| Annular eclipse | |
 Composite image taken fromRed Bluff, California | |
 Map | |
| Gamma | 0.4828 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 0.9439 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 346 s (5 min 46 s) |
| Coordinates | 49°06′N176°18′E / 49.1°N 176.3°E /49.1; 176.3 |
| Max. width of band | 237 km (147 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| (P1) Partial begin | 20:56:07 |
| (U1) Total begin | 22:06:17 |
| Greatest eclipse | 23:53:54 |
| (U4) Total end | 1:39:11 |
| (P4) Partial end | 2:49:21 |
| References | |
| Saros | 128 (58 of 73) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9535 |
An annularsolar eclipse occurred at the Moon’sdescending node of orbit between Sunday, May 20 and Monday, May 21, 2012,[1][2][3] with amagnitude of 0.9439. A solar eclipse occurs when theMoon passes betweenEarth and theSun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon'sapparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres or miles wide. Occurring about 1.3 days afterapogee (on May 19, 2012, at 17:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.[4]
The annular eclipse was the first visible from thecontiguous United States since thesolar eclipse of May 10, 1994 (Saros 128), and the first inAsia since thesolar eclipse of January 15, 2010 (Saros 141).[5] The path of the eclipse'santumbra included heavily populated regions ofChina andJapan, and an estimated 100 million people in those areas were capable of viewing annularity. In the westernUnited States, its path included 8 states, and an estimated 6 million people were capable of viewing annularity.
The eclipse was visible in a band spanning throughEast Asia, thePacific Ocean, andNorth America. As apartial solar eclipse, it was visible fromGreenland toHawaii, and from easternIndonesia at sunrise to westernNorth America at sunset.
Theantumbra had amagnitude of .94, stretched 236 kilometres (147 miles) wide, and traveled eastbound at an average rate of 1.00 kilometre (0.62 miles) per second, remaining north of theequator throughout the event. The longest duration of annularity was 5 minutes and 46 seconds, occurring just south of theAleutian Islands.[6] The eclipse began on a Monday and ended on the previous Sunday, as it crossed theInternational Date Line.[5]
The annular eclipse commenced over theChinese province of Guangxi at sunrise, at 6:06 a.m.China Standard Time. Travelling northeast, theantumbra of the eclipse approached and passed over the cities ofMacau,Hong Kong,Guangzhou, andXiamen, reachingTaipei by 6:10 a.mNST. After crossing theEast China Sea, it passed over much of easternJapan, includingOsaka andTokyo at 7:28 a.m and 7:32 a.mJST respectively, before entering the Pacific Ocean. Thepenumbra of the eclipse was visible throughoutEastern Asia and variousislands in the Pacific Ocean until noon.[7][8]
The path of the antumbra over highly populated areas allowed at least an estimated 100 million people to view annularity.[9] Because the eclipse took place during the summermonsoon season inSoutheast Asia, viewing conditions were not ideal in some areas, including Hong Kong.[10]
