View source for Solar eclipse of August 1, 2008

{{Short description|Total eclipse}}
{{Infobox solar eclipse|2008Aug01
| previous         = Solar eclipse of February 7, 2008
| next             = Solar eclipse of January 26, 2009
}}
A total [[solar eclipse]] occurred at the Moon's [[Lunar node|descending node]] of orbit on Friday, August 1, 2008,<ref>{{cite web|title=August 1, 2008 Total Solar Eclipse|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2008-august-1|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="ParkCi20080801pA5">{{cite news |title=Russians marvel as moon blocks out sun |url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-park-city-daily-news-russians-marvel/134037532/ |newspaper=The Park City Daily News |date=2008-08-01 |page=A5 |access-date=2023-10-25 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><!-- Fri --><ref name="Charlo20080801pA5">{{cite news |title='Olympics eclipse' wows crowds along Silk Road |url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-olympics-eclipse/134037539/ |newspaper=The Charlotte Observer |date=2008-08-01 |page=A5 |access-date=2023-10-25 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><!-- Fri --> with a [[Magnitude of eclipse|magnitude]] of 1.0394.<ref name="eclipse_plot">{{cite web |last1=Espenak |first1=Fred |author1-link=Fred Espenak |last2=Anderson |first2=Jay |url=http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2008Aug01T.GIF |title=Total Solar Eclipse of 2008 August 01 – Parameters |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=July 2004 |access-date=2008-08-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070321025600/http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2008Aug01T.GIF |archive-date=2007-03-21}}</ref> 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 2.4 days after [[Apsis|perigee]] (on July 30, 2008, at 0:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.<ref>{{cite web|title=Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html?year=2008&n=136|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref>

The eclipse was visible from a narrow corridor through northern [[Canada]] ([[Nunavut]]), [[Greenland]], central [[Russia]], eastern [[Kazakhstan]], western [[Mongolia]] and [[China]].<ref name="nasa_eclipse">{{cite web |url=http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html |title=Total Solar Eclipse of 2008 August 01 |publisher=NASA |date=August 1, 2008 |access-date=2008-08-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309061951/http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEmono/TSE2008/TSE2008.html |archive-date=March 9, 2008}}</ref> Visible north of the [[Arctic Circle]], it belonged to the so-called [[midnight sun]] eclipses. The largest city in its path was [[Novosibirsk]] in Russia.<ref name="heraldsun">{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24118986-663,00.html |title=Total eclipse a dark show for thousands |publisher=Herald Sun |date=August 1, 2008 |access-date=2008-08-01 |archive-date=2008-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919000835/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24118986-663,00.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> A partial eclipse could be seen from the much broader path of the [[Moon]]'s [[penumbra]], including northern [[Canada]], [[Greenland]], and most of [[Europe]] and [[Asia]].<ref name="nasa_eclipse" />

The moon's apparent diameter was 1 arcminute, 17.8 arcseconds (77.8 arcseconds) larger than the [[Solar eclipse of February 7, 2008|annular solar eclipse of February 7, 2008]].

It was described by observers as "special for its colours around the horizon. There were wonderful oranges and reds all around, the clouds lit up, some dark in silhouette, some golden, glowing yellowy-orange in the distance. You could see the shadow approaching against the clouds and then rushing away as it left."<ref>Dr John Mason describing the eclipse directly after observing it.</ref>{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}

== Start of eclipse: Canada and Greenland ==
[[File:SE2008Aug01T.gif]]<br />Animated path

The eclipse began in the far north of Canada in [[Nunavut]] at 09:21 UT, the zone of totality being 206&nbsp;km wide, and lasting for 1 minute 30 seconds. The path of the eclipse then headed north-east, crossing over northern [[Greenland]] and reaching the northernmost latitude of 83° 47′ at 09:38 UT before dipping down into Russia.<ref name="nasa_eclipse_bulletin">{{cite book |first=Fred |last=Espenak |author-link=Fred Espenak |author2=Jay Anderson  |title=Total Eclipse of 2008 August 01 - NASA Technical Bulletin 2007–214149 |date=March 2007 |url=http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpubs/20080801/rp.html |access-date=2008-08-01}}</ref>

The path of totality touched the northeast corner of [[Kvitøya]], an uninhabited Norwegian island in the [[Svalbard]] archipelago, at 09:47 UT.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}

