Partial Solar Eclipse Thursday, Oct. 23, Closes 2014 Eclipse Lineup

Summary: A partial solar eclipse Thursday, Oct. 23, closes the 2014 eclipse lineup and favors North America and the Russian Far East for visibility.

Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics for partial solar eclipse of Oct. 23, 2014: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC Emeritus," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

A partial solar eclipse Thursday, Oct. 23, closes the 2014 solar eclipse lineup and favors North America and the Russian Far East as well as the North Pacific Ocean with its path of visibility.

The Editors of Sky & Telescope note that most of Canada, the United States and Mexico have favorable placement for viewing this partial solar eclipse. “ For this event,” the editors state, “the farther west and north you are the better.” The eclipse occurs while the sun still occupies a rather high place in the afternoon sky for observers in the American West.

Sky & Telescope’s editors also point out that, along a line stretching from Michigan through the Florida Panhandle, sunset happens as the eclipse maximizes its depth. East of this line, sunset takes place after the start of the eclipse but before reach of maximum depth.

The October partial solar eclipse begins with first contact between Earth’s surface and the penumbral shadow cast by the moon’s passage between Earth and the sun. On the NASA Eclipse Web Site, retired astrophysicist Fred Espenak, known as “Mr. Eclipse,” identifies the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Siberia in the Russian Far East as closest to the point of first contact between the moon’s penumbral shadow and Earth’s surface.

First contact occurs Thursday, Oct. 23, at 19:37:33.0 Universal Time (Friday, Oct. 24, at 7:37 p.m. PETT Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski Time; Thursday, Oct. 23, at 12:37 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time). P1 is the astronomical designation for the instant of first contact.

Greatest eclipse happens at 21:44:31.4 UT (3:44 p.m. NAMDT North American Mountain Daylight Time; 2:44 p.m. PDT). Greatest eclipse marks the instant of closest passage of the axis of the lunar shadow cone to Earth’s center.

“Mr. Eclipse” places the occurrence of greatest eclipse near Prince of Wales Island in Canada’s Nunavut Territory. The axis of the lunar shadow passes about 675 kilometers (419.426 miles) above Earth’s surface at this instant.

The last contact of the lunar penumbra with Earth’s surface announces the end of the October 2014 partial solar eclipse. The October solar event’s end time is 23:51:39.8 UT (4:51 p.m. PDT). P4 is the astronomical designation for the exit of Earth’s surface from the moon’s shadow.

October’s partial solar eclipse is 2014’s second solar eclipse. Its solar predecessor happened Tuesday, April 29, as an annular solar eclipse.

The October 2014 solar event breaks a pattern of absent partial solar eclipses from the annual eclipse lineup that has prevailed for almost two years 10 months. Prior to October’s event, the last partial solar eclipse occurred Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. The November 2011 event was the fourth of that year’s four partial solar eclipses.

After October 2014’s event, the next partial solar eclipse occurs less than a year later. On Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, a partial solar eclipse happens as the year’s second of two eclipses. Its predecessor opens 2015’s solar eclipse lineup as a total solar eclipse on Friday, March 20.

The second 2014 solar eclipse closes not only the year’s solar duet but also closes 2014’s eclipse lineup. Comprising a quartet, the year’s eclipses are evenly divided between lunar and solar eclipses. Lunar eclipses, which are both total, take place Tuesday, April 15, and Wednesday, Oct. 8, respectively.

The October 2014 partial solar eclipse belongs to Saros 153. The Saros cycle groups eclipses into families, known as series. A Saros cycle comprises approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours).

Observers along the path of visibility should remember to refrain from directly looking at the partial solar eclipse. Safe viewing of partial solar eclipses necessitates use of proper equipment and following of proper techniques.

The takeaway for 2014’s only partial solar eclipse, which happens Thursday, Oct. 23, is the event’s start near the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East and its favoring of North America, from Canada through Mexico, for visibility.

animation of Oct. 23, 2014, solar eclipse: A.T. Sinclair/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics for partial solar eclipse of Oct. 23, 2014: "Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment, Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA GSFC Emeritus," via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2014-Fig04.pdf

animation of Oct. 23, 2014, solar eclipse: A.T. Sinclair/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SE2014Oct23P.gif

For further information:

“Clock Changes in Prince of Wales Island, Nunavut, Canada in 2014.” Time And Date > Time Zones > Time Change Dates.
Available via Time And Date @ https://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/@6113390?year=2014

The Editors of Sky & Telescope. “Partial Solar Eclipse, October 23, 2014.” Sky & Telescope > Astronomy News > Observing News. Oct. 9, 2014.
Available @ http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/partial-solar-eclipse-october-23-2014-10062014/

Espenak, Fred. “Eclipses During 2014.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Observer’s Handbook.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2014.html

Espenak, Fred. ".Figure 4 Partial Solar Eclipse of 2014 Oct 23.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Page > Solar Eclipses Past and Future: Eclipses During 2014 > Eclipses During 2014: 2014 Oct 23 Partial Solar Eclipse: Partial Solar Eclipse of October 23.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2014-Fig04.pdf

Espenak, Fred. “Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 2001 to 2100 (2001 CE to 2100 CE).” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE2001-2100.html

Espenak, Fred. “Greatest Eclipse.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Glossary of Solar Eclipse Terms.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHtables/OH2011-Tab01.pdf

Espenak, Fred. “Table 4: Local Circumstances for Partial Solar Eclipse of 2014 October 23 from Canada and Mexico.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Observer’s Handbook > Observer’s Handbook Tables > Observer’s Handbook 2014.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHtables/OH2014-Tab04.pdf

Espenak, Fred. “Table 5a: Local Circumstances for the Partial Solar Eclipse of 2014 October 23 from the United States.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Observer’s Handbook > Observer’s Handbook Tables > Observer’s Handbook 2014.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHtables/OH2014-Tab05.pdf

Espenak, Fred. “Table 5b: Local Circumstances for the Partial Solar Eclipse of 2014 October 23 from the United States.” NASA Eclipse Web Site > Observer’s Handbook > Observer’s Handbook Tables > Observer’s Handbook 2014.
Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHtables/OH2014-Tab05.pdf

Littmann, Mark; Ken Willcox; Fred Espenak. “Observing Solar Eclipses Safely.” MrEclipse > Totality.
Available @ http://www.mreclipse.com/Totality2/TotalityCh11.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “First of Four 2011 Partial Solar Eclipses Happens Tuesday, Jan. 4.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2010/12/first-of-four-2011-partial-solar.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Fourth of Four 2011 Partial Solar Eclipses Happens Friday, Nov. 25.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/11/fourth-of-four-2011-partial-solar.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Second of Four 2011 Partial Solar Eclipses Happens Wednesday, June 1.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 25, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/05/second-of-four-2011-partial-solar.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Third of Four 2011 Partial Solar Eclipses Happens Friday, July 1.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 29, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/06/third-of-four-2011-partial-solar.html

“October 23, 2014 -- Partial Solar Eclipse.” TimeAndDate > Sun & Moon > Eclipses.
Available @ https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2014-october-23

“October 24, 2014 -- Partial Solar Eclipse -- Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.” Time And Date > Sun & Moon > Eclipses.
Available @ https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/@2125073?iso=20141023