Solar eclipse of July 31, 1981

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of the orbit on July 31, 1981. 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. The continental path of totality fell entirely within the Soviet Union, belonging to Georgia, Kazakhstan and Russia today. The southern part of Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, also lies in the path of totality. Occurring only 3.8 days after perigee (Perigee on July 27, 1981), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger. With a path width of 107.8 km (66.984 mi, or 353,674.541 feet), this total solar eclipse had an average path.

Solar eclipse of July 31, 1981
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma0.5792
Magnitude1.0258
Maximum eclipse
Duration122 sec (2 m 2 s)
Coordinates53.3°N 134.1°E / 53.3; 134.1
Max. width of band108 km (67 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse3:46:37
References
Saros145 (20 of 77)
Catalog # (SE5000)9467

It was the 20th eclipse of the 145th Saros cycle, which began with a partial eclipse on January 4, 1639 and will conclude with a partial eclipse on April 17, 3009.

The moon's apparent diameter was 7 arcseconds larger than the February 4, 1981 annular solar eclipse. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Eclipses in 1981

Solar eclipses of 1979–1982

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.[15] There were 8 solar eclipses between February 26, 1979 and July 20, 1982. Were there: February 26, 1979 (total solar eclipse, 0.8 days after perigee, 103.9%, 0.89811 gamma, saros 120), August 22, 1979 (small annular solar eclipse, 0.6 days before apogee, 93.3%, −0.96319 gamma, saros 125), February 16, 1980 (total solar eclipse, 1 day before perigee, 104.3%, 0.22244 gamma, saros 130), August 10, 1980 (large annular solar eclipse, 5 days before apogee, 97.3%, −0.19154 gamma, saros 135), February 4, 1981 (large annular solar eclipse, 4 days before perigee, 99.4%, −0.48375 gamma, saros 140), July 31, 1981 (total solar eclipse, 3.8 days after perigee, 102.6%, 0.57917 gamma, saros 145), January 25, 1982 (moderate partial solar eclipse, 4.7 days after apogee, 56.6%, −1.23110 gamma, saros 150) and July 20, 1982 (small partial solar eclipse, 0.9 days after perigee, 46.4%, 1.28859 gamma, saros 155).

Solar eclipse series sets from 1979–1982
Descending node   Ascending node
SarosMapGamma SarosMapGamma
120
1979 February 26
Total		0.89811 125
1979 August 22
Annular		−0.96319
130
1980 February 16
Total		0.22244 135
1980 August 10
Annular		−0.19154
140
1981 February 4
Annular		−0.48375 145
1981 July 31
Total		0.57917
150
1982 January 25
Partial		−1.23110 155
1982 July 20
Partial		1.28859
Partial solar eclipses on June 21, 1982 and December 15, 1982 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 145

This solar eclipse is a part of Saros cycle 145, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours, containing 77 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on January 4, 1639, and reached a first annular eclipse on June 6, 1891. It was a hybrid event on June 17, 1909, and total eclipses from June 29, 1927, through September 9, 2648. The series ends at member 77 as a partial eclipse on April 17, 3009. The longest eclipse will occur on June 25, 2522, with a maximum duration of totality of 7 minutes, 12 seconds. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon's ascending node.

Series members 10–32 occur between 1801 and 2359
10 11 12

April 13, 1801
April 24, 1819
May 4, 1837
13 14 15

May 16, 1855
May 26, 1873
June 6, 1891
16 17 18

June 17, 1909
June 29, 1927
July 9, 1945
19 20 21

July 20, 1963
July 31, 1981
August 11, 1999
22 23 24

August 21, 2017
September 2, 2035
September 12, 2053
25 26 27

September 23, 2071
October 4, 2089
October 16, 2107
28 29 30

October 26, 2125
November 7, 2143
November 17, 2161
31 32 33

November 28, 2179
December 9, 2197
December 21, 2215
34 35 36

December 31, 2233
January 12, 2252
January 22, 2270
37 38 39

February 2, 2288
February 14, 2306
February 25, 2324
40

March 8, 2342

Tritos series

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

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 December 24, 1916 and July 31, 2000
December 24–25 October 12–13 July 31-Aug 1 May 18–20 March 7–8
91 93 95 97 99
December 23, 1878 October 12, 1882 July 31, 1886 May 18, 1890 March 7, 1894
101 103 105 107 109
December 23, 1897 October 12, 1901 August 1, 1905 May 19, 1909 March 8, 1913
111 113 115 117 119

December 24, 1916		 October 12, 1920
July 31, 1924
May 19, 1928
March 7, 1932
121 123 125 127 129

December 25, 1935
October 12, 1939
August 1, 1943
May 20, 1947
March 7, 1951
131 133 135 137 139

December 25, 1954
October 12, 1958
July 31, 1962
May 20, 1966
March 7, 1970
141 143 145 147 149

December 24, 1973
October 12, 1977
July 31, 1981
May 19, 1985
March 7, 1989
151 153 155 157 159

December 24, 1992
October 12, 1996
July 31, 2000		 May 19, 2004 March 7, 2008
161 163 165 167 169
December 24, 2011 October 13, 2015 August 1, 2019 May 19, 2023 March 8, 2027

References
  1. "Muscovites view eclipse of the sun". Spokane Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. 1981-07-31. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Bad weather hampers view of solar eclipse". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. 1981-07-31. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Scientists Get Good Solar Eclipse Look". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. 1981-07-31. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Former Beatrician among group studying eclipse in Russia". Beatrice Daily Sun. Beatrice, Nebraska. 1981-07-31. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Clouds obstruct most of Soviet eclipse". Springfield Leader and Press. Springfield, Missouri. 1981-07-31. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "High-flying scientists view moon's path across sun". The Kokomo Tribune. Kokomo, Indiana. 1981-07-31. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Long eclipse". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool, Merseyside, England. 1981-07-31. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Black day for Reds". Manchester Evening News. Manchester, Greater Manchester, England. 1981-07-31. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Clouds spoil view of eclipse of sun". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 1981-07-31. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Total eclipse". North Bay Nugget. North Bay, Ontario, Canada. 1981-07-31. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Weather blocks eclipse view". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 1981-07-31. p. 48. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Hundreds of scientists study eclipse of sun". Standard-Speaker. Hazleton, Pennsylvania. 1981-08-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Americans Join Scientists to Observe Eclipse". Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 1981-08-01. p. 32. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Eclipse casts its giant shadow across 4,300-mile Soviet path". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. 1981-08-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. 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.

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