Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Solar eclipse". A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, March 29, 2006,[1][2][3] with a magnitude of 1.0515. 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 1.1 days after perigee (on March 28, 2006, at 8:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[4]

This was the second solar eclipse visible in Africa within just 6 months.

Visibility

File:Solar eclipse animate (2006-Mar-29).gif
Animated path

The path of totality of the Moon's shadow began at sunrise in Brazil and extended across the Atlantic to Africa, traveling across Ghana, the southeastern tip of Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Libya, and a small corner of northwest Egypt, from there across the Mediterranean Sea to Greece (Kastellórizo) and Turkey, then across the Black Sea via Georgia, Russia, and Kazakhstan to Western Mongolia, where it ended at sunset. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including eastern South America, the northern two-thirds of Africa, the whole of Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Observations

People around the world gathered in areas where the eclipse was visible to view the event. The Manchester Astronomical Society, the Malaysian Space Agency, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, as well as dozens of tour groups met at the Apollo temple and the theater in Side, Turkey. The San Francisco Exploratorium featured a live webcast from the site, where thousands of observers were seated in the ancient, Roman-style theater.[5]

Almost all actively visited areas in the path of totality had perfect weather. Many observers reported an unusually beautiful eclipse, with many or all effects visible, and a very nice corona, despite the proximity to the solar minimum. The partial phase of the eclipse was also visible from the International Space Station, where the astronauts on board took spectacular pictures of the moon's shadow on Earth's surface. It initially appeared as though an orbit correction set for the middle of March would bring the ISS into the path of totality, but this correction was postponed.

The Paris Observatory sent a team of students and coordinators to Savalou, Benin. The team took clear images of the corona. A team of Williams College, Massachusetts did many experiments and took images of the corona on the Greek island of Kastellórizo with 3 minutes of totality, which is close to the coast of Turkey and the only place in the European Union covered by the path of totality. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory also made auxiliary observations to compare images taken from space and from the ground.[6][7][8] Another research simulated the changing colours of the sky in the path of totality with a three-dimensional model while considering multiple scattering. Monte Carlo method was used in the experiment to predict the colour and brightness of the sky. In addition, the direct irradiation of the corona was also studied. The goal was to plan and optimise studies on incoming solar irradiance.[9] Russian scientists studied on coronal polarization in the Baksan River Gorge surrounded by snow mountains in the North Caucasus. The location has an altitude of 1,800 metres and is 25 kilometres from Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia and also Europe.[10]

Libya under Muammar Gaddafi was under sanctions because of bombing the Pan Am Flight 103 and had a strict alcohol ban. It was the least visited region around the Mediterranean. To promote tourism, the Libyan government mobilized 5 state-owned tourism companies to attract more tourists, and built a tent village that could accommodate 7,000 people in Waw an Namus inside the Sahara Desert with excellent observation conditions. However, it was only open to astronomers, while ordinary tourists were directed to Patan, near the border with Egypt. Despite Libya's desire to attract tourists from all over the world, Israelis were still banned from entering the country.[11][12] NASA scientists also did joint observation and research with Libyan scientists, taking images and videos.[8][13]

A team of 20 people from the Template:Ill took images of Baily's beads, corona and prominences in Sallum, Egypt. The weather conditions were good in Sallum and also neighbouring Libya. Then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Minister of Defense Muhammad Tantawi and other officials also went there by helicopter and observed the eclipse with scientists and tourists.[14][15]

Satellite failure

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The satellite responsible for SKY Network Television, a New Zealand pay TV company, failed the day after this eclipse at around 1900 local time. While SKY didn't directly attribute the failure to the eclipse, they said in a media release that it took longer to resolve the issue because of it, but this claim was rejected by astronomers. The main reason for the failure was because of an aging and increasingly faulty satellite.[16]

Gallery

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.[17]

March 29, 2006 Solar Eclipse Times
Event Time (UTC)
First Penumbral External Contact 2006 March 29 at 07:37:53.6 UTC
First Umbral External Contact 2006 March 29 at 08:35:29.4 UTC
First Central Line 2006 March 29 at 08:36:31.5 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact 2006 March 29 at 08:37:33.6 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact 2006 March 29 at 09:45:42.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse 2006 March 29 at 10:12:22.7 UTC
Greatest Duration 2006 March 29 at 10:12:45.5 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction 2006 March 29 at 10:16:20.0 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction 2006 March 29 at 10:34:22.4 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact 2006 March 29 at 10:38:33.1 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact 2006 March 29 at 11:46:59.6 UTC
Last Central Line 2006 March 29 at 11:48:00.6 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact 2006 March 29 at 11:49:01.5 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact 2006 March 29 at 12:46:45.7 UTC
March 29, 2006 Solar Eclipse Parameters
Parameter Value
Eclipse Magnitude 1.05152
Eclipse Obscuration 1.10569
Gamma 0.38433
Sun Right Ascension 00h31m31.7s
Sun Declination +03°24'10.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter 16'01.1"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.8"
Moon Right Ascension 00h30m46.6s
Moon Declination +03°44'36.2"
Moon Semi-Diameter 16'34.9"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°00'51.4"
ΔT 64.9 s

Eclipse season

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". 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.