After traveling approximately 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) across the Pacific Ocean, the antumbra entered North America between the coastlines ofOregon andCalifornia, reaching the coastal city ofEureka, California at 6:25 p.mPDT. After passing overMedford, Oregon andRedding, California, it had reachedReno, Nevada by 6:28 p.m PDT. The eclipse continued to travel southeast, passing 30 miles (48 km) north ofLas Vegas, Nevada, overSt. George, Utah, and reaching theGrand Canyon by approximately 6:33 p.mMST. After passing overAlbuquerque, New Mexico andLubbock, Texas, the eclipse terminated above central Texas at sunset, 8:38 p.m.CST.[7][6][11] An estimated 6.6 million people lived under the path of the antumbra.[12] The penumbra was visible throughout most ofNorth America, including the islands ofHawaii.[6]
| Country or territory | City or place | Start of partial eclipse | Start of annular eclipse | Maximum eclipse | End of annular eclipse | End of partial eclipse | Duration of annularity (min:s) | Duration of eclipse (hr:min) | Maximum magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hong Kong | Hong Kong[a] | 05:41:16 (sunrise) | 06:06:48 | 06:08:31 | 06:10:15 | 07:16:23 | 3:27 | 1:35 | 87.03% |
| Hong Kong | Kowloon[a] | 05:40:56 (sunrise) | 06:06:49 | 06:08:32 | 06:10:15 | 07:16:26 | 3:26 | 1:36 | 87.04% |
 Macau | Macau[a] | 05:44:00 (sunrise) | 06:06:41 | 06:08:34 | 06:10:26 | 07:16:04 | 3:45 | 1:32 | 87.01% |
 China | Shenzhen[a] | 05:41:20 (sunrise) | 06:06:50 | 06:08:50 | 06:10:49 | 07:16:41 | 3:59 | 1:35 | 87.03% |
| China | Shantou[a] | 05:29:24 (sunrise) | 06:07:29 | 06:09:14 | 06:10:59 | 07:18:41 | 3:30 | 1:49 | 87.16% |
| China | Foshan[a] | 05:44:13 (sunrise) | 06:07:25 | 06:09:38 | 06:11:50 | 07:17:05 | 4:25 | 1:33 | 87.01% |
| China | Guangzhou[a] | 05:43:27 (sunrise) | 06:07:31 | 06:09:43 | 06:11:55 | 07:17:16 | 4:24 | 1:34 | 87.02% |
| China | Xiamen[a] | 05:21:48 (sunrise) | 06:08:14 | 06:10:24 | 06:12:32 | 07:20:53 | 4:18 | 1:59 | 87.25% |
 Taiwan | Hsinchu[a] | 05:09:35 (sunrise) | 06:09:42 | 06:10:36 | 06:11:29 | 07:22:53 | 1:47 | 2:13 | 87.37% |
| Taiwan | Taoyuan[a] | 05:07:52 (sunrise) | 06:09:50 | 06:10:50 | 06:11:49 | 07:23:22 | 1:59 | 2:16 | 87.39% |
| Taiwan | Taipei[a] | 05:07:13 | 06:10:00 | 06:10:56 | 06:11:50 | 07:23:37 | 1:50 | 2:17 | 87.40% |
| China | Fuzhou[a] | 05:13:53 (sunrise) | 06:10:16 | 06:12:23 | 06:14:30 | 07:23:55 | 4:14 | 2:10 | 87.34% |
 Japan | Kagoshima[a] | 06:12:48 | 07:20:03 | 07:22:11 | 07:24:19 | 08:42:27 | 4:16 | 2:30 | 87.93% |
| Japan | Kobe[a] | 06:17:10 | 07:28:48 | 07:29:42 | 07:30:35 | 08:53:57 | 1:47 | 2:37 | 88.18% |
| Japan | Osaka[a] | 06:17:09 | 07:28:28 | 07:29:53 | 07:31:16 | 08:54:23 | 2:48 | 2:37 | 88.19% |
| Japan | Kyoto[a] | 06:17:42 | 07:29:52 | 07:30:37 | 07:31:21 | 08:55:21 | 1:29 | 2:38 | 88.21% |
| Japan | Suzuka[a] | 06:17:29 | 07:28:53 | 07:30:53 | 07:32:53 | 08:56:18 | 4:00 | 2:39 | 88.24% |
| Japan | Hamamatsu[a] | 06:17:16 | 07:28:50 | 07:31:20 | 07:33:49 | 08:57:44 | 4:59 | 2:40 | 88.28% |
| Japan | Nagoya[a] | 06:17:58 | 07:29:45 | 07:31:36 | 07:33:27 | 08:57:18 | 3:42 | 2:39 | 88.26% |
| Japan | Shizuoka[a] | 06:17:45 | 07:29:46 | 07:32:16 | 07:34:46 | 08:59:14 | 5:00 | 2:41 | 88.31% |
| Japan | Yokosuka[a] | 06:18:24 | 07:31:18 | 07:33:46 | 07:36:15 | 09:01:51 | 4:57 | 2:43 | 88.37% |
| Japan | Yokohama[a] | 06:18:41 | 07:31:30 | 07:34:01 | 07:36:32 | 09:02:00 | 5:02 | 2:43 | 88.37% |
| Japan | Sagamihara[a] | 06:18:51 | 07:31:34 | 07:34:04 | 07:36:35 | 09:01:54 | 5:01 | 2:43 | 88.36% |
| Japan | Kawasaki[a] | 06:18:49 | 07:31:44 | 07:34:16 | 07:36:47 | 09:02:22 | 5:03 | 2:44 | 88.37% |
| Japan | Tokyo[a] | 06:19:06 | 07:32:01 | 07:34:32 | 07:37:04 | 09:02:38 | 5:03 | 2:44 | 88.37% |
| Japan | Utsunomiya[a] | 06:20:37 | 07:34:14 | 07:36:18 | 07:38:22 | 09:04:31 | 4:08 | 2:44 | 88.39% |
