^ Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses NASA Eclipse Web Site.
- ^ Ten Millennium Catalog of Long Solar Eclipses, −3999 to +6000 (4000 BCE to 6000 CE) Fred Espenak.
External links edit
- Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
- Foto Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988
Photos: