A total
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 ...
occurred at the Moon's ascending node of the orbit on July 31, 1981. 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 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. The continental path of totality fell entirely within the
Soviet Union, belonging to
Georgia,
Kazakhstan and
Russia today. The southern part of
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus ( rus, links=no, Эльбрус, r=Elbrus, p=ɪlʲˈbrus; kbd, Ӏуащхьэмахуэ, 'uaşhəmaxuə; krc, Минги тау, Mingi Taw) is the highest and most prominent peak in Russia and Europe. It is situated in the we ...
, the highest mountain in Europe, also lies in the path of totality. Occurring only 3.8 days after perigee (Perigee on July 27, 1981), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger. With a path width of 107.8 km (66.984 mi, or 353,674.541 feet), this total solar eclipse had an average path.
It was the 20th eclipse of the 145th
Saros cycle, which began with a partial eclipse on January 4, 1639 and will conclude with a partial eclipse on April 17, 3009.
The moon's apparent diameter was 7 arcseconds larger than the
February 4, 1981 annular solar eclipse.
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 1981
*
A penumbral lunar eclipse on Tuesday, 20 January 1981.
*
An annular solar eclipse on Wednesday, 4 February 1981.
*
A partial lunar eclipse on Friday, 17 July 1981.
* A total solar eclipse on Friday, 31 July 1981.
Solar eclipses of 1979–1982
Saros 145
Tritos series
Metonic series
References
External links
Solar Corona Shape
Photos:
*
ttp://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/Eclipse/Ecl1981s/0-info.htm Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site: Solar eclipse of July 31, 1981 (Fe XIV and Fe X images)
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