Solar eclipse of May 22, 2096

A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's ascending node of orbit between Monday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 22, 2096, with a magnitude of 1.0737. 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 13 hours after perigee (on May 21, 2096, at 12:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.

The path of totality will be visible from parts of Indonesia and the Philippines. Totality will end approximately 1000 miles (1600 km) off the United States West Coast. A partial solar eclipse will also be visible for parts of Southeast Asia, East Asia, northern Australia, Hawaii, and northwestern North America.

Overall, at 6 minutes and 7 seconds, this will be the third longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century. The only two longer eclipses in the century are July 22, 2009 and August 2, 2027. The longest duration of this eclipse on land will be seen in Surigao del Sur, the Philippines, 4 minutes and 38 seconds.

This will be the first eclipse of saros series 139 to exceed series 136 in length of totality. The length of totality for saros 139 is increasing, while that of Saros 136 is decreasing.

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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2096

• A penumbral lunar eclipse on May 7.
• A total solar eclipse on May 22.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on June 6.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on October 31.
• An annular solar eclipse on November 15.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 29.

Metonic

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 3, 2092
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 10, 2100

Tzolkinex

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 10, 2089
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 4, 2103

Half-Saros

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 17, 2087
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 28, 2105

Tritos

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 22, 2085
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 23, 2107

Solar Saros 139

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 11, 2078
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 3, 2114

Inex

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 11, 2067
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 3, 2125

Triad

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 22, 2009
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 23, 2183

Solar eclipses of 2094–2098

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 solar eclipses on January 16, 2094 (total) and July 12, 2094 (partial) occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the partial solar eclipses on April 1, 2098 and September 25, 2098 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 139

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 139, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on May 17, 1501. It contains hybrid eclipses from August 11, 1627 through December 9, 1825 and total eclipses from December 21, 1843 through March 26, 2601. There are no annular eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 3, 2763. 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 will be produced by member 61 at 7 minutes, 29.22 seconds on July 16, 2186. This date is the longest solar eclipse computed between 4000 BC and AD 6000. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending 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 ascending 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

• Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC