A partial
solar eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...
took place on 19 April 2004. A
solar eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...
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 partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the Moon's shadow misses the Earth. It was largely visible over the south
Atlantic Ocean and north shores of
Antarctica, most prominently the
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martín in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctic ...
.
The eclipse could also be seen in southern
Africa at sunset. Considering the magnitude and the
solar altitude
Solar may refer to:
Astronomy
* Of or relating to the Sun
** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun
** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels")
** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...
,
South Africa was the best place to observe this eclipse. In
Cape Town, the sun was about 40% obscured, while in
Pretoria the sun was 29% obscured. Further north, the eclipse remained visible up to
Angola, southern
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
and
Tanzania.
Images
Animated eclipse path
Related eclipses
Eclipse season
This is the first eclipse this season.
Second eclipse this season:
4 May 2004 Total Lunar Eclipse
Eclipses of 2004
* A partial solar eclipse on April 19.
*
A total lunar eclipse on May 4.
*
A partial solar eclipse on October 14.
*
A total lunar eclipse on October 28.
Solar eclipses 2004–2007
Saros 119
It is a part of
Saros cycle 119, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 15, 850 AD. It contains total eclipses on August 9, 994 AD and August 20, 1012, with a hybrid eclipse on August 31, 1030. It has annular eclipses from September 10, 1048, through March 18, 1950. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on June 24, 2112. The longest duration of totality was only 32 seconds on August 20, 1012. The longest duration of annularity was 7 minutes, 37 seconds on September 1, 1625. The longest duration of hybridity was only 18 seconds on August 31, 1030.
Metonic series
External links
NASA Chart of the April 19 Solar Eclipse
retrieved 2008-7-28
2004 04 19
2004 04 19
2004 in science
April 2004 events
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