The Curious Solar Eclipse of 8 April 2005

Solar eclipses are either total or annular. A total eclipse occurs when the distance between the moon and the earth is such that the moon subtends a slightly greater angle than the sun. This allows the moon to completely block the sun during totality. An annular eclipse occurs when the moon subtends a slightly smaller angle than the sun. This means that a brilliant ring of the sun remains when the moon is perfectly aligned between the sun and an observer on earth.

The solar eclipse of 8 April 2005 will be both total and annular. Thus, it is called a hybrid solar eclipse. As can be seen in the accompanying figure, the path of peak eclipse begins in the Pacific Ocean just east of New Zealand and then crosses the entire Pacific until slicing across Panama, Columbia, and Venezuela, where it ends at sunset. The beginning and ending phases of the eclipse are annular.

You can find full details about this unusual eclipse at Fred Espenak's NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Eclipse Home Page. Included are tables that give eclipse parameters for various cities that will fall within the penumbral shadow as it races across the earth. While visiting this site, be sure to check out the details about the 3 October 2005 annular solar eclipse that will sweep across Spain and Africa.

Forrest M. Mims III