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 mo ...

took place on June 20 2001 with a magnitude of 1.0495. It was the first solar eclipse of the 21st century. A

occurs when the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...

passes between

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

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 The angular diameter, angular size, apparent diameter, or apparent size is an angular distance describing how large a sphere or circle appears from a given point of view. In the vision sciences, it is called the visual angle, and in optics, it is ...

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. Occurring 2.2 days before perigee (June 23, 2001), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

Visibility

It was visible from a narrow corridor in the southern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, including

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

, the southern tip of

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northe ...

, and

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the

penumbra The umbra, penumbra and antumbra are three distinct parts of a shadow, created by any light source after impinging on an opaque object. Assuming no diffraction, for a collimated beam (such as a point source) of light, only the umbra is cast. ...

, including eastern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

and most of Africa.

Images

Related eclipses

Eclipses of 2001

* A total lunar eclipse on January 9. * A total solar eclipse on June 21. * A partial lunar eclipse on July 5. * An annular solar eclipse on December 14. * A penumbral lunar eclipse on December 30.

Tzolkinex

* Preceded: Solar eclipse of May 10, 1994 * Followed: Solar eclipse of August 1, 2008

Half-Saros

* Preceded: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 1992 * Followed: Lunar eclipse of June 26, 2010

Tritos

* Preceded:

Solar eclipse of July 22, 1990 A total solar eclipse occurred on July 22, 1990. 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 ...

* Followed:

Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012 The solar eclipse of May 20, 2012 (May 21, 2012 local time in the Eastern Hemisphere) was an annular solar eclipse that was visible in a band spanning through Eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America. As a partial solar eclipse, it wa ...

Solar Saros 127

* Preceded:

Solar eclipse of June 11, 1983 A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of the orbit on June 11, 1983. 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 ...

* Followed: Solar eclipse of July 2, 2019

Inex

* Preceded: Solar eclipse of July 10, 1972 * Followed:

Solar eclipse of June 1, 2030 An annular solar eclipse will occur on Saturday, June 1, 2030. 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. An annular solar eclipse occur ...

Solar eclipses 2000–2003

Saros 127

Tritos series

Metonic series

Notes

References

* Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. "
Total Solar Eclipse of 2001 June 21
'".

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

, November 2004.
Map Google
Photos:

- in a school by the Ruya River.
Images from Zimbabwe by Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society

APOD 6/22/2001, totality from Lusaka, Zambia
Bakasa Eclipse Sequence
APOD 7/6/2001, totality from Bakasa, Zimbabwe
A Total Eclipse Over Africa
APOD 7/11/2001, totality from Malambanyama, Zambia
Madagascar Totality
APOD 7/26/2001, from southern Madagascar
Eclipse Over Acacia
APOD 12/3/2002, from Chisamba, Zambia
Moon AND Sun
APOD 11/22/2003, totality from Chisamba, Zambia {{DEFAULTSORT:Solar Eclipse Of June 21, 2001 2001 06 21 2001 in science 2001 06 21 June 2001 events 2001 in Angola 2001 in Zambia 2001 in Zimbabwe 2001 in Malawi 2001 in Mozambique 2001 in Madagascar