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Solar eclipse of June 20, 1955

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Solar eclipse of June 20, 1955
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma−0.1528
Magnitude1.0776
Maximum eclipse
Duration428 s (7 min 8 s)
Coordinates14°48′N 117°00′E / 14.8°N 117°E / 14.8; 117
Max. width of band254 km (158 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse4:10:42
References
Saros136 (34 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000)9410

A total solar eclipse occurred on June 20, 1955. 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. With a maximum duration of 7 minutes 7.74 seconds, this is the longest solar eclipse of saros series 136, as well as the longest total solar eclipse since the 11th century, and until the 22nd century, because greatest eclipse occurred near the Equator.[1] Totality beginning over the Indian Ocean, British Seychelles (today's Seychelles) and Maldives, crossing Ceylon (name changed to Sri Lanka later) including the capital city Colombo, Andaman Islands, Burma, Thailand including the capital city Bangkok, Cambodia, Laos, South Vietnam (now belonging to Vietnam), Paracel Islands and Scarborough Shoal (near the greatest eclipse), moving across the Philippines including the capital city Manila, Kayangel Atoll in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (now belonging to Palau), Nukumanu Islands in the Territory of Papua New Guinea (today's Papua New Guinea), towards northern Ontong Java Atoll in British Solomon Islands (today's Solomon Islands) ending over Southwestern Pacific Ocean. It was the second central solar eclipse visible from Bangkok from 1948 to 1958, where it is rare for a large city to witness 4 central solar eclipses in just 9.945 years.

[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Solar eclipses of 1953–1956

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.[13]

The partial solar eclipses on February 14, 1953 and August 9, 1953 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1953 to 1956
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma
116 July 11, 1953

Partial 		1.4388 121 January 5, 1954

Annular 		−0.9296
126 June 30, 1954

Total 		0.6135 131 December 25, 1954

Annular 		−0.2576
136 June 20, 1955

Total 		−0.1528 141 December 14, 1955

Annular 		0.4266
146 June 8, 1956

Total 		−0.8934 151 December 2, 1956

Partial 		1.0923

Saros 136

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 136, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on June 14, 1360. It contains annular eclipses from September 8, 1504 through November 12, 1594; hybrid eclipses from November 22, 1612 through January 17, 1703; and total eclipses from January 27, 1721 through May 13, 2496. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 30, 2622. 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 annularity was produced by member 9 at 32 seconds on September 8, 1504, and the longest duration of totality was produced by member 34 at 7 minutes, 7.74 seconds on June 20, 1955. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending node of orbit.[14]

Series members 26–47 occur between 1801 and 2200:
26 27 28

March 24, 1811
April 3, 1829
April 15, 1847
29 30 31

April 25, 1865
May 6, 1883
May 18, 1901
32 33 34

May 29, 1919
June 8, 1937
June 20, 1955
35 36 37

June 30, 1973
July 11, 1991
July 22, 2009
38 39 40

August 2, 2027
August 12, 2045
August 24, 2063
41 42 43

September 3, 2081
September 14, 2099
September 26, 2117
44 45 46

October 7, 2135
October 17, 2153
October 29, 2171
47

November 8, 2189

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.

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).

Notes

  1. ^ Fred Espenak. "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1001 to 1100". NASA.
  2. ^ "U.S. to Observe Eclipse of Sun April 8, 2024". Idaho State Journal. Pocatello, Idaho. 1955-06-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Longest Eclipse In 1238 Years Lasts For Seven Minutes And Blacks Out An Area Of 1276000 Square Miles". The Lexington Herald. Lexington, Kentucky. 1955-06-21. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-10-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Didn't See Eclipse? Catch The One In 2024". The World. Coos Bay, Oregon. 1955-06-21. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-10-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Long Eclipse Seen In South China Sea Area". Troy Daily News. Troy, Ohio. 1955-06-20. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Seven Minute Long Eclipse Darkens South China Seas". News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. 1955-06-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "CLOUDS BLACK OUT ECLIPSE IN CEYLON". Coventry Evening Telegraph. Coventry, West Midlands, England. 1955-06-20. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Clouds black out eclipse". Hull Daily Mail. Hull, Humberside, England. 1955-06-20. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "In tears as cloud hides the eclipse". Birmingham Evening Mail. Birmingham, West Midlands, England. 1955-06-20. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "'Night' Fliers: Eclipse". Des Moines Tribune. Des Moines, Iowa. 1955-06-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Clouds Spoil Ceylon Show: Harvard's Team Gets Best Look at Eclipse". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 1955-06-20. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Clouds Favor Harvard Eclipse Lookout But Balk Hayden, German Photographing". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 1955-06-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  14. ^ "NASA - Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 136". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.

References

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