Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016

A total solar eclipse took place at the Moon’s descending node of the orbit on March 8–9, 2016. If viewed from east of the International Date Line (for instance from Hawaii), the eclipse took place on March 8 (local time) and elsewhere on March 9. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's and the apparent path of the Sun and Moon intersect, blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness; the sun appears to be black with a halo around it. 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 eclipse of March 8–9, 2016 had a magnitude of 1.0450 visible across an area of Pacific Ocean, which started in the Indian Ocean, and ended in the northern Pacific Ocean.[1]

Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016
Totality with Baily's beads from Balikpapan, Indonesia
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma0.2609
Magnitude1.045
Maximum eclipse
Duration249 sec (4 m 9 s)
Coordinates10.1°N 148.8°E / 10.1; 148.8
Max. width of band155 km (96 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse1:58:19
References
Saros130 (52 of 73)
Catalog # (SE5000)9543

It was the 52nd eclipse of the 130th Saros cycle, which began with a partial eclipse on August 20, 1059 and will conclude with a partial eclipse on October 25, 2394.

The eclipse was clearly visible in many parts of Indonesia, including Central Sulawesi and Ternate, but obscured by clouds and smokes in Palembang, the largest city on the path of totality.[2][3] The eclipse coincided with Nyepi, a public holiday in Indonesia and the end of the Balinese saka calendar. Because Nyepi is normally a day of silence, Muslims in Bali had to be given special dispensation to attend special prayer services during the eclipse.[4]

Path of the eclipse

On March 9, 2016, a large area of the Pacific, covering Indonesia, Borneo, but also large parts of Southeast Asia and Australia, witnessed a partial solar eclipse. It was total in multiple islands of Indonesia, three atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia (Eauripik, Woleai and Ifalik) and the central Pacific, starting at sunrise over Sumatra and ending at sunset north of Hawaii. In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the totality exceeded a duration of more than 4 minutes.[5]

In most parts of India and Nepal, the sunrise was partially eclipsed, and much of East Asia witnessed more than 50% partial eclipse.[5][6]

The largest city along the path of totality was Palembang in southern Sumatra (423 km (263 mi) from Jakarta and 478 km (297 mi) from Singapore).[3]

In order to watch the total solar eclipse, Alaska Airlines adjusted the flight plan for Flight 870. The flight passed through the umbral shadow about 695 miles (1,118 km) north of Hawaii.[7]

Maps

Animation assembled from 13 images acquired by NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera.

Path of the eclipse in Southeast Asia

Path of the eclipse in Indonesia

This solar eclipse is related to other eclipses including in the current set predictions between 2015 and 2018. It is also a part of long period Saros cycle 130, and a 19-year Metonic cycle.

Eclipses of 2016

Solar eclipses descending node 2015-2018

Solar eclipses 2015–18

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.[8]

Saros 130

This eclipse is a part of Saros cycle 130, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 73 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on August 20, 1096. It contains total eclipses from April 5, 1475 through July 18, 2232. The series ends at member 73 as a partial eclipse on October 25, 2394. The longest duration of totality was 6 minutes, 41 seconds on July 11, 1619.

Saros 130 total eclipses between 1850 and 2100
43 44 45 46 47 48 49
1853/11/30 1871/12/12 1889/12/22 1908/1/3 1926/1/14 1944/1/25 1962/2/5
4m 28s 4m 23s 4m 18s 4m 14s 4m 11s 4m 9s 4m 8s
50 51 52 53 54 55 56
1980/2/16 1998/2/26 2016/3/9 2034/3/20 2052/3/30 2070/4/11 2088/4/21
4m 8s 4m 9s 4m 9s 4m 9s 4m 8s 4m 4s 3m 58s

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 descending node.[9]

Notes
  1. Espenak, Fred. "Google Maps and Solar Eclipse Paths: 2001 – 2020". Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC. NASA. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  2. Graham, Chris (March 10, 2016). "Solar eclipse sweeps across Asia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  3. Graham Jones (November 15, 2015). "'Completely Off the Charts': Indonesia Prepares for March 9 Eclipse". Jakata Globe. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  4. "Do's and Don'ts on Nyepi: Religious Leaders in Bali Issue Guidelines for Nyepi Observance on March 9, 2016". Bali Discovery Tours. February 20, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  5. Ade Ashford (March 8, 2016). "Get ready for the 9 March total solar eclipse". Astronomy Now. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  6. PTI (March 9, 2016). "Part of total solar eclipse seen in India". Economic Times. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  7. Cosgrove, Cole. "Chasing the shadow of the moon: To intercept eclipse, Alaska Airlines adjusts flight plan to delight astronomers". Alaska Airlines.
  8. 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.
  9. Freeth, Tony. "Note S1: Eclipses & Predictions". plos.org. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
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References
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