Eclipse season of March 2006
March 14
Descending node (full moon)
March 29
Ascending node (new moon)
File:Lunar eclipse chart close-06mar14.png File:SE2006Mar29T.png
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 113
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 139

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 2006

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 139

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 2004–2007

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.[18]

Solar eclipse series sets from 2004 to 2007
Ascending node   Descending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
119 April 19, 2004
File:SE2004Apr19P.png
Partial
−1.13345 124 October 14, 2004
File:SE2004Oct14P.png
Partial
1.03481
129
File:Solar eclipse at sunset (2937676527) (cropped).jpg
Partial in Naiguatá, Venezuela
April 8, 2005
File:SE2005Apr08H.png
Hybrid
−0.34733 134
File:Ecl-ann.jpg
Annularity in Madrid, Spain
October 3, 2005
File:SE2005Oct03A.png
Annular
0.33058
139
File:Diamondring-eclipse-March03-29-2006.jpg
Totality in Side, Turkey
March 29, 2006
File:SE2006Mar29T.png
Total
0.38433 144
File:Helder da Rocha - Partial solar eclipse (by-sa).jpg
Partial in São Paulo, Brazil
September 22, 2006
File:SE2006Sep22A.png
Annular
−0.40624
149
File:Solar Eclipse (3445953058) (cropped).jpg
Partial in Jaipur, India
March 19, 2007
File:SE2007Mar19P.png
Partial
1.07277 154
File:Eclipse solar 01 (1360685468) (cropped).jpg
Partial in Córdoba, Argentina
September 11, 2007
File:SE2007Sep11P.png
Partial
−1.12552

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.[19] All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.[20]

Series members 18–39 occur between 1801 and 2200:
18 19 20
File:SE1807Nov29H.png
November 29, 1807
File:SE1825Dec09H.png
December 9, 1825
File:SE1843Dec21T.png
December 21, 1843
21 22 23
File:SE1861Dec31T.png
December 31, 1861
File:SE1880Jan11T.png
January 11, 1880
File:SE1898Jan22T.png
January 22, 1898
24 25 26
File:SE1916Feb03T.png
February 3, 1916
File:SE1934Feb14T.png
February 14, 1934
File:SE1952Feb25T.png
February 25, 1952
27 28 29
File:SE1970Mar07T.png
March 7, 1970
File:SE1988Mar18T.png
March 18, 1988
File:SE2006Mar29T.png
March 29, 2006
30 31 32
File:SE2024Apr08T.png
April 8, 2024
File:SE2042Apr20T.png
April 20, 2042
File:SE2060Apr30T.png
April 30, 2060
33 34 35
File:SE2078May11T.png
May 11, 2078
File:SE2096May22T.png
May 22, 2096
File:SE2114Jun03T.png
June 3, 2114
36 37 38
File:SE2132Jun13T.png
June 13, 2132
File:SE2150Jun25T.png
June 25, 2150
File:SE2168Jul05T.png
July 5, 2168
39
File:SE2186Jul16T.png
July 16, 2186

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.

20 eclipse events between June 10, 1964 and August 21, 2036
June 10–11 March 28–29 January 14–16 November 3 August 21–22
117 119 121 123 125
File:SE1964Jun10P.png
June 10, 1964
File:SE1968Mar28P.png
March 28, 1968
File:SE1972Jan16A.png
January 16, 1972
File:SE1975Nov03P.png
November 3, 1975
File:SE1979Aug22A.png
August 22, 1979
127 129 131 133 135
File:SE1983Jun11T.png
June 11, 1983
File:SE1987Mar29H.png
March 29, 1987
File:SE1991Jan15A.png
January 15, 1991
File:SE1994Nov03T.png
November 3, 1994
File:SE1998Aug22A.png
August 22, 1998
137 139 141 143 145
File:SE2002Jun10A.png
June 10, 2002
File:SE2006Mar29T.png
March 29, 2006
File:SE2010Jan15A.png
January 15, 2010
File:SE2013Nov03H.png
November 3, 2013
File:SE2017Aug21T.png
August 21, 2017
147 149 151 153 155
File:SE2021Jun10A.png
June 10, 2021
File:SE2025Mar29P.png
March 29, 2025
File:SE2029Jan14P.png
January 14, 2029
File:SE2032Nov03P.png
November 3, 2032
File:SE2036Aug21P.png
August 21, 2036

Tritos series

Template:Solar Tritos series 2006 March 29

Inex series

Template:Solar Inex series 2006 March 29

Notes

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Total Solar Eclipse: Live from Turkey in 2006
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ C. Emde, B. Mayer: Simulation of solar radiation during a total eclipse: a challenge for radiative transfer [28 August 2015]
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Press release by Sky TV. Solar eclipse interferes with satellite restoration Script error: No such module "webarchive". Friday, 31 March 2006.
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Ten Millennium Catalog of Long Solar Eclipses, −3999 to +6000 (4000 BCE to 6000 CE) Fred Espenak.
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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References

Photos:

External links

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