 United States | Carson City | 17:15:54 | 18:29:18 | 18:31:14 | 18:33:10 | 19:37:40 | 3:52 | 2:22 | 87.66% |
| United States | Santa Fe | 18:27:45 | 19:33:11 | 19:34:58 | 19:36:44 | 20:06:16 (sunset) | 3:33 | 1:39 | 87.09% |
| United States | Albuquerque | 18:28:22 | 19:33:37 | 19:35:50 | 19:38:03 | 20:07:43 (sunset) | 4:26 | 1:39 | 87.10% |
| United States | Midland | 19:32:57 | 20:36:26 | 20:37:45 | 20:39:04 | 20:42:27 (sunset) | 2:38 | 1:10 | 86.86% |
| References:[1] | |||||||||
| Country or territory | City or place | Start of partial eclipse | Maximum eclipse | End of partial eclipse | Duration of eclipse (hr:min) | Maximum coverage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Palau | Ngerulmud[a] | 05:57:21 | 06:51:35 | 07:53:16 | 1:56 | 26.48% | |||
 Philippines | Manila[a] | 05:27:00 (sunrise) | 05:58:42 | 07:06:11 | 1:39 | 61.59% | |||
 Malaysia | Kota Kinabalu[a] | 05:59:53 (sunrise) | 06:02:09 | 06:51:48 | 0:52 | 39.97% | |||
 Guam | Hagåtña[a] | 07:00:38 | 08:02:21 | 09:14:38 | 2:14 | 29.03% | |||
 Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan[a] | 06:06:03 (sunrise) | 06:08:19 | 06:50:17 | 0:44 | 33.95% | |||
| Taiwan | Kaohsiung[a] | 05:14:52 (sunrise) | 06:08:22 | 07:19:50 | 2:05 | 84.82% | |||
| Taiwan | Taichung[a] | 05:12:03 (sunrise) | 06:09:47 | 07:21:42 | 2:10 | 86.91% | |||
 Vietnam | Hanoi[a] | 05:16:48 (sunrise) | 05:19:15 | 06:13:42 | 0:57 | 74.87% | |||
| China | Shanghai[a] | 05:15:02 | 06:19:44 | 07:33:14 | 2:18 | 81.34% | |||
| Japan | Kumamoto[a] | 06:14:36 | 07:24:16 | 08:44:46 | 2:30 | 87.68% | |||
| Japan | Fukuoka[a] | 06:15:53 | 07:25:29 | 08:45:46 | 2:30 | 86.01% | |||
 Cambodia | Stung Treng[a] | 05:28:43 (sunrise) | 05:31:03 | 06:04:48 | 0:36 | 37.77% | |||
 South Korea | Seoul[a] | 06:23:15 | 07:31:07 | 08:48:20 | 2:25 | 73.44% | |||
| China | Beijing[a] | 05:31:29 | 06:33:13 | 07:41:53 | 2:10 | 57.49% | |||
 North Korea | Pyongyang[a] | 06:26:11 | 07:33:16 | 08:49:15 | 2:23 | 68.96% | |||
 Laos | Vientiane[a] | 05:34:59 (sunrise) | 05:37:23 | 06:10:30 | 0:36 | 38.74% | |||
| Japan | Niigata[a] | 06:22:54 | 07:38:12 | 09:05:31 | 2:43 | 86.56% | |||
| Cambodia | Phnom Penh[a] | 05:35:59 (sunrise) | 05:38:17 | 06:02:40 | 0:27 | 23.75% | |||
 Thailand | Khon Kaen[a] | 05:36:36 (sunrise) | 05:38:58 | 06:08:46 | 0:32 | 33.23% | |||
 Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar[a] | 05:51:56 | 06:46:46 | 07:46:04 | 1:54 | 36.20% | |||
| Japan | Sapporo[a] | 06:33:05 | 07:49:49 | 09:17:35 | 2:45 | 77.80% | |||
 Russia | Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk[a] | 08:41:39 | 09:58:33 | 11:25:18 | 2:44 | 70.51% | |||
| Russia | Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky[a] | 10:03:14 | 11:27:39 | 12:59:04 | 2:56 | 70.92% | |||
| Russia | Anadyr[a] | 10:43:38 | 12:01:43 | 13:20:14 | 2:37 | 50.26% | |||
 Canada | Toronto | 20:19:23 | 20:38:20 | 20:41:39 (sunset) | 0:22 | 15.90% | |||
| Canada | Calgary | 18:03:56 | 19:13:57 | 20:17:44 | 2:14 | 61.70% | |||
| Canada | Vancouver | 16:58:39 | 18:14:52 | 19:23:15 | 2:25 | 72.86% | |||
| United States | Los Angeles | 17:24:58 | 18:38:15 | 19:42:41 | 2:18 | 78.52% | |||
 Mexico | Ciudad Juárez | 18:32:51 | 19:39:31 | 19:59:31 (sunset) | 1:27 | 83.87% | |||
| Mexico | Hermosillo | 17:35:45 | 18:43:25 | 19:11:55 (sunset) | 1:36 | 72.42% | |||
| References:[1] | |||||||||
Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the Moon's penumbra or umbra attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[13]
| Event | Time (UTC) |
