April 20, 2023, Hybrid Solar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Series 129

Summary: The Thursday, April 20, 2023, hybrid solar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 129, a series of 80 similar solar eclipses.

Partial solar eclipse of Oct. 3, 1103, opened Saros solar series 129’s lineup of 80 solar eclipses: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The Thursday, April 20, 2023, hybrid solar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 129, which comprises 80 solar eclipses with similar geometries.

April's eastern hemisphere-set hybrid solar eclipse begins Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 02:36:56.2 Universal Time, according to eclipse predictions by retired NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) astrophysicist Fred Espenak and Belgian mathematical astronomy specialist and retired Bruxelles airport meteorologist Jean Meeus on the NASA Eclipse Web Site. Greatest eclipse takes place at 04:16:37.5 UT. Greatest eclipse references the instant of the closest passage of the lunar shadow cone's axis to Earth's center. The hybrid eclipse ends at 05:56:35.2 UT.

April's hybrid solar eclipse starts and finishes while the event's partial component is already in progress. April's partiality starts at 01:34:15.8 UT and closes at 04:40:30.7 UT.

April 2023’s hybrid solar eclipse numbers as 52 in the lineup of 80 solar eclipses that constitute Saros cycle 129. Similar geometries unite the series’ 80 solar eclipses into a family, known as a series.

Hybrid solar eclipse of Thursday, April 20, 2023, closes Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses; its greatest eclipse's duration of 1 minute 16 seconds qualifies as the trio's longest duration: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site

Saros 129 solar eclipses share the geometry of occurring at the moon's ascending node. A pair of ascending and descending nodes signals the two intersections of Earth's orbit with the moon's orbit. The nodal pair signify the approximately 5.1 degree tilt of the moon's orbit with respect to Earth's orbit. The ascending node concerns the lunar orbital crossing to the north of Earth's orbit. The descending node links with the lunar orbital crossing to the south of Earth's orbit.

Each succeeding eclipse in Saros 129 exhibits movement southward from the ascending node. A partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on Oct. 3, 1103, initiated the series. Saros 129 will close with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on Feb. 21, 2528.

Saros 129 traverses the 12th through 26th centuries. Its duration totals 1,424.38 years.

The Saros cycle of approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours) determines the periodicity and recurrence of solar eclipses in each Saros series. Eighteen years separate each of the 80 members of Saros 129.

Partial solar eclipses open and close every Saros solar series. Saros series 129 solar eclipses sequence as 20 partials, 29 annulars, three hybrids, nine totals and 19 partials.

Partial solar eclipses dominate Saros 129 as the most frequent eclipse type, with 39 occurrences, in the series. As the second-most eclipse type in Saros 129, annular eclipses account for 29 of the 80-member series. Total and hybrid solar eclipses occupy third and fourth places with nine and three appearances, respectively.

The partial solar eclipse of Oct. 3, 1103, opened Saros solar series 129. This Northern Hemisphere event's greatest eclipse took place at 03:17:50 Terrestrial Dynamical Time (TD). With coordinates of 71.7 degrees North latitude, 157.1 degrees West longitude, greatest eclipse was located north of the Arctic Circle, in the Arctic Ocean north of Utqiagvik (Inupiaq: Utqiaġvik), formerly known in English as Barrow, on Alaska's Point Barrow (Inupiaq: Nuvuk) peninsula.

The partial solar eclipse of Saturday, Feb. 21, 2528, will close Saros solar series 129. This Southern Hemisphere event's greatest eclipse occurred at 12:36:45 TD. Coordinates of 61.8 South, 111.1 East, place greatest eclipse's location in the southeastern Indian Ocean, southeast of Australia's external, subantarctic Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands and north of Budd Coast's Bailey Peninsula in the Australian Antarctic Territory's Wilkes Land in East Antarctica.

Hybrid solar eclipse of Sunday, March 29, 1987, opened Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses and exhibited the trio's shortest greatest eclipse, with a duration of eight seconds: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The hybrid solar eclipse of Sunday, March 29, 1987, numbers as the first in Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses and as 50 in the cycle's lineup of 80 solar eclipses. Greatest eclipse for this first Saros 129 hybrid solar event happened at 12:49:47 TD. With coordinates of 12.3 South, 2.3 West, greatest eclipse was sited in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, northeast of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena and west of Lobito in the Republic of Angola's (Portuguese: República de Angola, Kongo: Repubilika ya Ngola) central western coastal Benguela Province.