== Greatest eclipse: Russia ==
The eclipse reached the Russian mainland at 10:10 UT,<ref name="nasa_eclipse_bulletin" /> with a path 232&nbsp;km wide and a duration of 2 minutes 26 seconds.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} The greatest eclipse occurred shortly after, at 10:21:07 UT at coordinates {{coord|65|39|N|72|18|E}} (close to [[Nadym]]), when the path was 237&nbsp;km wide, and the duration was 2 minutes 27 seconds. Cities in the path of the total eclipse included [[Megion]], [[Nizhnevartovsk]], [[Strezhevoy]], [[Novosibirsk]] and [[Barnaul]].<ref name="nasa_eclipse_bulletin" /> Around 10,000 tourists were present in [[Novosibirsk]], the largest city to experience the eclipse.<ref name="heraldsun" /> For [[Gorno-Altaysk]] the eclipse was the second consecutive total solar eclipse after the [[Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006|March 2006 eclipse]].<ref>[https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/russia/gorno-altaysk?iso=20080801 Eclipses and Transits Visible in Gorno-Altaysk]. timeanddate.com</ref>

<gallery>
Image:Солнечное затменение 049.jpg|Partial from [[Dmitrov]]
Image:Max phase of partial eclipse 01.08.2008 in Magnitogorsk, Ural, Russia..jpg|[[Magnitogorsk]] at maximum phrase
Image:Solar eclipse of 2008 August 1.JPG|Partial from [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
Image:NovosibirskTotalEclipsePhoto-cropped.jpg|Totality from [[Akademgorodok]] ([[Novosibirsk]])
Image:Total Solar Eclipse in Novosibirsk (1-aug-2008). Ideal quality with no clouds!.webm|Video from Novosibirsk
Image:Aug1Novosibirsk2008.JPG|[[Diamond ring effect]] in Novosibirsk
Image:2008-08-01 Solar eclipse progression with timestamps.jpg|Eclipse progression in Novosibirsk. All times UTC (local time UTC+7)
Image:Неполное солнечное затмение в Пскове (2008).jpg|Partial from [[Pskov Oblast|Pskov]], Russia
Image:Eclipse 2008 Sar.JPG|Partial from [[Saratov]], Russia
File:Частичное солнечное затмение (40915809292).jpg|Partial from [[Yekaterinburg]], Russia
</gallery>

== Conclusion: Mongolia and China ==
The path of the eclipse then moved south-east, crossing into [[Mongolia]] and just clipping Kazakhstan at around 10:58 UT. The path here was 252&nbsp;km wide, but the duration decreased to 2 minutes 10 seconds. The path then ran down the China-Mongolia border, ending in [[China]] at 11:18 UT, with an eclipse lasting 1 minute 27 seconds at sunset.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} The total eclipse finished at 11:21 UT. The total eclipse passed over [[Altay City]], [[Hami]] and [[Jiuquan]].<ref name="nasa_eclipse_bulletin" /> Around 10,000 people were gathered to watch the eclipse in Hami.<ref name="heraldsun" />

<gallery>
File:Total Eclipse at Khar Nuur, Altai (2812021816).jpg|Totality in [[Altai City]], Mongolia
Image:Diamondring.jpg|Diamond ring effect in [[Hami|Kumul]], Xinjiang
Image:Solar Eclipse Gansu.jpg|Totality in [[Jiuquan]], China. Red [[solar prominence|prominences]] are visible on both sides of the sun
Image:Solar Eclipse Gansu 2.JPG|Totality in Jiuquan, China
Image:日全食 - panoramio.jpg|Partial from [[Xi'an]], China
</gallery>

== Partial eclipse ==
A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including the north east coast of North America and most of Europe and Asia.<ref name="nasa_eclipse" /> In London, England, the partial eclipse began at 09:33 [[British Summer Time|BST]], with a maximum eclipse of 12% at 10:18 BST, before concluding at 11:05 BST. At [[Edinburgh]] the partial eclipse was 23.5%, whilst it was 36% in [[Lerwick]] in the [[Shetland Isles]].<ref name="ras">{{cite web |author=Royal Astronomical Society|author-link=Royal Astronomical Society |date=August 1, 2008 |title=Solar Eclipse On The Morning Of August 1st |publisher=ScienceDaily |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080724143903.htm |access-date=2008-08-01}}</ref>

