| Solar eclipse of January 25, 1963 | |
|---|---|
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Annular |
| Gamma | −0.4898 |
| Magnitude | 0.9951 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 25 s (0 min 25 s) |
| Coordinates | 48°12′S 15°00′W / 48.2°S 15°W |
| Max. width of band | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 13:37:12 |
| References | |
| Saros | 140 (26 of 71) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9426 |
An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Friday, January 25, 1963,[1] with a magnitude of 0.9951. 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 occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. The Moon's apparent diameter was near the average diameter because it occurred 8.2 days after apogee (on January 17, 1963, at 8:00 UTC) and 3.7 days before perigee (on January 29, 1963, at 7:20 UTC).[2]
The moon's apparent diameter was 4.8 arcseconds larger than the July 20, 1963 total solar eclipse. This was an annular solar eclipse because it occurred in January and the earth is near its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) in January.
The path of annularity crossed Chile, Argentina, South Africa, southern Basutoland (today's Lesotho) and Malagasy Republic (today's Madagascar). A partial eclipse was visible for parts of southern and central South America, Antarctica, Southern Africa, and Eastern Africa.
- ^ "January 25, 1963 Annular Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 7 August 2024.