Annular Solar Eclipse
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On May 20, 2102, the Moon passed between the Earth and the Sun. The Moon was near Apogee, the high point in its orbit, so it did not cover the entire face of the Sun, resulting in an annular eclipse. Lunar apogee had occurred about 31 hours before the eclipse. The apogee, 252567 miles from Earth, was the highest of the year.
The centerline of the eclipse passed very near the town of Page, Arizona. My sisters, Debbie and Lisa, and I drove to Page on Sunday. We found a dirt road leading up to a butte south of town and parked about 2,000 feet from the centerline of the eclipse (Latitude: 36.8837° N Longitude: 111.4811° W). The sky was clear except for a thin haze of smoke from wildfires. We could see many cars parked at the Horseshoe Point overlook and the Glen Canyon Dam scenic view below us. Every nce in a while a four wheel drive vehicle drove past onthe way to the top of the butte. We observed the eclipse through cardboard viewer with a sheet of a material that looked like it came from a black garbage bag. The sun turned into a crescent and then a blazing orange neon circle as the light on the landscape faded away. We stayed up there until sunset when the sun was eclipsed by both the Moon and the Earth.
Pictures of the Annular Solar Eclipse taken at five minute intervals.
Annular Solar Eclipse from Page, Arizona on May 20, 2012: You can buy this photo as prints as large as 13.38" x 20".
The Moon began to move across the Sun at 5:25 PM Mountain Standard Time at our location.
Partial Solar Eclipse.
Partial Solar Eclipse.
The annular phase of the eclipse started at 6:32:14 PM.
The Moon was centered on the face of the Sun at 6:34:30 PM.
The annular phase of the eclipse ended at 6:36:45 PM.
Partial Solar Eclipse.
Partial Solar Eclipse.
The Sun dimmed and appeared progressively more oblate as it approached the horizon.
The Sun eclipsed by the Moon and the Earth. Sunset began at 7:20.
The Earth eclipsed half of the Sun at 7:21:13 PM.
The sun set at 7:23, shortly before the end of the eclipse.
Lake Powell.
Page, Arizona.
Footprints and tail drag marks provide an indication of the many little critters that inhabit the area.
Debbie and Lisa view the eclipse through safe solar viewers..
Page, Arizona during the Solar Eclipse.
I animated my pictures of the annular solar eclipse and added a time lapse movie of the changing light levels during the eclipse.
| Event | Time (UT) | Altitude | Azimuth |
| Start of partial eclipse (C1) | 00:24:16.3 | 023.3° | 278.4° |
| Start of annular eclipse (C2) | 01:32:14.0 | 010.1° | 287.8° |
| Maximum eclipse | 01:34:29.9 | 009.7° | 288.1° |
| End of annular eclipse (C3) | 01:36:45.6 | 009.3° | 288.4° |
| End of partial eclipse (C4) | 02:37:08.0 | -001.9° | 297.2° |
| Latitude: 36.8848° N | Longitude: 111.4862° W | ||
| Duration of Annularity: 4 minutes 31.6 seconds | |||
| Magnitude: 0.967 | |||
On June 5, 2012, the planet Venus passed between the Earth and the Sun. This will not happen again until the year 2117.
The eclipsed Moon was visible over Goleta early on the morning of August 28, 2007.
The Perseid Meteor Showerr peaked on Monday, August 13, 2007.
The planet Mercury passed directly between the Earth and the Sun on Wednesday, November 8, 2006. First contact occurred at 11:12 AM PST. Final contact occurred at 4:10 PM PST.
Early in the morning on Friday August 12, 2005, I drove to the top of the Santa Ynez Mountains to observe the Perseid Meteor Shower.
I drove up to the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara at 3:00 in the morning on Thursday, August 12, 2004 to photograph the Perseid meteor shower.
Here is a collection of Moon photos and animations, including the total lunar eclipse that occurred on October 27, 2004.
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