Photo of 1999 total eclipse This article is about the astronomical phenomenon. For the video game see Solar Eclipse (video game).

As seen from the Earth a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and the Moon fully or partially covers the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can only happen during a new moon when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses occur each year; no more than two can be total eclipses.12 Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any particular location because totality exists only along a narrow path on the Earth's surface traced by the Moon's umbra.

Some people sometimes referred to as "eclipse chasers" or "umbraphiles"34 will travel to remote locations to observe or witness a predicted central solar eclipse (see Types below). The solar eclipse of August 11 1999 in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenoncitation needed which apparently led to an unusually large number of journeys made specifically to witness the annular solar eclipse of October 3 2005 and of March 29 2006.

The last total solar eclipse was the solar eclipse of July 11 2010; the next will be the solar eclipse of November 13 2012. The recent solar eclipse of June 1 2011 was a partial eclipse (see Types below); the next partial eclipse will occur on July 1 2011.

A total solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon. Nevertheless in ancient times and in some cultures today solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens. A total solar eclipse can be frightening to people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation as the Sun seems to disappear during the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes. Contents 1 Types 1.1 Terminology for central eclipse 2 Predictions 2.1 Geometry 2.2 Path 3 Occurrence and cycles 3.1 Frequency per year 3.2 Final totality 4 Historical eclipses 5 Viewing 5.1 Partial and annular eclipses 5.2 Totality 5.3 Photography 6 Other observations 6.1 1919 observations 6.2 Gravity anomalies 6.3 Before sunrise after sunset 6.4 Eclipses and transits 6.5 Artificial satellites 6.6 Meteorological measurements 7 Recent and forthcoming solar eclipses 8 See also 8.1 Eclipses elsewhere 8.2 Eclipse lists 8.3 Miscellaneous 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links 11.1 Eye safety Types Annular solar eclipse on October 3 2005

There are four types of solar eclipses: A total eclipse occurs when the dark silhouette of the Moon completely obscures the intensely bright disk of the Sun allowing the much fainter solar corona to be visible. During any one eclipse totality only occurs at best in a narrow track on the surface of the Earth. An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring or annulus surrounding the outline of the Moon. A hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) shifts between a total and annular eclipse. At some points on the surface of the Earth it appears as a total eclipse whereas at others it appears as annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare. A partial eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line and the Moon only partially obscures the Sun. This phenomenon can usually be seen from a large part of the Earth outside of the track of an annular or total eclipse. However some eclipses can only be seen as a partial eclipse because the umbra passes above the Earth's polar regions and never intersects the Earth's surface.

The Sun's distance from the Earth is about 400 times the Moon's distance and the Sun's diameter is about 400 times the Moon's diameter. Because these ratios are approximately the same the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size: about 0.5 degree of arc in angular measure. The Moon transiting in front of the Sun as seen from STEREO-B on February 25 2007 at 4.4 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.5

The Moon's orbit around the Earth is an ellipse as is the Earth's orbit around the Sun; the apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon therefore vary.67 The magnitude of an eclipse is the ratio of the apparent size of the Moon to the apparent size of the Sun during an eclipse. An eclipse that occurs when the Moon is near its closest distance to the Earth (i.e. near its perigee) can be a total eclipse because the Moon will appear to be large enough to cover completely the Sun's bright disk or photosphere; a total eclipse has a magnitude greater than 1. Conversely an eclipse that occurs when the Moon is near its farthest distance from the Earth (i.e. near its apogee) can only be an annular eclipse because the Moon will appear to be slightly smaller than the Sun; the magnitude of an annular eclipse is less than 1. Slightly more solar eclipses are annular than total because on average the Moon lies too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely. A hybrid eclipse occurs when the magnitude of an eclipse changes during the event from smaller than one to larger than oneor vice versaso the eclipse appears to be total at some locations on Earth and annular at other locations.8

Because the Earth's orbit around the Sun is also elliptical the Earth's distance from the Sun similarly varies throughout the year. This affects the apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon in the same way but not so much as the Moon's varying distance from the Earth. When the Earth approaches its farthest distance from the Sun in July a total eclipse is somewhat more likely whereas conditions favour an annular eclipse when the Earth approaches its closest distance to the Sun in January. Terminology for central eclipse

