TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSEEaster Island, ChileWednesday 2 October 2024 · times in UTC-5
6m 00s
OF TOTAL DARKNESS
The Moon crossed the centre of the Sun but was too far away to cover it, so a complete ring of sunlight remained. It never went dark, and it was never safe to look without a filter.
86.9% COVERED SUN 67° UP 77 km OFF CENTRE
02 · TIMING
When did it happen?
The whole eclipse ran 3h 29m. All times are local, in UTC-5.
12:23 MAX 14:07 15:52
| Phase | LOCAL TIME | SUN |
|---|---|---|
| First contactthe Moon touches the Sun's edge | 12:23 | 56° NE |
| Totality beginsfilters off — the corona | 14:04 | — |
| Maximumthe deepest point | 14:07 | 67° N |
| Totality endsfilters back on, immediately | 14:10 | — |
| Last contactthe Sun is whole again | 15:52 | 56° NW |
03 · DIRECTION
Where was it in the sky?
At maximum the Sun stood 67° above the horizon to the north — high enough to clear most buildings and trees.
The Sun's height and bearing at maximum, from Easter Island. The horizon is at 0°.
THE EXPERIENCE
What it was actually like
At maximum the Moon sat wholly inside the Sun's disc and left a complete ring of sunlight. There was no corona and no darkness — the remaining ring was still far too bright to look at — but the light went strange and flat, and shadows sharpened.
04 · POSITION
Where was it seen?
Easter Island lay inside the path, 77 km from its centre line. The path was 262 km wide here.
THE DAY
- SUNRISE
- 07:54
- SUNSET
- 20:18
- DAY LENGTH
- 12h 24m
- CIVIL DUSK
- 20:41
REFERENCE FIGURES
- OBSCURATION
- 86.9%
- COORDINATES
- 27.115° S, 109.35° W
- PATH WIDTH
- 262 km
- SHADOW SPEED
- 2,063 km/h
- SAROS
- 144 · no. 25
- MAGNITUDE
- 0.9462
- GAMMA
- -0.3508
Contact times are accurate to a couple of seconds at the coordinates above. Altitudes are geometric — unrefracted, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
NEXT FROM EASTER ISLAND
What else is coming here?
The rest of what the sky over Easter Island has coming, soonest first.