A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, December 4, 2002,[1][2] with a magnitude of 1.0244. 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. It was visible from a narrow corridor in southern Africa, the Indian Ocean and southern Australia. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of Africa and Australia. During the sunset after the eclipse many observers in Australia saw numerous and unusual forms of a green flash.[3]
Solar eclipse of December 4, 2002 | |
---|---|
Type of eclipse | |
Nature | Total |
Gamma | −0.302 |
Magnitude | 1.0244 |
Maximum eclipse | |
Duration | 124 s (2 min 4 s) |
Coordinates | 39°30′S 59°36′E / 39.5°S 59.6°E |
Max. width of band | 87 km (54 mi) |
Times (UTC) | |
Greatest eclipse | 7:32:16 |
References | |
Saros | 142 (22 of 72) |
Catalog # (SE5000) | 9514 |
In some parts of Angola, it was the second total eclipse of the Sun within 18 months, following the Solar eclipse of June 21, 2001.
Observations
editThe Chinese Academy of Sciences sent a team to Australia, to study the gravity anomalies[4] first recorded by Indian scientists during the total solar eclipse of October 24, 1995.[5] The Chinese Academy of Sciences also studied it during previous total solar eclipses of March 9, 1997 in Mohe County and June 21, 2001 in Zambia. With continuous observation for more than 10 years after that, China obtained the first observational evidence that the gravity field propagates at the speed of light.[6]
Images
editGallery
edit-
Via eclipse glasses in Ceduna, South Australia
Related eclipses
editEclipses of 2002
edit- A penumbral lunar eclipse on May 26.
- An annular solar eclipse on June 10.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on June 24.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 20.
- A total solar eclipse on December 4.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 1999
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 22, 2006
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 24, 1995
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 29, 1993
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 10, 2011
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 4, 1992
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 3, 2013
Solar Saros 142
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 22, 1984
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 24, 1973
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 14, 2031
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 3, 1916
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 4, 2089
Solar eclipses of 2000–2003
editThis 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.[7]
Partial solar eclipses on February 5, 2000 and July 31, 2000 occur in the previous lunar year set.
Ascending node | Descending node | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saros | Map | Gamma | Saros | Map | Gamma | |
117 | 2000 July 01 Partial (south) |
−1.28214 | 122 | 2000 December 25 Partial (north) |
1.13669 | |
127 Totality from Lusaka, Zambia |
2001 June 21 Total |
−0.57013 | 132 Partial from Minneapolis, MN |
2001 December 14 Annular |
0.40885 | |
137 Partial from Los Angeles, CA |
2002 June 10 Annular |
0.19933 | 142 Totality from Woomera |
2002 December 04 Total |
−0.30204 | |
147 Culloden, Scotland |
2003 May 31 Annular |
0.99598 | 152 | 2003 November 23 Total |
−0.96381 |
Saros 142
editIt 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.[8]
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 |
Tritos series
editThis 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.
Series members between 1901 and 2100 | |||
---|---|---|---|
September 9, 1904 (Saros 133) |
August 10, 1915 (Saros 134) |
July 9, 1926 (Saros 135) | |
June 8, 1937 (Saros 136) |
May 9, 1948 (Saros 137) |
April 8, 1959 (Saros 138) | |
March 7, 1970 (Saros 139) |
February 4, 1981 (Saros 140) |
January 4, 1992 (Saros 141) | |
December 4, 2002 (Saros 142) |
November 3, 2013 (Saros 143) |
October 2, 2024 (Saros 144) | |
September 2, 2035 (Saros 145) |
August 2, 2046 (Saros 146) |
July 1, 2057 (Saros 147) | |
May 31, 2068 (Saros 148) |
May 1, 2079 (Saros 149) |
March 31, 2090 (Saros 150) |
Metonic series
editThe 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 eclipse events, progressing from north to south between July 11, 1953 and July 11, 2029 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
July 10–12 | April 29–30 | February 15–16 | December 4–5 | September 21–23 |
116 | 118 | 120 | 122 | 124 |
July 11, 1953 |
April 30, 1957 |
February 15, 1961 |
December 4, 1964 |
September 22, 1968 |
126 | 128 | 130 | 132 | 134 |
July 10, 1972 |
April 29, 1976 |
February 16, 1980 |
December 4, 1983 |
September 23, 1987 |
136 | 138 | 140 | 142 | 144 |
July 11, 1991 |
April 29, 1995 |
February 16, 1999 |
December 4, 2002 |
September 22, 2006 |
146 | 148 | 150 | 152 | 154 |
July 11, 2010 |
April 29, 2014 |
February 15, 2018 |
December 4, 2021 |
September 21, 2025 |
156 | 158 | 160 | 162 | 164 |
July 11, 2029 |
Notes
edit- ^ "Total solar eclipse 'magnificent'". News-Press. 2002-12-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Solar eclipse bedazzles southern Africa crowds". News and Record. 2002-12-05. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-10-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Maunder, Michael (2007). Lights in the Sky: Identifying and Understanding Astronomical and Meteorological Phenomena. Springer. p. 116. ISBN 978-1846287619. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^ Xue Hui (5 December 2002). "今澳洲可观测到日全食 中国科学家捕捉"微重力"". Beijing Morning Post (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 25 December 2002.
- ^ Chai Shikuan, Xiong Sihao (25 June 2001). "中科院日全食观测队获得高质量观测数据" (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 2003-11-03.
- ^ Sun Zifa (26 December 2012). "中国科学家全球首获引力场以光速传播的观测证据" (in Chinese). China News Service. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros142.html
References
edit- Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. "Total Solar Eclipse of 2002 December 4". NASA, November 2004.
- Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
- Google Map
Photos:
- Spaceweather.com: Dec. 4, 2002, Solar Eclipse Gallery and [1]
- Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site. Australia
- Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site. South Africa and Mozambique
- KryssTal - Eclipse from Botswana.
- Images from Australia by Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society Archived 2013-02-09 at archive.today
- Total Solar Eclipse of 4 December 2002 seen in EUMETSAT satellite imagery Archived 6 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
- Zimbabwe Solar Eclipse, APOD 12/6/2002, Corona from Zimbabwe-South Africa border
- The Crown of the Sun, APOD 12/13/2002, Corona of total eclipse from Musina, South Africa
- Shadow Cone of a Total Solar Eclipse, APOD 1/6/2003, totality from South Australia