| Solar eclipse of April 20, 2023 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Partial from Magetan, Indonesia | |
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Hybrid |
| Gamma | −0.3952 |
| Magnitude | 1.0132 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 76 s (1 min 16 s) |
| Coordinates | 9°36′S 125°48′E / 9.6°S 125.8°E |
| Max. width of band | 49 km (30 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 4:17:56 |
| References | |
| Saros | 129 (52 of 80) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9559 |
A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Thursday, April 20, 2023,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0132. It was a hybrid event, a narrow total eclipse, and beginning and ending as an annular eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun thereby totally or partly obscuring the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A hybrid solar eclipse is a rare type of solar eclipse that changes its appearance from annular to total and back as the Moon's shadow moves across the Earth's surface.[2] Totality occurs between the annularity paths across the surface of the Earth, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.[3] Hybrid solar eclipses are extremely rare, occurring in only 3.1% of solar eclipses in the 21st century.[4] Occurring about 4.1 days after perigee (on April 16, 2023, at 3:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[5][6]
Totality for this eclipse was visible in the North West Cape peninsula and Barrow Island in Western Australia, eastern parts of East Timor, as well as Damar Island and parts of the province of Papua in Indonesia.[7] A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Antarctica, Australia, Oceania, and Southeast Asia. More than 20,000 people watched the eclipse from the town of Exmouth on Western Australia's North West Cape.[8] Providing infrastructure and services for the visitors (Exmouth's normal population is less than 3,000) cost the State Government of Western Australia A$20 million (US$13.5 million). The date marked a significant moment of astrotourism and tourism in Western Australia.[9]
- ^ "April 20, 2023 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "Lunar eclipse 2023: The rare celestial event which will not happen again till 2042". India Today (Press release). Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "How to view this week's rare hybrid eclipse". CNN. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Hybrid solar eclipse: Everything you need to know about the rare and strange phenomenon". Space.com. 20 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "Solar Eclipse 2023 Date, Time First Solar Eclipse of 2023". gotopnews.com. 20 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023.
- ^ Hybrid Solar Eclipse of 2023 Apr 20 Archived 2021-01-17 at the Wayback Machine, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- ^ "Solar eclipse chasers descend on tiny Western Australian town to experience 'wonders of the universe'". The Guardian. 20 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023.
- ^ Marcus, Lilit (19 April 2023). "How a solar eclipse could change this small Australian town forever". CNN. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.