PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSEMcMurdo, AntarcticaSaturday 4 December 2021 · times in UTC+13
82.1%
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 1h 46m. All times are local, in UTC+13.
20:21 MAX 21:15 22:07
| Phase | LOCAL TIME | SUN |
|---|---|---|
| First contactthe Moon touches the Sun's edge | 20:21 | 20° WSW |
| Maximumthe deepest point | 21:15 | 17° WSW |
| Last contactthe Sun is whole again | 22:07 | 15° SW |
03 · DIRECTION
Where was it in the sky?
At maximum the Sun was only 17° above the horizon to the south-west, so an open view in that direction was needed.
The Sun's height and bearing at maximum, from McMurdo. The horizon is at 0°.
THE EXPERIENCE
What it was actually like
A distinct bite was taken out of the Sun, reaching 82.1% 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 1,487 km to the south-east of McMurdo and was 417 km wide. Only inside it was the Sun covered completely.
THE DAY
- DAY LENGTH
- 24h 00m
REFERENCE FIGURES
- OBSCURATION
- 82.1%
- COORDINATES
- 77.846° S, 166.676° E
- PATH WIDTH
- 417 km
- SHADOW SPEED
- 3,884 km/h
- SAROS
- 152 · no. 12
- MAGNITUDE
- 0.8516
- GAMMA
- -0.9525
Contact times are accurate to a couple of seconds at the coordinates above. Altitudes are geometric — unrefracted, on the WGS 84 ellipsoid.
NEXT FROM MCMURDO
What else is coming here?
The rest of what the sky over McMurdo has coming, soonest first.