A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Thursday, November 3, 1994,[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] with a magnitude of 1.0535. 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. Occurring about 10 hours after perigee (on November 3, 1994, at 23:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[12]
| Solar eclipse of November 3, 1994 | |
|---|---|
 Totality with diamond ring effect in Litoral Province, Bolivia | |
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | −0.3522 |
| Magnitude | 1.0535 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 263 s (4 min 23 s) |
| Coordinates | 35°24′S 34°12′W / 35.4°S 34.2°W |
| Max. width of band | 189 km (117 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 13:40:06 |
| References | |
| Saros | 133 (44 of 72) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9496 |
Totality was visible in Peru, northern Chile, Bolivia, northern Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Gough Island of British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The Iguazu Falls, one of the largest waterfalls systems in the world, lay in the path of totality. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Central America, South America, Antarctica, and Southern Africa.
Images
edit
Observations
editJay Pasachoff led an observation team from Williams College in Massachusetts, observing the total eclipse at a military base near Putre, Chile, in the Atacama Desert. The team took images of the corona and measured its brightness. Teams from Japan and South Korea also conducted observations nearby.[13] The Russian Academy of Sciences sent a team to Criciúma, Brazil, taking images of the corona in polarized light and proposing reconstruction of its ray structure.[14]
Eclipse details
editShown 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.[15]
| Event | Time (UTC) |
|---|---|
| First Penumbral External Contact | 1994 November 03 at 11:06:00.2 UTC |
| First Umbral External Contact | 1994 November 03 at 12:02:38.7 UTC |
| First Central Line | 1994 November 03 at 12:03:41.3 UTC |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 1994 November 03 at 12:04:44.0 UTC |
| First Penumbral Internal Contact | 1994 November 03 at 13:09:15.5 UTC |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 1994 November 03 at 13:36:30.1 UTC |
| Greatest Eclipse | 1994 November 03 at 13:40:06.0 UTC |
| Greatest Duration | 1994 November 03 at 13:42:38.8 UTC |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 1994 November 03 at 13:48:07.6 UTC |
| Last Penumbral Internal Contact | 1994 November 03 at 14:10:44.2 UTC |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 1994 November 03 at 15:15:21.7 UTC |
| Last Central Line | 1994 November 03 at 15:16:24.9 UTC |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 1994 November 03 at 15:17:28.1 UTC |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 1994 November 03 at 16:14:07.1 UTC |
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.05351 |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.10989 |
| Gamma | −0.35216 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 14h33m55.8s |
| Sun Declination | -15°05'51.1" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'07.4" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 14h33m36.5s |
| Moon Declination | -15°26'53.7" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'43.0" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°01'21.1" |
| ΔT | 60.6 s |
Eclipse season
editThis eclipse is part of an eclipse 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 a fortnight.
| November 3 Ascending node (new moon) |
November 18 Descending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
| |
|
| Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 133 |
Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 145 |
Related eclipses
editEclipses in 1994
edit- An annular solar eclipse on May 10.
- A partial lunar eclipse on May 25.
- A total solar eclipse on November 3.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 18.
Metonic
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 15, 1991
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 22, 1998
Tzolkinex
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 23, 1987
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 2001
Half-Saros
edit- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of October 28, 1985
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 9, 2003
Tritos
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 4, 1983
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 3, 2005
Solar Saros 133
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 23, 1976
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 13, 2012
Inex
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 23, 1965
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 14, 2023
Triad
edit- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 3, 1908
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 3, 2081
Solar eclipses of 1993–1996
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.[16]
| Solar eclipse series sets from 1993 to 1996 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
| Saros | Map | Gamma | Saros | Map | Gamma | |
| 118 | May 21, 1993 Partial |
1.1372 | 123 | November 13, 1993 Partial |
−1.0411 | |
128 Partial in Bismarck, ND, USA |
May 10, 1994 Annular |
0.4077 | 133 Totality in Bolivia |
November 3, 1994 Total |
−0.3522 | |
| 138 | April 29, 1995 Annular |
−0.3382 | 143 Totality in Dundlod, India |
October 24, 1995 Total |
0.3518 | |
| 148 | April 17, 1996 Partial |
−1.058 | 153 | October 12, 1996 Partial |
1.1227 | |
Saros 133
editThis eclipse is a part of Saros series 133, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on July 13, 1219. It contains annular eclipses from November 20, 1435 through January 13, 1526; a hybrid eclipse on January 24, 1544; and total eclipses from February 3, 1562 through June 21, 2373. The series ends at member 72 as a partial eclipse on September 5, 2499. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
The longest duration of annularity was produced by member 25 at 1 minutes, 14 seconds on November 30, 1453, and the longest duration of totality was produced by member 61 at 6 minutes, 50 seconds on August 7, 1850. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.[17]
| Series members 34–55 occur between 1801 and 2200: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 35 | 36 |
 July 17, 1814 |
 July 27, 1832 |
 August 7, 1850 |
| 37 | 38 | 39 |
 August 18, 1868 |
 August 29, 1886 |
 September 9, 1904 |
| 40 | 41 | 42 |
 September 21, 1922 |
 October 1, 1940 |
 October 12, 1958 |
| 43 | 44 | 45 |
 October 23, 1976 |
November 3, 1994 |
 November 13, 2012 |
| 46 | 47 | 48 |
 November 25, 2030 |
 December 5, 2048 |
 December 17, 2066 |
| 49 | 50 | 51 |
 December 27, 2084 |
 January 8, 2103 |
 January 19, 2121 |
| 52 | 53 | 54 |
 January 30, 2139 |
 February 9, 2157 |
 February 21, 2175 |
| 55 | ||
 March 3, 2193 | ||
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 ascending node.