<gallery>
Image:Arctic eclipse.jpg|The eclipse over [[Russia]], [[Norway]], and the [[Arctic Ocean]] as seen from NASA's [[Terra (satellite)|Terra satellite]].
Image:Jorg Weingrill - Partial Solar Eclipse 2008 (by).jpg|Partial from [[Graz, Austria]]
Image:Partial Solar Eclipse - Minsk 2008.jpg|Partial from [[Minsk, Belarus]]
Image:1 August 2008 partial eclipse from UK.jpg|Partial from [[Jodrell Bank Observatory]], England
File:2008.08.01 Auringonpimennys 2 (41840192725).jpg|Partial from [[Huittinen]], Finland
Image:Michaelll - Partial Solar Eclipse (by).jpg|Partial from [[Bergen, Norway]]
Image:Zacmienie slonca 2008 08 01 Warszawa.jpg|[[Warsaw, Poland]] at maximum phrase
File:Solar Eclipse 080801 (2722291466).jpg|Partial from [[Kumla]], Sweden
Image:Solar eclipse in Makiivka.jpg|Partial from [[Makiivka]], Ukraine
Image:Partial Eclipse Chennai Aug2008.jpg|Partial from [[Chennai, India]]
</gallery>

== LTU 1111 ==
German charter airline [[LTU International|LTU]], now trading as [[Air Berlin]], operated a special flight from [[Düsseldorf]] to the [[North Pole]] to observe the eclipse. Flight number LT 1111 spent over 11 hours in the air, returning to base at 6pm after flying a planeload of eclipse chasers, scientists, journalists and TV crews to watch the celestial event. The route also included a low-level sightseeing tour of [[Svalbard]] before the eclipse and the magnetic pole afterwards.

== 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Total Solar Eclipse of 2008 Aug 01|url=https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2008Aug01Tprime.html|publisher=EclipseWise.com|access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" align="{{{align|left}}}" style="margin:{{#ifeq:{{{align}}}|left|0 0 0.5em 1em|0 1em 0.5em 0}}"
|+August 1, 2008 Solar Eclipse Times
! Event
! Time (UTC)
|-
| First Penumbral External Contact
| 2008 August 1 at 08:05:11.5 UTC
|-
| First Umbral External Contact
| 2008 August 1 at 09:22:12.6 UTC
|-
| First Central Line
| 2008 August 1 at 09:23:43.3 UTC
|-
| First Umbral Internal Contact
| 2008 August 1 at 09:25:15.6 UTC
|-
| Equatorial Conjunction
| 2008 August 1 at 09:48:26.9 UTC
|-
| Ecliptic Conjunction
| 2008 August 1 at 10:13:39.0 UTC
|-
| Greatest Duration
| 2008 August 1 at 10:20:17.1 UTC
|-
| Greatest Eclipse
| 2008 August 1 at 10:22:12.3 UTC
|-
| Last Umbral Internal Contact
| 2008 August 1 at 11:19:33.2 UTC
|-
| Last Central Line
| 2008 August 1 at 11:21:03.1 UTC
|-
| Last Umbral External Contact
| 2008 August 1 at 11:22:31.3 UTC
|-
| Last Penumbral External Contact
| 2008 August 1 at 12:39:31.7 UTC
|}

{|class="wikitable" align="{{{align|right}}}" style="margin:{{#ifeq:{{{align}}}|right|0 0 0.5em 1em|0 1em 0.5em 0}}"
|+August 1, 2008 Solar Eclipse Parameters
! Parameter
! Value
|-
| Eclipse Magnitude
| 1.03942
|-
| Eclipse Obscuration
| 1.08040
|-
| Gamma
| 0.83070
|-
| Sun Right Ascension
| 08h47m54.1s
|-
| Sun Declination
| +17°51'56.4"
|-
| Sun Semi-Diameter
| 15'45.5"
|-
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax
| 08.7"
|-
| Moon Right Ascension
| 08h49m08.8s
|-
| Moon Declination
| +18°38'01.6"
|-
| Moon Semi-Diameter
| 16'14.1"
|-
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax
| 0°59'34.8"
|-
| ΔT
| 65.6 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 August 2008
! August 1<br/>Descending node (new moon)<br/> !! [[August 2008 lunar eclipse|August 16]]<br/>Ascending node (full moon)<br/>
|-
| [[File:SE2008Aug01T.png|200px]] || [[File:Lunar eclipse chart close-08aug16.png|200px]]
|- align=center
| [[Total eclipse#Types|Total solar eclipse]]<br />Solar Saros 126 || [[Lunar eclipse#Types of lunar eclipse|Partial lunar eclipse]]<br />Lunar Saros 138
|}

== Related eclipses ==
=== Eclipses in 2008 ===
* [[Solar eclipse of February 7, 2008|An annular solar eclipse on February 7]].
* [[February 2008 lunar eclipse|A total lunar eclipse on February 21]].
* '''A total solar eclipse on August 1.'''
* [[August 2008 lunar eclipse|A partial lunar eclipse on August 16]].

