WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 45
Two travelers observe the
early-morning Sun as it
hangs over the mountains
near Antarctic Logistics &
Expeditions’ Union Glacier
Camp. This site will receive
47 seconds of totality on
Dec. 4. CHRISTOPHER MICHEL/ALEUnfortunately, an eclipse sporting that
duration won’t occur until July 16, 2186.
This December, the maximum duration
of totality is 1 minute 54 seconds.
The path
The Moon’s penumbra first touches Earth
at 12:29:11 A.M. EST (5h29m11s UT) and
leaves its surface at 4:37:24 A.M. EST.
The total phase of the eclipse begins at
2:00:01 A.M. EST some 217 miles (350 km)
east of the Falkland Islands, at longitude
51°10'46" West and latitude 53°06'32" South.
The umbra remains in contact with
Earth’s surface for 1 hour 6 minutes
28 seconds, until 3:06:29 A.M. EST. Finally,
it vanishes 280 miles (450 km) north of the
Antarctic coast at longitude 138°43'44"
West and latitude 67°04'07" South.
The total path length is 3,708 miles
(5,968 km), which is relatively short. By
comparison, the upcoming 2024 total
solar eclipse that passes through the U.S.
will sport a path length of 9,190 miles
(14 ,79 0 k m).
For this month’s eclipse, the
Moon’s diameter will be 33'29", while
the Sun’s apparent span will be 32'27".
Astronomers call the ratio of the
diameters of the Moon and the Sunan eclipse’s magnitude. The magnitude
of this eclipse is 1.0367. Put another way,
the Moon will appear 3.67 percent larger
than the Sun. Greatest eclipse occurs at
2:33:23 A.M. EST at longitude 46°12'
West and latitude 76°47' South, a point
in the Weddell Sea just off the coast of
Antarctica.The sky during the eclipse
Both the Sun and Moon will lie in
the southern part of the constellation
Ophiuchus the Serpent-bearer. The
Sun is in front of its stars from Nov. 29
through Dec. 17. At the moment of