| 20 eclipse events between June 10, 1964 and August 21, 2036 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 10–11 | March 28–29 | January 14–16 | November 3 | August 21–22 |
| 117 | 119 | 121 | 123 | 125 |
 June 10, 1964 |
 March 28, 1968 |
 January 16, 1972 |
 November 3, 1975 |
 August 22, 1979 |
| 127 | 129 | 131 | 133 | 135 |
 June 11, 1983 |
 March 29, 1987 |
 January 15, 1991 |
November 3, 1994 |
 August 22, 1998 |
| 137 | 139 | 141 | 143 | 145 |
 June 10, 2002 |
 March 29, 2006 |
 January 15, 2010 |
 November 3, 2013 |
 August 21, 2017 |
| 147 | 149 | 151 | 153 | 155 |
 June 10, 2021 |
 March 29, 2025 |
 January 14, 2029 |
 November 3, 2032 |
 August 21, 2036 |
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 1801 and 2200 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 April 14, 1809 (Saros 116) |
 March 14, 1820 (Saros 117) |
 February 12, 1831 (Saros 118) |
 January 11, 1842 (Saros 119) |
 December 11, 1852 (Saros 120) |
 November 11, 1863 (Saros 121) |
 October 10, 1874 (Saros 122) |
 September 8, 1885 (Saros 123) |
 August 9, 1896 (Saros 124) |
 July 10, 1907 (Saros 125) |
 June 8, 1918 (Saros 126) |
 May 9, 1929 (Saros 127) |
 April 7, 1940 (Saros 128) |
 March 7, 1951 (Saros 129) |
 February 5, 1962 (Saros 130) |
 January 4, 1973 (Saros 131) |
 December 4, 1983 (Saros 132) |
November 3, 1994 (Saros 133) |
 October 3, 2005 (Saros 134) |
 September 1, 2016 (Saros 135) |
 August 2, 2027 (Saros 136) |
 July 2, 2038 (Saros 137) |
 May 31, 2049 (Saros 138) |
 April 30, 2060 (Saros 139) |
 March 31, 2071 (Saros 140) |
 February 27, 2082 (Saros 141) |
 January 27, 2093 (Saros 142) |
 December 29, 2103 (Saros 143) |
 November 27, 2114 (Saros 144) |
 October 26, 2125 (Saros 145) |
 September 26, 2136 (Saros 146) |
 August 26, 2147 (Saros 147) |
 July 25, 2158 (Saros 148) |
 June 25, 2169 (Saros 149) |
 May 24, 2180 (Saros 150) |
 April 23, 2191 (Saros 151) | ||||
Inex series
editThis eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic 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 | ||
|---|---|---|
 March 4, 1821 (Saros 127) |
 February 12, 1850 (Saros 128) |
 January 22, 1879 (Saros 129) |
 January 3, 1908 (Saros 130) |
 December 13, 1936 (Saros 131) |
 November 23, 1965 (Saros 132) |
| November 3, 1994 (Saros 133) |
 October 14, 2023 (Saros 134) |
 September 22, 2052 (Saros 135) |
 September 3, 2081 (Saros 136) |
 August 15, 2110 (Saros 137) |
 July 25, 2139 (Saros 138) |
 July 5, 2168 (Saros 139) |
 June 15, 2197 (Saros 140) |
|
References
edit- ^ "November 3, 1994 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Ultimo eclipse total de sol del siglo". La Prensa. Panama City, Panama, Panama. 1994-11-03. p. 27. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Two Sunrises: Dawn Breaks Twice In South America In Rare Solar Eclipse". The Tyler Courier-Times. Tyler, Texas. 1994-11-03. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rare Solar Eclipse Amazes People In South America". Hickory Daily Record. Hickory, North Carolina. 1994-11-03. p. 35. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sun rises twice in rare solar eclipse". The Times. Streator, Illinois. 1994-11-03. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "S. America captivated by rare eclipse of the sun". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. 1994-11-03. p. 27. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rare solar eclipse yields two sunrises". The Galion Inquirer. Galion, Ohio. 1994-11-03. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eclipse de sol oscurecerá hoy a cinco países sudamericanos". La Prensa. Panama City, Panama, Panama. 1994-11-03. p. 43. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brazilian sky watchers wait for eclipse". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. 1994-11-03. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eclipse shrouds South America". The Daily Herald-Tribune. Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. 1994-11-03. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A day with 2 sunrises". The South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana. 1994-11-03. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "1994 total eclipse". Williams College. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019.
- ^ "ON THE STRUCTURE OF 3.11.94 ECLIPSE CORONA". IZMIRAN. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Total Solar Eclipse of 1994 Nov 03". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "NASA - Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 133". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.
External links
edit- Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
Photos:
- Chile and Brazil, Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site
- Bolivia, Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site
- ON THE STRUCTURE OF 3.11.94 ECLIPSE CORONA
- Solar Corona Shape
- The 1994 Eclipse in Chile