=== Metonic ===
* Preceded by: [[Solar eclipse of October 14, 2004]]
* Followed by: [[Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012]]

=== Tzolkinex ===
* Preceded by: [[Solar eclipse of June 21, 2001]]
* Followed by: [[Solar eclipse of September 13, 2015]]

=== Half-Saros ===
* Preceded by: [[July 1999 lunar eclipse|Lunar eclipse of July 28, 1999]]
* Followed by: [[August 2017 lunar eclipse|Lunar eclipse of August 7, 2017]]

=== Tritos ===
* Preceded by: [[Solar eclipse of September 2, 1997]]
* Followed by: [[Solar eclipse of July 2, 2019]]

=== Solar Saros 126 ===
* Preceded by: [[Solar eclipse of July 22, 1990]]
* Followed by: [[Solar eclipse of August 12, 2026]]

=== Inex ===
* Preceded by: [[Solar eclipse of August 22, 1979]]
* Followed by: [[Solar eclipse of July 13, 2037]]

=== Triad ===
* Preceded by: [[Solar eclipse of October 1, 1921]]
* Followed by: [[Solar eclipse of June 2, 2095]]

=== Solar eclipses of 2008–2011 ===
{{Solar eclipse set 2008–2011}}

=== Saros 126 ===
{{Solar_Saros_series_126}}

=== Metonic series ===
{{Solar Metonic series 1993–2069}}

=== Tritos series ===
{{Solar Tritos series 2008 August 1}}

=== Inex series ===
{{Solar Inex series 2008 August 1}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
{{Commons category|Solar eclipse of 2008 August 1}}
{{Solar eclipse NASA reference|2001/SE2008Aug01T|20080801}}
* [http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/xSE_GoogleMapFull.php?Ecl=+20080801&Acc=2&Umb=1&Lmt=1&Mag=0 Google Map]

'''Photos:'''
*[http://www.eclipse-2008.ru/eclipse.php Russian solar eclipse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102021344/http://www.eclipse-2008.ru/eclipse.php |date=2010-01-02 }}
*[http://www.izmiran.ru/info/personalia/molodensky/Eclips08.html Russian scientist observed eclipse]
* [http://spaceweather.com/eclipses/gallery_01aug08.htm Spaceweather.com solar eclipse gallery]
* [http://www.williams.edu/Astronomy/eclipse/eclipse2008/2008total/index.html Total Solar Eclipse, August 1, 2008], from Russia by [[Jay Pasachoff]]
* [http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/Eclipse/Ecl2008m/0-info.htm Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site. Mongolia]
* [http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/Eclipse/Ecl2008r/0-info.htm Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site. Russia]
* [http://www.krysstal.com/ec2008.html The 2008 Eclipse in Russia]
* [http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7417 ''Astronomy.com'' Eclipse trip images from Russia]
* [http://cmhas.wikispaces.com/ECLIPSE_China_2008 Memories, video and images of the eclipse by Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society]
* [http://www.krysstal.com/ec2008.html The 2008 Eclipse in Russia]
* [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080805.html] [[APOD]] 8/5/2008, A Total Solar Eclipse Over China, wide sky from near Barkol in Xinjiang, China
* [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080807.html] [[APOD]] 8/7/2008, At the Sun's Edge, Totality from Novosibirsk, Russia
* [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080808.html] [[APOD]] 8/8/2008, The Crown of the Sun, totality with corona from Kochenevo, Russia
* [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080920.html] [[APOD]] 9/20/2008,A Darkened Sky, totality with wide corona from Mongolia
* [http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/2008/index.html Webcast of the eclipse from northwest China]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111126172216/http://www.sems.und.edu/ University of North Dakota's Live Webcast from China]

'''Video'''
*[http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-54612 Video from Altai, featured on CNN] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726035552/http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-54612 |date=2009-07-26 }}

{{Solar eclipses}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solar Eclipse Of August 1, 2008}}
[[Category:Total solar eclipses|2008 08 01]]
[[Category:2008 in science]]
[[Category:21st-century solar eclipses|2008 08 01]]
[[Category:Novaya Zemlya]]
[[Category:August 2008]]
[[Category:2008 in Russia]]
[[Category:2008 in Mongolia]]
[[Category:2008 in China]]
[[Category:2008 in Kazakhstan]]