Central eclipse is often used as a generic term for a total annular or hybrid eclipse. This is however not completely correct: the definition of a central eclipse is an eclipse during which the central line of the umbra touches the Earth's surface. It is possible though extremely rare that part of the umbra intersects with Earth (thus creating an annular or total eclipse) but not its central line. This is then called a non-central total or annular eclipse.9 The next non-central solar eclipse will be on April 29 2014. This will be an annular eclipse. The next non-central total solar eclipse will be on April 9 2043.10 The phases observed during a total eclipse are called: First Contact  when the moon's shadow first becomes visible on the solar disk. Some also name individual phases between First and Second Contact e.g. Pac-Man phase. Second Contact  starting with Baily's Beads caused by light shining through valleys on the moon's surface and the Diamond Ring. Almost the entire disk is covered. Totality  with the shadow of the moon obscuring the entire disk of the sun and only the corona visible Third Contact  when the first bright light becomes visible and the shadow is moving away from the sun. Again a Diamond Ring may be observed Predictions Geometry Geometry of a Total Solar Eclipse (not to scale) A Total eclipse in the umbra. B Annular eclipse in the antumbra. C Partial eclipse in the penumbra The diagram to the right shows the alignment of the Sun Moon and Earth during a solar eclipse. The dark gray region below the Moon is the umbra where the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The small area where the umbra touches the Earth's surface is where a total eclipse can be seen. The larger light gray area is the penumbra in which only a partial and annular eclipses can be seen. The Moon's orbit around the Earth is inclined at an angle of just over 5 degrees to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun (the ecliptic). Because of this at the time of a new moon the Moon will usually pass above or below the Sun. A solar eclipse can occur only when the new moon occurs close to one of the points (known as nodes) where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic. As noted above the Moon's orbit is also elliptical. The Moon's distance from the Earth can vary by about 6% from its average value. Therefore the Moon's apparent size varies with its distance from the Earth and it is this effect that leads to the difference between total and annular eclipses. The distance of the Earth from the Sun also varies during the year but this is a smaller effect. On average the Moon appears to be slightly smaller than the Sun so the majority (about 60%) of central eclipses are annular. It is only when the Moon is closer to the Earth than average (near its perigee) that a total eclipse occurs.1112 Moon Sun At perigee (nearest) At apogee (farthest) At perihelion (nearest) At aphelion (farthest) Mean radius r 1737.10 kilometres (1079.38 miles) 696000 kilometres (432000 miles) Distance d 363104 km (225622 mi) 405696 km (252088 mi) 147098070 km (91402500 mi) 152097700 km (94509100 mi) Angular diameter 2 arctan(r / d) 32' 54" (0.5482) 29' 26" (0.4907) 32' 32" (0.5422) 31' 28" (0.5244) Apparent size to scale Rank in descending order 1st 4th 2nd 3rd The Moon orbits the Earth in approximately 27.3 days relative to a fixed frame of reference. This is known as the sidereal month. However during one sidereal month the Earth has revolved part way around the Sun making the average time between one new moon and the next longer than the sidereal month: it is approximately 29.5 days. This is known as the synodic month and corresponds to what is commonly called the lunar month. The Moon crosses from south to north of the ecliptic at its ascending node and vice versa at its descending node. However the nodes of the Moon's orbit are gradually moving in a retrograde motion due to the action of the Sun's gravity on the Moon's motion and they make a complete circuit every 18.6 years. This means that the time between each passage of the Moon through the ascending node is slightly shorter than the sidereal month. This period is called the draconic month. Finally the Moon's perigee is moving forwards in its orbit and makes a complete circuit in about 9 years. The time between one perigee and the next is known as the anomalistic month. The Moon's orbit intersects with the ecliptic at the two nodes that are 180 degrees apart. Therefore the new moon occurs close to the nodes at two periods of the year approximately six months apart and there will always be at least one solar eclipse during these periods. Sometimes the new moon occurs close enough to a node during two consecutive months. This means that in any given year there will always be at least two solar eclipses and there can be as many as five. However some are visible only as partial eclipses because the umbra passes above Earth's north or south pole and others are central only in remote regions of the Arctic or Antarctic.1314 Eclipses can only occur when the sun is within about 15 to 18 degrees of a node (10 to 12 degrees for central eclipses). This is referred to as an eclipse limit. In the time it takes for the moon to return to a node (draconic month) the apparent position of the sun has moved about 29 degrees relative to the nodes. 1 Since the eclipse limit creates a window of opportunity of up to 36 degrees (24 degrees for central eclipses) it is possible for partial (or rarely a partial and a central) eclipses to occur in consecutive months. 1516 Path During a central eclipse the Moon's umbra (or antumbra in the case of an annular eclipse) moves rapidly from west to east across the Earth. The Earth is also rotating from west to east but the umbra always moves faster than any given point on the Earth's surface so it almost always appears to move in a roughly west-east direction across a map of the Earth (there are some rare exceptions to this which can occur during an eclipse of the midnight sun in Arctic or Antarctic regions for example on June 10 and December 4 2021). The width of the track of a central eclipse varies according to the relative apparent diameters of the Sun and Moon. In the most favourable circumstances when a total eclipse occurs very close to perigee the track can be over 250 km wide and the duration of totality may be over 7 minutes. Outside of the central track a partial eclipse can usually be seen over a much larger area of the Earth.17 Occurrence and cycles Total Solar Eclipse Paths: 10012000. This image was merged from 50 separate images from NASA.18 Total solar eclipses are rare events. Although they occur somewhere on Earth every 18 