Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020

A total solar eclipse took place on Monday, December 14, 2020, when the Moon passed between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. Totality occurred in a narrow path across Earth's surface across parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean, when the Moon's apparent diameter was larger than the Sun's so all direct sunlight was blocked. The partial solar eclipse was visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide, including parts of the Pacific Ocean, South America, southwestern Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Moon's apparent diameter was larger than average because the eclipse occurred only 1.8 days after perigee (on December 12, 2020).

Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020
Totality as viewed from Gorbea, Chile
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma−0.2939
Magnitude1.0254
Maximum eclipse
Duration130 sec (2 m 10 s)
Coordinates40.3°S 67.9°W / -40.3; -67.9
Max. width of band90 km (56 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse16:14:39
References
Saros142 (23 of 72)
Catalog # (SE5000)9554

Visibility
Animated path

Chile

Totality made landfall in Puerto Saavedra, before traversing through portions of Araucanía Region, Los Ríos Region, and a very small part of Bío Bío Region.[1] Cities in the path included Temuco, Villarrica, and Pucón. Totality was also visible on Mocha Island. The eclipse's path was similar to the solar eclipse of February 26, 2017. It occurred just 17 months after the solar eclipse of July 2, 2019 and, like the 2019 eclipse, was also visible from Chile and Argentina. It was also a partial solar eclipse in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Argentina

Totality was visible across the Northern Patagonia (specifically the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro), passing through cities including Piedra del Águila, Sierra Colorada, Ministro Ramos Mexía, Junín de los Andes, and partially in San Martín de los Andes and San Carlos de Bariloche.

Scientific observations

The ionospheric effects of the eclipse were expected to be monitored as part of the December 2020 Eclipse Festival of Frequency Measurement, a citizen science experiment organized through the Amateur Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI).[2] Also, a prediction was made for a group of ionospheric stations in South America, using a numerical model (SUPIM-INPE), of the ionospheric response to this event.[3]

This eclipse took place one lunar year after the Solar eclipse of December 26, 2019.

Eclipses of 2020

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros cycle

Tritos

Solar Saros 142

Inex

Triad
  • Followed: Solar eclipse of October 16, 2107

Solar eclipses of 2018–2021

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]

Note: Partial solar eclipses on February 15, 2018, and August 11, 2018, occurred during the previous semester series.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2018–2021
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
117

Partial from Melbourne, Australia		 2018 July 13

Partial		 −1.35423 122

Partial from Nakhodka, Russia		 2019 January 6

Partial		 1.14174
127

La Serena, Chile		 2019 July 2

Total		 −0.64656 132

Jaffna, Sri Lanka		 2019 December 26

Annular		 0.41351
137

Beigang, Yunlin, Taiwan		 2020 June 21

Annular		 0.12090 142

Gorbea, Chile		 2020 December 14

Total		 −0.29394
147

Partial from Halifax, Canada		 2021 June 10

Annular		 0.91516 152

From HMS Protector off South Georgia		 2021 December 4

Total		 −0.95261

Saros 142

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

Metonic cycle

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 events between July 22, 1971 and July 22, 2047
July 21–22 May 9–11 February 26–27 December 14–15 October 2–3
116 118 120 122 124

July 22, 1971
May 11, 1975
February 26, 1979
December 15, 1982
October 3, 1986
126 128 130 132 134

July 22, 1990
May 10, 1994
February 26, 1998
December 14, 2001
October 3, 2005
136 138 140 142 144

July 22, 2009
May 10, 2013
February 26, 2017
December 14, 2020
October 2, 2024
146 148 150 152 154

July 22, 2028
May 9, 2032
February 27, 2036
December 15, 2039
October 3, 2043
156

July 22, 2047

References
  1. Garcia, Richard (30 December 2018). "Chile será protagonista de tres eclipses totales de Sol consecutivos por primera vez". EyN (in Spanish).
  2. "December 2020 Eclipse Festival of Frequency Measurement". HamSCI.
  3. Martínez‐Ledesma, M.; Bravo, M.; Urra, B.; Souza, J.; Foppiano, A. (2020). "Prediction of the Ionospheric Response to the 14 December 2020 Total Solar Eclipse Using SUPIM-INPE". Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 125 (11): e2020JA028625. Bibcode:2020JGRA..12528625M. doi:10.1029/2020JA028625. S2CID 228824043.
  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
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