|---|---|
| First Penumbral External Contact | 2012 May 20 at 20:57:13.9 UTC |
| First Umbral External Contact | 2012 May 20 at 22:07:23.9 UTC |
| First Central Line | 2012 May 20 at 22:10:08.2 UTC |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 2012 May 20 at 22:12:53.7 UTC |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 2012 May 20 at 23:48:08.1 UTC |
| Greatest Eclipse | 2012 May 20 at 23:53:53.6 UTC |
| Greatest Duration | 2012 May 20 at 23:56:59.8 UTC |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 2012 May 21 at 00:00:16.3 UTC |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 2012 May 21 at 01:34:49.7 UTC |
| Last Central Line | 2012 May 21 at 01:37:34.4 UTC |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 2012 May 21 at 01:40:18.0 UTC |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 2012 May 21 at 02:50:28.7 UTC |
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Eclipse Magnitude | 0.94390 |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 0.89094 |
| Gamma | 0.48279 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 03h52m43.0s |
| Sun Declination | +20°13'15.1" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'48.1" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 03h52m30.7s |
| Moon Declination | +20°39'06.3" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 14'43.3" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°54'01.7" |
| ΔT | 66.7 s |
This eclipse is part of aneclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by afortnight.
| May 20 Descending node (new moon) | June 4 Ascending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
|  |
| Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 128 | Partial lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 140 |
This eclipse is a member of asemester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternatingnodes of the Moon's orbit.[14]
The partial solar eclipses onJanuary 4, 2011 andJuly 1, 2011 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set.
| Solar eclipse series sets from 2011 to 2014 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
| Saros | Map | Gamma | Saros | Map | Gamma | |
118.jpg) Partial inTromsø,Norway | June 1, 2011 Partial | 1.21300 | 123 Hinode XRT footage | November 25, 2011 Partial | −1.05359 | |
| 128 Annularity inRed Bluff, CA, USA | May 20, 2012 Annular | 0.48279 | 133 Totality inMount Carbine,Queensland,Australia | November 13, 2012 Total | −0.37189 | |
138 Annularity inChurchills Head,Australia | May 10, 2013 Annular | −0.26937 | 143 Partial inLibreville,Gabon | November 3, 2013 Hybrid | 0.32715 | |
148.jpg) Partial inAdelaide,Australia | April 29, 2014 Annular (non-central) | −0.99996 | 153 Partial inMinneapolis, MN, USA | October 23, 2014 Partial | 1.09078 | |
This eclipse is a part ofSaros series 128, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 73 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on August 29, 984 AD. It contains total eclipses from May 16, 1417 through June 18, 1471; hybrid eclipses from June 28, 1489 through July 31, 1543; and annular eclipses from August 11, 1561 through July 25, 2120. The series ends at member 73 as a partial eclipse on November 1, 2282. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is oneexeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
The longest duration of totality was produced by member 27 at 1 minutes, 45 seconds on June 7, 1453, and the longest duration of annularity was produced by member 48 at 8 minutes, 35 seconds on February 1, 1832. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’sdescending node of orbit.[15]