months on average19 it has been estimated that they recur at any given place only once every 370 years on average. The total eclipse only lasts for a few minutes at that location as the Moon's umbra moves eastward at over 1700 km/h. Totality can never last more than 7 min 31 s and is usually much shorter: during each millennium there are typically fewer than 10 total solar eclipses exceeding 7 minutes. The last time this happened was June 30 1973 (7 min 3 sec). Observers aboard a Concorde aircraft were able to stretch totality to about 74 minutes by flying along the path of the Moon's umbra. The next eclipse exceeding seven minutes in duration will not occur until June 25 2150. The longest total solar eclipse during the 8000-year period from 3000 BC to 5000 AD will occur on July 16 2186 when totality will last 7 min 29 s.20 For comparison the longest eclipse of the 20th century occurred on June 20 1955 and lasted 7 min 8 sec. If the date and time of any solar eclipse are known it is possible to predict other eclipses using eclipse cycles. Two such cycles are the Saros and the Inex. The Saros cycle is probably the best known and one of the most accurate eclipse cycles. The Inex cycle is itself a poor cycle but it is very convenient in the classification of eclipse cycles. After a Saros cycle finishes a new Saros cycle begins one Inex later hence its name: in-ex. A Saros cycle lasts 6585.3 days (a little over 18 years) which means that after this period a practically identical eclipse will occur. The most notable difference will be a shift of 120 in longitude (due to the 0.3 days) and a little in latitude. A Saros series always starts with a partial eclipse near one of Earth's polar regions then shifts over the globe through a series of annular or total eclipses and ends at the opposite polar region. A Saros (series) lasts 1226 to 1550 years and 69 to 87 eclipses with about 40 to 60 central.21 Frequency per year Solar eclipses can occur 2 to 5 times per year. Since the Gregorian calendar was instated in 1582 years that have had five solar eclipses were 1693 1758 1805 1823 1870 and 1935. The next occurrence will be 2206.22 The 5 solar eclipses of 1935 January 5 February 3 June 30 July 30 December 25 Partial (south) Partial (north) Partial (north) Partial (south) Annular (north) Saros 111 Saros 149 Saros 116 Saros 154 Saros 121 Final totality Solar eclipses are seen on Earth because of a fortuitous combination of circumstances. Even on Earth eclipses of the type familiar to people today are a temporary (on a geological time scale) phenomenon. Many millions of years in the past the Moon was too close to the Earth to precisely occlude the Sun as it does during eclipses today; and many millions of years in the future it will be too far away to do so. Due to tidal acceleration the orbit of the Moon around the Earth becomes approximately 3.8 cm more distant each year. It is estimated that in 600 million years the distance from the Earth to the Moon will have increased by 23500 km meaning that it will no longer be able to completely cover the Sun's disk. This will be true even when the Moon is at perigee and the Earth at aphelion.23 A complicating factor is that the Sun will increase in size over this timescale. This makes it even more unlikely that the Moon will be able to cause a total eclipse. Therefore the last total solar eclipse on Earth will occur in slightly less than 600 million years. Historical eclipses Astronomers Studying an Eclipse painted by Antoine Caron in 1571 Historical eclipses are a very valuable resource for historians in that they allow a few historical events to be dated precisely from which other dates and a society's calendar may be deduced. Aryabhata (476550) concluded the Heliocentric theory in solar eclipse. A solar eclipse of June 15 763 BC mentioned in an Assyrian text is important for the Chronology of the Ancient Orient. Also known as the eclipse of Bur Sagale it is the earliest solar eclipse mentioned in historical sources that has been identified successfully. Perhaps the earliest still-unproven claim is that of archaeologist Bruce Masse asserting on the basis of several ancient flood myths which mention a total solar eclipse he links an eclipse that occurred May 10 2807 BC with a possible meteor impact in the Indian Ocean.24 There have been other claims to date earlier eclipses notably that of Mursili II (likely 1312 BC) in Babylonia and also in China during the Fifth Year (2084 BC) of the regime of Emperor Zhong Kang of Xia dynasty but these are highly disputed and rely on much supposition.2526 Herodotus wrote that Thales of Miletus predicted an eclipse which occurred during a war between the Medians and the Lydians. Soldiers on both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. Exactly which eclipse was involved has remained uncertain although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28 585 BC probably near the Halys river in the middle of modern Turkey.27 An annular eclipse of the Sun occurred at Sardis on February 17 478 BC while Xerxes was departing for his expedition against Greece as Herodotus recorded.28 Hind and Chambers considered this absolute date more than a century ago.29 Herodotus also reports that another solar eclipse was observed in Sparta during the next year on August 1 477 BC.303132 The sky suddenly darkened in the middle of the day well after the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis after the departure of Mardonius to Thessaly at the beginning of the spring of (477 BC) and his second attack on Athens after the return of Cleombrotus to Sparta. The modern conventional dates are different by a year or two and that these two eclipse records have been ignored so far.33 The Chronicle of Ireland recorded a solar eclipse on June 29 AD 512 and a solar eclipse was reported to have taken place during the Battle of Stiklestad in July 1030. In the Indian epic the Mahabharata the incident is related of the thirteenth day when Arjun vows to slay Jayadrath before nightfall to avenge the death of Abhimanyu at Jayadratha's hands. What may only be described as a solar eclipse brought Jayadrath out to celebrate his surviving