• Source: Solar eclipse of June 21, 2001

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Thursday, June 21, 2001, with a magnitude of 1.0495. It was the first solar eclipse of the 21st century. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total
solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 2.25 days before perigee (on June 23, 2001, at 18:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
Many people traveled to Africa to watch the eclipse; the Daily Telegraph reported that "while some tribesmen watch a celestial crocodile eating the sun, the modern African will be counting the cash brought in by thousands of visitors".




Visibility


It was visible from a narrow corridor in the southern Atlantic Ocean and southern Africa, including Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the southern tip of Malawi, and Madagascar. A partial eclipse was seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including eastern South America and most of Africa.




Observations


Within the path of totality, Angola got the best conditions with the highest solar zenith angle, longest duration and largest chance of clear weather. Sumbe, capital of Cuanza Sul Province, where the path first touched land, was the best in Angola with 4 minutes and 34 seconds of totality. However, the Angolan Civil War prevented many from traveling to the county, and only about 500 people observed the eclipse there. Besides tourists, there were also scientists from the United States, France, Brazil, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Hungary.
Zambia, though inferior to its neighbouring country Angola in the chance of clear weather, attracted many scientists and tourists due to its stable political situation and also the fact that its capital city Lusaka was also located within the path of totality. The Zambian government made it a national holiday with one day off, and ZamPost also issues special postage stamps and first-day covers. Scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea and China observed it in Zambia. The Chinese Academy of Sciences sent a team of 6 people, carrying 3 gravimeters, 2 nuclear gyromagnetometers, 4 digital acquisition systems and recording systems to study the gravity anomalies recorded by Indian scientists during the total solar eclipse of October 24, 1995, and by Chinese scientists during the total solar eclipse of March 9, 1997, in Mohe County. With continuous observation for more than 10 years after that, China obtained the first observational evidence that the gravity field propagates at the speed of light.




Coincidence


Besides the eclipse, the day was also the June solstice (winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere where the path of totality passed) when the sun was at the northernmost limit. It was also the closest approach of Mars since 1988.




Images






Eclipse details


Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the moon's penumbra or umbra attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.




Eclipse season



This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.




Related eclipses






= Eclipses in 2001

=
A total lunar eclipse on January 9.
A total solar eclipse on June 21.
A partial lunar eclipse on July 5.
An annular solar eclipse on December 14.
A penumbral lunar eclipse on December 30.




= Metonic

=
Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 2, 1997
Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 8, 2005




= Tzolkinex

=
Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 10, 1994
Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 1, 2008




= Half-Saros

=
Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 15, 1992
Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 26, 2010




= Tritos

=
Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 22, 1990
Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012




= Solar Saros 127

=
Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 11, 1983
Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 2, 2019




= Inex

=
Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 10, 1972
Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 1, 2030




= Triad

=
Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 21, 1914
Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 21, 2088




= Solar eclipses of 2000–2003

=
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.
The partial solar eclipses on February 5, 2000 and July 31, 2000 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set.




= Saros 127

=
This eclipse is a part of Saros series 127, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 82 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on October 10, 991 AD. It contains total eclipses from May 14, 1352 through August 15, 2091. There are no annular or hybrid eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 82 as a partial eclipse on March 21, 2452. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
The longest duration of totality was produced by member 31 at 5 minutes, 40 seconds on August 30, 1532. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.




= Metonic series

=
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 ascending node.




= Tritos series

=
This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.




= Inex series

=
This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.




Notes






References


Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. "Total Solar Eclipse of 2001 June 21". NASA, November 2004.
Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
Google interactive map
Besselian elements
Map Google

Photos:

Spaceweather.com solar eclipse gallery
Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site. Zambia
Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site. Angola
KryssTal - Eclipse in Zimbabwe - in a school by the Ruya River.
Images from Zimbabwe by Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society Archived 2009-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
Eclipse in African Skies, APOD 6/22/2001, totality from Lusaka, Zambia
Bakasa Eclipse Sequence, APOD 7/6/2001, totality from Bakasa, Zimbabwe
A Total Eclipse Over Africa, APOD 7/11/2001, totality from Malambanyama, Zambia
Madagascar Totality, APOD 7/26/2001, from southern Madagascar
Eclipse Over Acacia, APOD 12/3/2002, from Chisamba, Zambia
Moon AND Sun, APOD 11/22/2003, totality from Chisamba, Zambia

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