PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSEHouston, United StatesSaturday 14 October 2023 · times in UTC-5
84.9%
OF THE SUN COVERED
A clear bite was taken out of the Sun. Daylight barely changed, so this was an eclipse you had to know about in advance to notice.
02 · TIMING
When did it happen?
The whole eclipse ran 3h 11m. All times are local, in UTC-5.
10:27 MAX 11:58 13:38
| Phase | LOCAL TIME | SUN |
|---|---|---|
| First contactthe Moon touches the Sun's edge | 10:27 | 36° SE |
| Maximumthe deepest point | 11:58 | 49° SSE |
| Last contactthe Sun is whole again | 13:38 | 51° SSW |
03 · DIRECTION
Where was it in the sky?
At maximum the Sun stood 49° above the horizon to the south-east — high enough to clear most buildings and trees.
The Sun's height and bearing at maximum, from Houston. The horizon is at 0°.
THE EXPERIENCE
What it was actually like
A distinct bite was taken out of the Sun, reaching 84.9% at maximum. Daylight barely changed — the eye adapts far too well for that — so this was an eclipse you had to know about in advance to notice. Anyone watching needed a filter; the remaining Sun was as dangerous as an uneclipsed one.
04 · POSITION
Where was it seen?
The path passed 293 km to the south-west of Houston and was 190 km wide. Only inside it was the Sun covered completely.
THE DAY
- SUNRISE
- 07:22
- SUNSET
- 18:52
- DAY LENGTH
- 11h 30m
- CIVIL DUSK
- 19:16
REFERENCE FIGURES
- OBSCURATION
- 84.9%
- COORDINATES
- 29.76° N, 95.37° W
- PATH WIDTH
- 190 km
- SHADOW SPEED
- 2,019 km/h
- SAROS
- 134 · no. 41
- MAGNITUDE
- 0.8966
- GAMMA
- 0.3754
Contact times are accurate to a couple of seconds at the coordinates above. Altitudes are geometric — unrefracted, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
NEXT FROM HOUSTON
What else is coming here?
The rest of what the sky over Houston has coming, soonest first.