Solar eclipse of February 26, 2017
{{short description|2017 annular solar eclipse in South America and Africa}}
{{Infobox solar eclipse|2017Feb26
| previous = Solar eclipse of September 1, 2016
| next = Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017
}}
An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Sunday, February 26, 2017,{{cite web|title=February 26, 2017 Annular Solar Eclipse|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2017-february-26|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=12 August 2024}} with a magnitude of 0.9922. 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. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent 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 wide. Occurring about 4.9 days before perigee (on March 3, 2017, at 13:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.{{cite web|title=Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html?year=2017&n=136|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=12 August 2024}}
The eclipse was visible across southern Chile and Argentina in the morning and ended in Angola and southwestern Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo at sunset. In Argentina, the best places to see the eclipse were located in the south of the Chubut Province, in the towns of Facundo, Sarmiento and Camarones. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of southern South America, southern and western Africa, and Antarctica.
Images
{{multiple image|align=left|perrow = 2
| image1 = SE2017Feb26A.GIF |width1=250
| image2 = The Solar Ring of Fire.gif |width2=215|caption2=Animation assembled from 3 images acquired by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera.
}}
{{clear left}}
Gallery
File:Eclipse Solar Anular - 26.02.2017 - Villa Gesell (Argentina).jpg|Partial from Villa Gesell, Argentina, 13:18 GMT
File:Eclipse Coyhaique.jpg|Coyhaique, Chile, 13:35 GMT, 1 minute before annularity
File:Observatorio Chakana 06.jpg|Partial from Pisco Elqui, Chile, 13:48 GMT
File:Annular Solar Eclipse - Eclipse Solar desde Punta del Este, Uruguay 170226-2133-jikatu (32974782742).jpg|Partial from Punta del Este, Uruguay, 13:56 GMT
File:Eclipse solar en la Patagonia 02.jpg|Partial from Puerto Cisnes, Chile, 14:17 GMT
File:Eclipse del 26 02 2017 (33008907251).jpg|Composed image as seen from Paraná, Argentina
File:Eclipse Solar Anular - Fases - 26.02.2017 - Villa Gesell (Argentina).png|Time lapse images as seen from Villa Gesell, Argentina
File:Animacion Eclipse 26-2-2017 Montevideo - 146 cuadros - 600px.gif|Animation of the eclipse as seen from Montevideo, Uruguay
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.{{cite web|title=Annular Solar Eclipse of 2017 Feb 26|url=https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2017Feb26Aprime.html|publisher=EclipseWise.com|access-date=12 August 2024}}
| class="wikitable" align="{{{align|left}}}" style="margin:{{#ifeq:{{{align}}}|left|0 0 0.5em 1em|0 1em 0.5em 0}}"
|+February 26, 2017 Solar Eclipse Times ! Event ! Time (UTC) |
| First Penumbral External Contact
| 2017 February 26 at 12:11:56.1 UTC |
| First Umbral External Contact
| 2017 February 26 at 13:16:26.6 UTC |
| First Central Line
| 2017 February 26 at 13:17:14.6 UTC |
| Greatest Duration
| 2017 February 26 at 13:17:14.6 UTC |
| First Umbral Internal Contact
| 2017 February 26 at 13:18:02.7 UTC |
| Equatorial Conjunction
| 2017 February 26 at 14:39:54.4 UTC |
| Greatest Eclipse
| 2017 February 26 at 14:54:32.8 UTC |
| Ecliptic Conjunction
| 2017 February 26 at 14:59:31.7 UTC |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact
| 2017 February 26 at 16:31:16.0 UTC |
| Last Central Line
| 2017 February 26 at 16:32:01.1 UTC |
| Last Umbral External Contact
| 2017 February 26 at 16:32:46.1 UTC |
| Last Penumbral External Contact
| 2017 February 26 at 17:37:10.0 UTC |
| class="wikitable" align="{{{align|right}}}" style="margin:{{#ifeq:{{{align}}}|right|0 0 0.5em 1em|0 1em 0.5em 0}}"
|+February 26, 2017 Solar Eclipse Parameters ! Parameter ! Value |
| Eclipse Magnitude
| 0.99223 |
| Eclipse Obscuration
| 0.98451 |
| Gamma
| −0.45780 |
| Sun Right Ascension
| 22h39m23.1s |
| Sun Declination
| -08°29'38.8" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter
| 16'09.0" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax
| 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension
| 22h39m53.2s |
| Moon Declination
| -08°55'03.6" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter
| 15'47.8" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax
| 0°57'58.6" |
| ΔT
| 68.6 s |
{{clear}}
Eclipse season
{{See also|Eclipse cycle}}
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.
| class="wikitable"
|+ Eclipse season of February 2017 ! February 11 | |
| 200px | 200px |
| align=center
| Penumbral lunar eclipse | Annular solar eclipse Solar Saros 140 |
Related eclipses
= Eclipses in 2017 =
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 11.
- An annular solar eclipse on February 26.
- A partial lunar eclipse on August 7.
- A total solar eclipse on August 21.
= Metonic =
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 10, 2013
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020
= Tzolkinex =
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024
= Half-Saros =
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 21, 2008
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2026
= Tritos =
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 26, 2028
= Solar Saros 140 =
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 1999
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 9, 2035
= Inex =
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 5, 2046
= Triad =
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1930
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 29, 2103
= Solar eclipses of 2015–2018 =
{{Solar eclipse set 2015–2018}}
= Saros 140 =
{{Solar Saros series 140}}
= Metonic series =
{{Solar Metonic series 1971–2047}}
= Tritos series =
{{Solar Tritos series 2006 March 29}}
= Inex series =
{{Solar Inex series 2017 February 26}}
Notes and references
{{reflist|refs=
| url = https://www.space.com/35838-ring-of-fire-solar-eclipse-of-february-2017.html
| title = Moon Blocks (Most of) the Sun in 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse
| first = Calla
| last = Cofield
| date = February 26, 2017
| website = Space.com
}}
| url = https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/25/517238161/ring-of-fire-eclipse-set-to-blaze-in-southern-skies
| title = 'Ring Of Fire' Eclipse Set To Blaze In Southern Skies
| first = Colin
| last = Dwyer
| date = February 25, 2017
| website = NPR
}}
| url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ring-of-fire-annular-eclipse-2017/
| title = "Ring of fire" annular eclipse: Stunning views of first solar eclipse of 2017
| date = February 27, 2017
| website = www.cbsnews.com
}}
}}
=References=
- [http://www.solar-eclipse.de/en/eclipse/detail/2017-02-26/ www.solar-eclipse.de] - The annular solar eclipse of 02/26/2017
- [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2017Feb26A.GIF NASA graphics]
- [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Feb26Agoogle.html Interactive map of the eclipse from NASA]
- [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsearch/SEdata.php?Ecl=20170226 NASA Besselian Elements - Annular Solar Eclipse of 2017 February 26]
- [http://hermit.org/eclipse/2017-02-26/ hermet.org: Annular Solar Eclipse: February 26 2017]
External links
{{commons category|Solar eclipse of 2017 February 26}}
- [http://www.solar-eclipse.de/en/eclipse/detail/2017-02-26/ www.solar-eclipse.de] - Average cloud coverage and cities along the eclipse path
{{Solar eclipses}}