Solar eclipse of December 4, 2021

Solar eclipse of December 4, 2021
Solar eclipse of December 4, 2021
	Map
Type of eclipse
Nature	Total
Gamma	−0.9526
Magnitude	1.0367
Maximum eclipse
Duration	114 s (1 min 54 s)
Coordinates	76°48′S 46°12′W / 76.8°S 46.2°W
Max. width of band	419 km (260 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse	7:34:38
References
Saros	152 (13 of 70)
Catalog # (SE5000)	9556

A total solar eclipse took place on Saturday, December 4, 2021, when the Moon passed between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth.^[1]^[2]^[3] This eclipse was unusual as the path of the total eclipse moved from east to west across West Antarctica, while most eclipse paths move from west to east. This reversal is only possible in polar regions. Its path across Antarctica crossed near Berkner Island, traversed an arc over the continent and passed over Shepard Island.^[4]^[5]

Images[edit]

Animated path
NASA's DSCOVR Satellite photo
As observed by the Royal Navy (HMS Protector) off South Georgia

Related eclipses[edit]

Eclipses of 2021[edit]

Followed: Solar eclipse of October 5, 2108

Solar eclipses of 2018–2021[edit]

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.^[7]

Note: Partial solar eclipses on February 15, 2018, and August 11, 2018, occurred during the previous semester series.

Solar eclipse series sets from 2018 to 2021
Saros	Map	Gamma	Saros	Map	Gamma
Ascending node			Descending node
117 Partial from Melbourne, Australia	2018 July 13 Partial	−1.35423	122 Partial from Nakhodka, Russia	2019 January 6 Partial	1.14174
127 La Serena, Chile	2019 July 2 Total	−0.64656	132 Jaffna, Sri Lanka	2019 December 26 Annular	0.41351
137 Beigang, Yunlin, Taiwan	2020 June 21 Annular	0.12090	142 Gorbea, Chile	2020 December 14 Total	−0.29394
147 Partial from Halifax, Canada	2021 June 10 Annular	0.91516	152 From HMS Protector off South Georgia	2021 December 4 Total	−0.95261

Saros 152[edit]

Solar saros 152, repeating every about 18 years and 11 days, contains 70 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on July 26, 1805. It has total eclipses from November 2, 1967, to September 14, 2490; hybrid eclipses from September 26, 2508, to October 17, 2544; and annular eclipses from October 29, 2562, to June 16, 2941. The series ends at member 70 as a partial eclipse on August 20, 3049. The longest total eclipse will occur on June 9, 2328, at 5 minutes and 15 seconds; the longest annular eclipse will occur on February 16, 2743, at 5 minutes and 20 seconds.^[8]

Series members 7–17 occur between 1901 and 2100:
7	8	9
September 30, 1913	October 11, 1931	October 21, 1949
10	11	12
November 2, 1967	November 12, 1985	November 23, 2003
13	14	15
December 4, 2021	December 15, 2039	December 26, 2057
16	17
January 6, 2076	January 16, 2094

Metonic series[edit]

The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's descending node.

21 eclipse events, progressing from north to south between July 11, 1953 and July 11, 2029
July 10–12	April 29–30	February 15–16	December 4–5	September 21–23
116	118	120	122	124
July 11, 1953	April 30, 1957	February 15, 1961	December 4, 1964	September 22, 1968
126	128	130	132	134
July 10, 1972	April 29, 1976	February 16, 1980	December 4, 1983	September 23, 1987
136	138	140	142	144
July 11, 1991	April 29, 1995	February 16, 1999	December 4, 2002	September 22, 2006
146	148	150	152	154
July 11, 2010	April 29, 2014	February 15, 2018	December 4, 2021	September 21, 2025
156	158	160	162	164
July 11, 2029