# Solar eclipse of March 9, 1997

A total solar eclipse occurred on March 9, 1997. 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 eastern tip of Kazakhstan, northern tip of Xinjiang and Northeastern China, Northern Mongolia and Russia.

Solar eclipse of March 9, 1997
Total eclipse from Chita, Russia
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma0.9183
Magnitude1.042
Maximum eclipse
Duration170 sec (2 m 50 s)
Coordinates57°48′N 130°42′E﻿ / ﻿57.8°N 130.7°E
Max. width of band356 km (221 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse1:24:51
References
Saros120 (60 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000)9501

## Unusual gravity variations

This solar eclipse is somewhat special in the sense that some unexplained gravity anomalies of about 7 ${\displaystyle \times }$  10−8 m/s2 during the solar eclipse were observed. Attempts (e.g., Van Flandern–Yang hypothesis) to explain these anomalies have not been able to reach a definite conclusion.[1]

## Related eclipses

### Solar eclipses 1997–2000

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.[2]

### Saros 120

It is a part of Saros cycle 120, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 27, 933 AD, and reached an annular eclipse on August 11, 1059. It was a hybrid event for 3 dates: May 8, 1510, through May 29, 1546, and total eclipses from June 8, 1564, through March 30, 2033. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 7, 2195. The longest duration of totality was 2 minutes, 50 seconds on March 9, 1997.[3]

### Metonic series

This eclipse is a member of the Octon eclipse series, which includes 21 eclipses occurring in approximately 4 year intervals from May 21, 1993 to August 2, 2065.[4]