the day only to have the sun reappear and Arjun killed Jayadrath. In the epic astronomers have calculated all possible eclipse pairs matching the above time difference and being visible from Kurukshetra the battlefield of the Mahabharata war. 3129 BC and 2559 BC appear to be the best candidate for the Mahabharata war.34 Attempts have been made to establish the exact date of Good Friday by means of solar eclipses but this research has not yielded conclusive results.35 Research has manifested the inability of total solar eclipses to serve as explanations for the recorded Good Friday features of the crucifixion eclipse.36 (Good Friday is recorded as being at Passover which is also recorded as being at or near the time of a full moon.) The ancient Chinese astronomer Shi Shen (fl. fourth century BC) was aware of the relation of the moon in a solar eclipse as he provided instructions in his writing to predict them by using the relative positions of the moon and sun.37 The 'radiating influence' theory for a solar eclipse (i.e. the moon's light was merely light reflected from the sun) was existent in Chinese thought from about the sixth century BC (in the Zhi Ran of Zhi Ni Zi)38 and opposed by the Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (AD 2797) who made clear in his writing that this theory was nothing new.39 This can be said of Jing Fang's writing in the 1st century BC which stated: The moon and the planets are Yin; they have shape but no light. This they receive only when the sun illuminates them. The former masters regarded the sun as round like a crossbow bullet and they thought the moon had the nature of a mirror. Some of them recognized the moon as a ball too. Those parts of the moon which the sun illuminates look bright those parts which it does not remain dark.38 The ancient Greeks had known this as well since it was Parmenides of Elea around 475 BC who supported the theory of the moon shining because of reflected light and was accepted in the time of Aristotle as well.38 The Chinese astronomer and inventor Zhang Heng (AD 78139) wrote of both solar and lunar eclipses in the publication of Ling Xian in AD 120 supporting the radiating influence theory that Wang Chong had opposed (Wade-Giles): The sun is like fire and the moon like water. The fire gives out light and the water reflects it. Thus the moon's brightness is produced from the radiance of the sun and the moon's darkness (pho) is due to (the light of) the sun being obstructed (pi). The side which faces the sun is fully lit and the side which is away from it is dark. The planets (as well as the moon) have the nature of water and reflect light. The light pouring forth from the sun (tang jih chih chhung kuang) does not always reach the moon owing to the obstruction (pi) of the earth itselfthis is called 'an-hs' a lunar eclipse. When (a similar effect) happens with a planet (we call it) an occultation (hsing wei); when the moon passes across (kuo)(the sun's path) then there is a solar eclipse (shih).40 The later Chinese scientist and statesman Shen Kuo (AD 10311095) also wrote of eclipses and his reasoning for why the celestial bodies were round and spherical instead of flat (Wade-Giles spelling): The Director of the Astronomical Observatory asked me about the shapes of the sun and moon; whether they were like balls or (flat) fans. If they were like balls they would surely obstruct (ai) each other when they met. I replied that these celestial bodies were certainly like balls. How do we know this By the waxing and waning (ying khuei) of the moon. The moon itself gives forth no light but is like a ball of silver; the light is the light of the sun (reflected). When the brightness is first seen the sun(-light passes almost) alongside so the side only is illuminated and looks like a crescent. When the sun gradually gets further away the light shines slanting and the moon is full round like a bullet. If half of a sphere is covered with (white) powder and looked at from the side the covered part will look like a crescent; if looked at from the front it will appear round. Thus we know that the celestial bodies are spherical...Since the sun and moon are in conjunction (ho) and in opposition (tui) once a day why then do they have eclipses only occasionally' I answered that the ecliptic and the moon's path are like two rings lying one over the other (hsiang tieh) but distant by a small amount. (If this obliquity did not exist) the sun would be eclipsed whenever the two bodies were in conjunction and the moon would be eclipsed whenever they were exactly in position. But (in fact) though they may occupy the same degree the two paths are not (always) near (each other) and so naturally the bodies do not (intrude) upon one another.41 Eclipses have been interpreted as omens or portents especially when associated with battles. On 22 January 1879 a British battalion was massacred by Zulu warriors during the Zulu War in South Africa. At 2:29 PM there was a solar eclipse.42 The conflict was named the Battle of Isandlwana the Zulu name for the battle translates as "the day of the dead moon".43 Viewing The Pinhole Projection Method of observing partial Solar Eclipse. At the insert in the upper left corner of this image one can see the partially eclipsed sun that was photographed with a white solar filter. At the bottom of the image one can see the projection of the partially eclipsed sun. Looking directly at the photosphere of the Sun (the bright disk of the Sun itself) even for just a few seconds can cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye because of the intense visible and invisible radiation that the photosphere emits. This damage can result in permanent impairment of vision up to and including blindness. The retina has no sensitivity to pain and the effects of retinal damage may not appear for hours so there is no warning that injury is occurring.44 Under normal conditions the Sun is so bright that it is difficult to stare at it directly so there is no tendency to look at it in a way that might damage the eye. However during an eclipse with so much of the Sun covered it is easier and more tempting to stare at it. Unfortunately