| Series members 47–68 occur between 1801 and 2200: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 47 | 48 | 49 |
 January 21, 1814 |  February 1, 1832 |  February 12, 1850 |
| 50 | 51 | 52 |
 February 23, 1868 |  March 5, 1886 |  March 17, 1904 |
| 53 | 54 | 55 |
 March 28, 1922 |  April 7, 1940 |  April 19, 1958 |
| 56 | 57 | 58 |
 April 29, 1976 |  May 10, 1994 | May 20, 2012 |
| 59 | 60 | 61 |
 June 1, 2030 |  June 11, 2048 |  June 22, 2066 |
| 62 | 63 | 64 |
 July 3, 2084 |  July 15, 2102 |  July 25, 2120 |
| 65 | 66 | 67 |
 August 5, 2138 |  August 16, 2156 |  August 27, 2174 |
| 68 | ||
 September 6, 2192 | ||
Themetonic 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 between May 21, 1993 and May 20, 2069 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20–21 | March 9 | December 25–26 | October 13–14 | August 1–2 |
| 118 | 120 | 122 | 124 | 126 |
 May 21, 1993 |  March 9, 1997 |  December 25, 2000 |  October 14, 2004 |  August 1, 2008 |
| 128 | 130 | 132 | 134 | 136 |
May 20, 2012 |  March 9, 2016 |  December 26, 2019 |  October 14, 2023 |  August 2, 2027 |
| 138 | 140 | 142 | 144 | 146 |
 May 21, 2031 |  March 9, 2035 |  December 26, 2038 |  October 14, 2042 |  August 2, 2046 |
| 148 | 150 | 152 | 154 | 156 |
 May 20, 2050 |  March 9, 2054 |  December 26, 2057 |  October 13, 2061 |  August 2, 2065 |
| 158 | ||||
 May 20, 2069 | ||||
This eclipse is a part of atritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with theanomalistic 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 1801 and 2200 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 January 1, 1805 (Saros 109) |  October 31, 1826 (Saros 111) |  August 28, 1848 (Saros 113) | ||
 July 29, 1859 (Saros 114) |  June 28, 1870 (Saros 115) |  May 27, 1881 (Saros 116) |  April 26, 1892 (Saros 117) |  March 29, 1903 (Saros 118) |
 February 25, 1914 (Saros 119) |  January 24, 1925 (Saros 120) |  December 25, 1935 (Saros 121) |  November 23, 1946 (Saros 122) |  October 23, 1957 (Saros 123) |
 September 22, 1968 (Saros 124) |  August 22, 1979 (Saros 125) |  July 22, 1990 (Saros 126) |  June 21, 2001 (Saros 127) | May 20, 2012 (Saros 128) |
 April 20, 2023 (Saros 129) |  March 20, 2034 (Saros 130) |  February 16, 2045 (Saros 131) |  January 16, 2056 (Saros 132) |  December 17, 2066 (Saros 133) |
 November 15, 2077 (Saros 134) |  October 14, 2088 (Saros 135) |  September 14, 2099 (Saros 136) |  August 15, 2110 (Saros 137) |  July 14, 2121 (Saros 138) |
 June 13, 2132 (Saros 139) |  May 14, 2143 (Saros 140) |  April 12, 2154 (Saros 141) |  March 12, 2165 (Saros 142) |  February 10, 2176 (Saros 143) |
 January 9, 2187 (Saros 144) |  December 9, 2197 (Saros 145) | |||
This eclipse is a part of the long periodinex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with theanomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
| Series members between 1801 and 2200 | ||
|---|---|---|
 October 9, 1809 (Saros 121) |  September 18, 1838 (Saros 122) |  August 29, 1867 (Saros 123) |
 August 9, 1896 (Saros 124) |  July 20, 1925 (Saros 125) |  June 30, 1954 (Saros 126) |
 June 11, 1983 (Saros 127) | May 20, 2012 (Saros 128) |  April 30, 2041 (Saros 129) |
 April 11, 2070 (Saros 130) |  March 21, 2099 (Saros 131) |  March 1, 2128 (Saros 132) |
 February 9, 2157 (Saros 133) |  January 20, 2186 (Saros 134) | |
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