A hybrid solar eclipse on Friday, April 8, 2005, was the immediate predecessor of the Thursday, April 20, 2023, hybrid solar eclipse in Saros solar series 129. The April 2005 hybrid solar event numbers as the second in Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses and as 51 in the cycle's lineup of 80 solar eclipses. The April 8, 2005, hybrid solar eclipse's greatest eclipse took place at 20:36:51 TD. Coordinates of 10.6 South, 119.0 West, situated the greatest eclipse in the south central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the Galápagos Islands (Spanish: Islas Galápagos) and east of Fatu-Hiva, southernmost Marquesas Islands (French: Îles Marquises or Archipel des Marquises or Marquises; North Marquesan: Te Henua ʻEnana; South Marquesan: Te Fenua ʻEnata) in the French overseas collectivity of French Polynesia (French: Polynésie française). His 1937-1938 residence with his first wife, Liv Coucheron Torp (Aug. 4, 1916-April 14, 1969), on Fatu-Hiva inspired Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's (Oct. 6, 1914-April 18, 2002) theory of pre-Columbian voyages between South America and Polynesia.

Hybrid solar eclipse of Friday, April 8, 2005, occurred as the second of Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses; its greatest eclipse ranked as the trio's second shortest, with a duration of 42 seconds: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The Thursday, April 20, 2023, closes Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses. Its greatest eclipse duration of 1 minute 16 seconds qualifies the Saros solar series 129 closing hybrid eclipse as the longest of the cycle's three hybrids. The Saros solar series 129 opener on Sunday, March 29, 1987, and the hybrid sequence's second member on Friday, April 8, 2005, place as the shortest and second shortest greatest eclipses with durations of 00 minutes 8 seconds and 00 minutes 42 seconds, respectively.

The April 2023 hybrid solar eclipse's immediate successor occurs Tuesday, April 30, 2041, as the first of Saros solar series 129's sequence of nine total solar eclipses and as 53 in the cycle's lineup of 80 solar eclipses. Greatest eclipse for the April 2041 total solar eclipse takes place at 11:52:21 TD. Coordinates of 9.6 South, 12.2 East, place the April 2041 total solar eclipse's greatest eclipse in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, west of Sangano Beach in northwestern Angola's Parque Nacional da Quissama (Kissama National Park).

Partial solar eclipse of Saturday, Feb. 21, 2528, will close Saros solar series 129’s lineup of 80 solar eclipses: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Partial solar eclipse of Oct. 3, 1103, opened Saros solar series 129’s lineup of 80 solar eclipses: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1101-1200/1103-10-03.gif

Hybrid solar eclipse of Thursday, April 20, 2023, closes Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses; its greatest eclipse's duration of 1 minute 16 seconds qualifies as the trio's longest duration: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2001-2100/2023-04-20.gif

Hybrid solar eclipse of Sunday, March 29, 1987, opened Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses and exhibited the trio's shortest greatest eclipse, with a duration of eight seconds: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1987-03-29.gif

Hybrid solar eclipse of Friday, April 8, 2005, occurred as the second of Saros solar series 129's sequence of three hybrid solar eclipses; its greatest eclipse ranked as the trio's second shortest, with a duration of 42 seconds: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2001-2100/2005-04-08.gif

Partial solar eclipse of Saturday, Feb. 21, 2528, will close Saros solar series 129’s lineup of 80 solar eclipses: Eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA’s GSFC) and Jean Meeus, via NASA Eclipse Web Site

For further information:

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1987-03-29.gif

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2001-2100/2005-04-08.gif

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2001-2100/2023-04-20.gif

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Available via EclipseWise @ https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2005Apr08Hprime.html

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Available via EclipseWise @ https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2023Apr20Hprime.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2023Apr20H.GIF

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEmapkey.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SEmapkey.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1101-1200/1103-10-03.gif

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2501-2600/2528-02-21.gif

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros129.html

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Available via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2001-2100/2041-04-30.gif

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Available via EclipseWise @ https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/2001-2100/SE2041Apr30Tprime.html

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Available @ https://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/