looking at the Sun during an eclipse is just as dangerous as looking at it outside an eclipse except during the brief period of totality when the Sun's disk is completely covered (totality occurs only during a total eclipse and only very briefly; it does not occur during a partial or annular eclipse). Viewing the Sun's disk through any kind of optical aid (binoculars a telescope or even an optical camera viewfinder) is extremely hazardous and can cause irreversible eye damage in a fraction of a second.4546 Glancing at the Sun with all or most of its disk visible is unlikely to result in permanent harm as the pupil will close down and reduce the brightness of the whole scene. If the eclipse is near total the low average amount of light causes the pupil to open. Unfortunately the remaining parts of the Sun are still just as bright so they are now brighter on the retina than when looking at a full Sun. As the eye has a small fovea for detailed viewing the tendency will be to track the image on to this best part of the retina causing damage. Partial and annular eclipses Eclipse glasses Viewing the Sun during partial and annular eclipses (and during total eclipses outside the brief period of totality) requires special eye protection or indirect viewing methods if eye damage is to be avoided. The Sun's disk can be viewed using appropriate filtration to block the harmful part of the Sun's radiation. Sunglasses do not make viewing the sun safe. Only properly designed and certified solar filters should be used for direct viewing of the Sun's disk.47 Especially self-made filters using common objects such as a floppy disk removed from its case a Compact Disc a black colour slide film etc. must be avoided despite what may have been said in the media.48 The safest way to view the Sun's disk is by indirect projection. This can be done by projecting an image of the disk onto a white piece of paper or card using a pair of binoculars (with one of the lenses covered) a telescope or another piece of cardboard with a small hole in it (about 1 mm diameter) often called a pinhole camera. The projected image of the Sun can then be safely viewed; this technique can be used to observe sunspots as well as eclipses. Care must be taken however to ensure that no one looks through the projector (telescope pinhole etc.) directly. Viewing the Sun's disk on a video display screen (provided by a video camera or digital camera) is safe although the camera itself may be damaged by direct exposure to the Sun. The optical viewfinders provided with some video and digital cameras are not safe. Securely mounting #14 welder's glass in front of the lens and viewfinder protects the equipment and makes viewing possible.49 Professional workmanship is essential because of the dire consequences any gaps or detaching mountings will have. In the partial eclipse path one will not be able to see the corona or nearly complete darkening of the sky yet depending on how much of the sun's disk is obscured some darkening may be noticeable. If two-thirds or more of the sun is obscured then an effect can be observed by which the daylight appears to be dim as if the sky were overcast yet objects still cast sharp shadows. Totality It is safe to observe the total phase of a solar eclipse directly with the unaided eye binoculars or a telescope only when the Sun's photosphere is completely covered by the Moon. During this period the sun is too dim to be seen through filters. The Sun's faint corona will be visible and the chromosphere solar prominences and possibly even a solar flare may be seen. However viewing the Sun after totality can be dangerous. Baily's beads When the shrinking visible part of the photosphere becomes very small Baily's beads will occur. These are caused by the sunlight still being able to reach Earth through lunar valleys but no longer where mountains are present. Totality then begins with the diamond ring effect the last bright flash of sunlight.50 At the end of totality the same effects will occur in reverse order and on the opposite side of the moon. Photography Photographing an eclipse is possible with fairly common camera equipment. In order for the disk of the sun/moon to be easily visible a fairly high magnification long focus lens is needed (70200 mm for a 35 mm camera) and for the disk to fill most of the frame a longer lens is needed (over 500 mm). As with viewing the sun directly looking at it through the viewfinder of a camera can produce damage to the retina so care is advised.51 Other observations The progression of a solar eclipse on August 1 2008 in Novosibirsk Russia. All times UTC (local time was UTC+7). The time span between shots is three minutes. For astronomers a total solar eclipse forms a rare opportunity to observe the corona (the outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere). Normally this is not visible because the photosphere is much brighter than the corona. According to the point reached in the solar cycle the corona may appear small and symmetric or large and fuzzy. It is very hard to predict this prior to totality.52 During a solar eclipse special (indirect) observations can also be achieved with the unaided eye only. Normally the spots of light which fall through the small openings between the leaves of a tree have a circular shape. These are images of the Sun. During a partial eclipse the light spots will show the partial shape of the Sun as seen on the picture. Another famous phenomenon is shadow bands (also known as flying shadows) which are similar to shadows on the bottom of a swimming pool. They only occur just prior to and after totality and are very difficult to observe. Many professional eclipse chasers have never been able to witness them.53 During a partial eclipse a related effect that can be seen is anisotropy in the shadows of objects. Particularly if the partial eclipse is nearly total the unobscured part of the sun acts as an approximate line source of light. This means that objects cast shadows which have a very narrow penumbra in one direction but a broad penumbra in the perpendicular direction. 