Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Tuesday, March 8 and Wednesday, March 9, 2016, with a magnitude of 1.045. 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. Occurring about 1.25 days before perigee (on March 10, 2016, at 7:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

Totality was visible from parts of Indonesia and Micronesia. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Southeast Asia, East Asia, Alaska, northwestern Australia, and Hawaii. If viewed from east of the International Date Line (for instance from Hawaii), the eclipse took place on March 8 (Tuesday) (local time) and elsewhere on March 9 (Wednesday).

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. 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.

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. Much of East Asia witnessed more than 50% partial eclipse.

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).

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.

Maps

Eclipse timing

Places experiencing total eclipse

Places experiencing partial eclipse

Gallery

• Partial in Jakarta, Indonesia, 0:23 UTC
• Partial in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 0:23 UTC
• Partial in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 0:26 UTC
• Partial in Marina Bay, Singapore, 0:26 UTC
• Partial in Dompu, Indonesia, 0:38 UTC
• Diamond ring effect in Tanjung Pandan, Indonesia. 0:42 UTC
• Partial in Khon Kaen University, Thailand, 0:46 UTC
• Partial in Nonthaburi, Thailand, 0:52 UTC
• Partial in Jerudong, Brunei, 1:01 UTC
• Partial in Langkawi, Malaysia, 1:16 UTC
• Partial in Hefei, China, 1:40 UTC

Eclipse details

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.

Eclipse season

This 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.

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2016

• A total solar eclipse on March 9.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 23.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 18.
• An annular solar eclipse on September 1.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 16.

Metonic

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 26, 2019

Tzolkinex

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 26, 2009
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 20, 2023

Half-Saros

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 14, 2025

Tritos

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 8, 2005
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 6, 2027

Solar Saros 130

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 26, 1998
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 20, 2034

Inex

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 29, 1987
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 2045

Triad

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 9, 1929
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 8, 2103

Solar eclipses of 2015–2018

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.

The partial solar eclipse on July 13, 2018 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 130

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 130, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 73 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on August 20, 1096. It contains total eclipses from April 5, 1475 through July 18, 2232. There are no annular or hybrid eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 73 as a partial eclipse on October 25, 2394. 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 totality was produced by member 30 at 6 minutes, 41 seconds on July 11, 1619. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.

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.

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.

Inex series

This 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.

Notes

External links

• Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
• F. Espenak, J. Meeus: Five Millennium Catalog of Solar eclipses, NASA/TP-2009-213174
• . NASA.
• on YouTube
• by Seán Doran from JAXA's Himawari imagery