1919 observations The original photograph of the 1919 eclipse which was claimed to confirm Einstein's theory of general relativity. The observation of a total solar eclipse of May 29 1919 helped to confirm Einstein's theory of general relativity. By comparing the apparent distance between two stars with and without the Sun between them Arthur Eddington stated that the theoretical predictions about gravitational lenses were confirmed though it now appears the data was ambiguous at the time. The observation with the Sun between the stars was only possible during totality since the stars are then visible.54 Gravity anomalies There is a long history of observations of gravity-related phenomena during solar eclipses especially around totality. In 1954 and again in 1959 Maurice Allais reported observations of strange and unexplained movement during solar eclipses.55 This phenomenon is now called the Allais Effect. Similarly Saxl and Allen in 1970 observed sudden change in motion of a torsion pendulum and this phenomenon is called the Saxl effect.56 A recent published observation during the 1997 solar eclipse by Wang et al. suggested a possible gravitational shielding effect57 though there is some serious debate. Later in 2002 Yang and Wang published detailed data analysis which suggested that the phenomenon still remains unexplained.58 More studies are being planned by NASA and ESA over the next decade. Before sunrise after sunset The phenomenon of atmospheric refraction makes it possible to observe the Sun (and hence a solar eclipse) even when it is slightly below the horizon. It is however possible for a solar eclipse to attain totality (or in the event of a partial eclipse near-totality) before (visual and actual) sunrise or after sunset from a particular location. When this occurs shortly before the former or after the latter the sky will appear much darker than it would otherwise be immediately before sunrise or after sunset. On these occasions an object (especially a planet often Mercury) may be visible near the sunrise or sunset point of the horizon when it could not have been seen without the eclipse.59 Eclipses and transits In principle the simultaneous occurrence of a Solar eclipse and a transit of a planet is possible. But these events are extremely rare because of their short durations. The next anticipated simultaneous occurrence of a Solar eclipse and a transit of Mercury will be on July 5 6757 and a Solar eclipse and a transit of Venus is expected on April 5 15232.60 Only five hours after the transit of Venus on June 4 1769 there was a total solar eclipse which was visible in Northern America Europe and Northern Asia as partial solar eclipse. This was the lowest time difference between a transit of a planet and a solar eclipse in the historical past. More common but still infrequent is a conjunction of any planet (not only Mercury or Venus) at the time of a total solar eclipse in which event the planet will be visible very near the eclipsed Sun when without the eclipse it would have been lost in the Sun's glare. At one time some scientists hypothesized that there may be a planet (often given the name Vulcan) even closer to the Sun than Mercury; the only way to confirm its existence would have been to observe it during a total solar eclipse. It now is known that no such planet exists. While there does remain some possibility for small Vulcanoid asteroids to exist none has ever been found. Artificial satellites Shadow of the moon above Turkey and Cyprus seen from the ISS during a 2006 total solar eclipse. Artificial satellites can also pass in front of or transit the Sun as seen from Earth but none is large enough to cause an eclipse. At the altitude of the International Space Station for example an object would need to be about 3.35 km (2.08 mi) across to blot the Sun out entirely. These transits are difficult to watch because the zone of visibility is very small. The satellite passes over the face of the Sun in about a second typically. As with a transit of a planet it will not get dark.61 Artificial satellites do play an important role in documenting solar eclipses. Images of the umbra on the Earth's surface taken from Mir and the International Space Station are among the most spectacular of all eclipse images.62 Observations of eclipses from satellites orbiting above the Earth's atmosphere are not subject to weather conditions. The direct observation of a total solar eclipse from space is rare. The only documented case is Gemini 12 in 1966. The partial phase of the 2006 total eclipse was visible from the International Space Station. 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.63 Meteorological measurements A special weather station used for meteorological measurements during solar eclipses.64 A marked drop of the intensity of the solar radiation occurs during solar eclipse. It influences the actions in the atmosphere. The variations of the atmospheric actions display in changes of standard meteorological and physical quantities. These may be noticed by a measurement of the air temperature and other meteorological quantities (e.g.: air humidity soil temperature colour of the solar radiation). The progressions of the quantities are usually detected by special weather stations because of a short duration of a total (annular) solar eclipse. The properties of the devices usually are: high speed of measurement high resolution and sensitivity. Acquired results show variations in progressions of meteorological and physical quantities (e.g.: colour of the light).64 Recent and forthcoming solar eclipses Main article: List of solar eclipses in the 21st century Further information: Lists of solar eclipses Short term eclipse cycles repeat every six lunations (every 177 days) each set lasting threefour years. They occur at either the ascending or descending node of the moon's orbit. Each set has the moon's shadow crossing the earth near the north or south pole and subsequent events progress toward the other pole until it misses the earth and the series ends. The Saros cycle increments by 5 within each set and 5 different sets repeat every 18 years the Saros period. 19901992 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 1990-1992 19931996 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 1993-1996 19972000 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 1997-2000 20002003 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2000-2003 20042007 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2004-2007 20082011 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2008-2011 20112014 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2011-2014 20152018 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2015-2018 20182021 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2018-2021 20222025 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2022-2025 20262029 Further information: Template:Solar eclipse set 2026-2029 See also Solar System portal Moon portal Eclipses elsewhere Solar eclipses on Jupiter Solar eclipses on Pluto Transit of Deimos from Mars Transit of Phobos from Mars Eclipse lists Articles on individual solar eclipses List of solar eclipses Miscellaneous Besselian Elements Solar eclipses in fiction Notes a b Littmann Mark; Fred Espenak Ken Willcox (2008). Totality: Eclipses of the Sun. Oxford University Press. pp. 1819. ISBN 0199532095.  Five solar eclipses occurred in 1935. NASA (6 September 2009). "Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses". NASA Eclipse Web Site. Fred Espenak Project and Website Manager. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE1901-2000.html. Retrieved 26 January 2010.  "Eclipse Chasing in Pursuit of Total Awe" "Why I Never Miss a Solar Eclipse" "NASA - Stereo Eclipse". NASA. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/12marstereoeclipse.htm.  "Solar Eclipses". University of Tennessee. http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/eclipses.html.  P. Tiedt. "Types of Solar Eclipse". http://www.eclipse.za.net/html/eclipsetypes.html.  O. Staiger. "Solar Eclipses for Beginners". http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html.  F. Espenak. "Central Solar Eclipses". http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEpath/SEpath.html.  F. Verbelen. "Solar Eclipses on Earth 1001 BC to AD 2500". http://users.online.be/felixverbelen/catzeute.htm.  R. Hipschman. "Why Eclipses Happen". The Exploratorium. http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/why.html.  "What Causes an Eclipse". Earth View. http://www.earthview.com/tutorial/causes.htm.  Espenak F. (1987). Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 19862035. Greenbelt MD: NASA RP-1178. ISBN 093334645X.  Meeus J.; C. Grosjean W. and Vanderleen (1966). Canon of Solar Eclipses. New York: Pergamon Press.  Periodicity of Solar Eclipses Fred Espenak Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000CE) Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus "Eclipse". Eclipse. MSN Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia761568140/Eclipse.html.  F. Espenak. "World Atlas of Solar Eclipse Paths". http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEatlas/SEatlas.html.  "NASA Eclipse Home Page". NASA. http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html.  Stephenson F.R. (1997). 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Book IX. p. 10.  Herodotus. Book VIII. p. 131.  Herodotus. Book IX. p. 1.  Schaefer B. E. (May 1994). Solar Eclipses That Changed the World. Sky and Telescope. pp. 3639.  "History of India  Dating of Mahabharata : Facets of India : Ancient and Modern : History of India and World". Tri-murti.com. 1959-03-27. http://www.tri-murti.com/ancientindia/datingMahabharat.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07.  Humphreys C. J.; Waddington W. G. (1983). "Dating the Crucifixion". Nature 306 (5945): 743746. Bibcode 1983Natur.306..743H. doi:10.1038/306743a0  Kidger M. (1999). The Star of Bethlehem: An Astronomers View. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. 6872. ISBN 0691058237  Needham Volume 3 411. a b c Needham Volume 3 227. Needham Volume 3 411413. Needham Volume 3 414. Needham Volume 3 415416. "The Battle of Isandlwana  The Zulu War". http://www.britishbattles.com/zulu-war/isandlwana.htm.  Rattray David (author). (1997) (audio). The Day of the Dead Moon (The Story of the Anglo-Zulu War 1879). CD. 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External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Solar eclipse Listen to this article (2 parts)  (info) Part 1  Part 2 This audio file was created from a revision of Solar eclipse dated 2006-05-03 and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help) More spoken articles Solar eclipse of January 15 2010 Fred Espenak NASA Detailed eclipse explanations and predictions Hermit Eclipse Prof. Druckmller's eclipse photography site World Atlas of Solar Eclipse Paths Fred Espenak Solar eclipse time sequence NASA's Eclipse Home Page Fred Espenak Animated maps of past and future solar eclipses Search among the 11898 solar eclipses over five millennium and display interactive maps Looking Back at an Eclipsed Earth 1999 August 11 from Mir EO-27 - Astronomy Picture of the Day 10 June 2007 Animated explanation of the mechanics of a solar eclipse University of Glamorgan Eclipse Image Gallery at The World at Night Eye safety Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses F. Espenak (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) How to Watch a Partial Solar Eclipse Safely A. M. MacRobert (Sky & Telescope magazine) UK hospitals assess eye damage after solar eclipse British Medical Journal August 21 1999 p. 319469  Links to related articles v d eSolar eclipses Lists of eclipses Antiquity  20th century BC  19th century BC  18th century BC  17th century BC  16th century BC  15th century BC  14th century BC  13th century BC  12th century BC  11th century BC  10th century BC  9th century BC  8th century BC  7th century BC  6th century BC  5th century BC  4th century BC  3rd century BC  2nd century BC  1st century BC  1st century  2nd century  3rd century  4th century  5th century  6th century  7th century  8th century  9th century  10th century  11th century  12th century  13th century  14th century  15th century  16th century  17th century  18th century  19th century  20th century  21st century  22nd century  23rd century  24th century  25th century  26th century  27th century  28th century  29th century  30th century Eclipses seen from: China  the United Kingdom  Philippines Saros cycles: 110  111  112  113  114  115  116  117  118  119  120  121  122  123  124  125  126  127  128  129  130  131  132  133  134  135  136  137  138  139  140  141  142  143  144  145  146  147  148  149  150  151  152  153  154  155  156  157  158  159  160  161  162 Historical eclipses Mursili's eclipse (1312 BC)  Assyrian eclipse (763 BC)  Battle of Halys (585 BC)  Crucifixion darkness and eclipse Past Total/hybrid eclipses 1560 Aug 21  1598 Mar 7  1652 Apr 8  1654 Aug 12  1699 Sep 23  1715 May 3  1724 May 22  1766 Feb 9  1778 Jun 24  1780 Oct 27  1806 Jun 16  1816 Nov 19  1820 Sep 7  1824 Jun 26  1842 Jul 8  1851 Jul 28  1853 Nov 30  1857 Mar 25  1858 Sep 7  1860 Jul 18   1865 Apr 25  1867 Aug 29  1868 Aug 18  1869 Aug 7  1870 Dec 22  1871 Dec 12  1874 Apr 16  1875 Apr 6  1878 Jul 29  1882 May 17   1883 May 6   1885 Sep 8   1886 Aug 29   1887 Aug 19   1889 Jan 1  1889 Dec 22   1893 Apr 16   1896 Aug 9   1898 Jan 22   1900 May 28  1901 May 18  1903 Sep 21  1904 Sep 9  1905 Aug 30  1907 Jan 14  1908 Jan 3  1908 Dec 23  1909 Jun 17  1910 May 9  1911 Apr 28  1912 Apr 17  1912 Oct 10  1914 Aug 21  1916 Feb 3  1918 Jun 8  1919 May 29  1921 Oct 1  1922 Sep 21  1923 Sep 10  1925 Jan 24  1926 Jan 14  1927 Jun 29  1928 May 19  1929 May 9  1930 Apr 28  1930 Oct 21  1932 Aug 31  1934 Feb 14  1936 Jun 19  1937 Jun 8  1938 May 29  1939 Oct 12  1940 Oct 1  1941 Sep 21  1943 Feb 4  1944 Jan 25  1944 Jul 20  1945 Jul 9  1947 May 20  1948 Nov 1  1950 Sep 12  1952 Feb 25  1954 Jun 30  1955 Jun 20  1956 Jun 8  1957 Oct 23  1958 Oct 12  1959 Oct 2  1961 Feb 15  1962 Feb 5  1963 Jul 20  1965 May 30  1966 Nov 12  1967 Nov 2  1968 Sep 22  1970 Mar 7  1972 Jul 10  1973 Jun 30  1974 Jun 20  1976 Oct 23  1977 Oct 12  1979 Feb 26  1980 Feb 16  1981 Jul 31  1983 Jun 11  1984 Nov 22  1985 Nov 12  1986 Oct 3  1987 Mar 29  1988 Mar 18  1990 Jul 22  1991 Jul 11  1992 Jun 30  1994 Nov 3  1995 Oct 24  1997 Mar 9  1998 Feb 26  1999 Aug 11  2001 Jun 21  2002 Dec 4  2003 Nov 23  2005 Apr 8  2006 Mar 29  2008 Aug 1  2009 Jul 22  2010 Jul 11 Future Total/hybrid eclipses 2012 Nov 13  2013 Nov 3  2015 Mar 20  2016 Mar 9  2017 Aug 21  2019 Jul 2  2020 Dec 14  2021 Dec 4  2023 Apr 20  2024 Apr 8  2026 Aug 12  2027 Aug 2  2028 Jul 22  2030 Nov 25  2031 Nov 14  2033 Mar 30  2034 Mar 20  2035 Sep 2  2037 Jul 13  2038 Dec 26  2039 Dec 15  2041 Apr 30  2042 Apr 20  2043 Apr 9  2044 Aug 23  2045 Aug 12  2046 Aug 2  2048 Dec 5  2049 Nov 25  2050 May 20  2052 Mar 30  2053 Sep 12  2055 Jul 24  2057 Jan 5  2057 Dec 26  2059 May 11  2060 Apr 30  2061 Apr 20  2063 Aug 24  2064 Aug 12  2066 Dec 17  2067 Dec 6  2068 May 31  2070 Apr 11  2071 Sep 23  2072 Sep 12  2073 Aug 3  2075 Jan 16  2076 Jan 6  2077 May 22  2078 May 11  2079 May 1  2081 Sep 3  2082 Aug 24  2084 Dec 27  2086 Jun 11  2088 Apr 21  2089 Oct 4  2090 Sep 23  2091 Aug 15  2093 Jan 27  2094 Jan 16  2095 Jun 2  2096 May 22  2097 May 11  2099 Sep 14  2100 Sep 4  2114 Jun 3  2132 Jun 13  2150 Jun 25  2168 Jul 5  2186 Jul 16 Past Annular eclipses 1854 May 26  1879 Jan 22  1889 Jun 28  1901 Nov 11  1903 Mar 29  1904 Mar 17  1905 Mar 6  1907 Jul 10  1908 Jun 28  1911 Oct 22  1914 Feb 25  1915 Feb 14  1915 Aug 10  1916 Jul 30  1917 Dec 14  1918 Dec 3  1919 Nov 22  1921 Apr 8  1922 Mar 28  1923 Mar 17  1925 Jul 20  1926 Jul 9  1927 Jan 3  1929 Nov 1  1932 Mar 7  1933 Feb 24  1933 Aug 21  1934 Aug 10  1935 Dec 25  1936 Dec 13  1937 Dec 2  1939 Apr 19  1940 Apr 7  1941 Mar 27  1943 Aug 1  1945 Jan 14  1947 Nov 12  1948 May 9  1950 Mar 18  1951 Mar 7  1951 Sep 1  1952 Aug 20  1954 Jan 5  1954 Dec 25  1955 Dec 14  1957 Apr 30  1958 Apr 19  1959 Apr 8  1961 Aug 11  1962 Jul 31  1963 Jan 25  1965 Nov 23  1966 May 20  1969 Mar 18  1969 Sep 11  1970 Aug 31  1972 Jan 16  1973 Jan 4  1973 Dec 24  1976 Apr 29  1977 Apr 18  1979 Aug 22  1980 Aug 10  1981 Feb 4  1983 Dec 4  1984 May 30  1987 Sep 23  1988 Sep 11  1990 Jan 26  1991 Jan 15  1992 Jan 4  1994 May 10  1995 Apr 29  1998 Aug 22  1999 Feb 16  2001 Dec 14  2002 Jun 10  2003 May 31  2005 Oct 3  2006 Sep 22  2008 Feb 7  2009 Jan 26  2010 Jan 15 Future Annular eclipses 2012 May 20  2013 May 10  2014 Apr 29  2016 Sep 1  2017 Feb 26  2019 Dec 26  2020 Jun 21  2021 Jun 10  2023 Oct 14  2024 Oct 2  2026 Feb 17  2027 Feb 6  2028 Jan 26  2030 Jun 1  2031 May 21  2032 May 9  2034 Sep 12  2035 Mar 9  2038 Jan 5  2038 Jul 2  2039 Jun 21  2041 Oct 25  2042 Oct 14  2043 Oct 3  2044 Feb 28  2045 Feb 16  2046 Feb 5  2048 Jun 11  2049 May 31  2052 Sep 22  2053 Mar 20  2056 Jan 16  2056 Jul 12  2057 Jul 1  2059 Nov 5  2060 Oct 24  2061 Oct 13  2063 Feb 28  2064 Feb 17  2066 Jun 22  2067 Jun 11  2070 Oct 4  2071 Mar 31  2074 Jan 27  2074 Jul 24  2075 Jul 13  2077 Nov 15  2078 Nov 4  2079 Oct 24  2081 Mar 10  2082 Feb 27  2084 Jul 3  2085 Jun 22  2085 Dec 16  2088 Oct 14  2089 Apr 10  2092 Feb 7  2092 Aug 3  2093 Jul 23  2095 Nov 27  2096 Nov 15  2097 Nov 4  2099 Mar 21  2100 Mar 10 Other planets Jupiter  Mars  Pluto Related topics Solar eclipses in fiction  Images v d eThe Sun Internal structure Core  Radiation zone  Convection zone Atmosphere Photosphere Supergranulation  Granule  Faculae  Sunspot Chromosphere Plage  Spicule  Moreton wave Corona Transition region  Coronal hole  Coronal loop  Coronal mass ejection  Prominence  Helmet streamer Variation Solar cycle  Solar maximum  Solar minimum  Wolf number  Flare  Helioseismology Heliosphere Solar wind (Current sheet)  Termination shock  Heliosheath  Heliopause  Bow shock Related topics Solar System  Solar dynamo  Solar telescope  Eclipse  Radiation  Solar energy Spectral class: G2 v d eThe Moon Physical features Internal structure  Gravity field  Topography  Magnetic field  Atmosphere   Ion tail  Moonlight Orbit Orbit of the Moon  Phases  Solar eclipse  Lunar eclipse  Tide Lunar surface Selenography  Near side  Far side  Lunar mare  Craters  South Pole Aitken basin  Shackleton crater  Water  Soil  Peak of eternal light  Space weathering  Transient lunar phenomenon Lunar science 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