Solar eclipse of October 12, 1977

Solar eclipse of October 12, 1977
Map
Type of eclipse
Nature	Total
Gamma	0.3836
Magnitude	1.0269
Maximum eclipse
Duration	157 sec (2 m 37 s)
Coordinates
Max. width of band	99 km (62 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse	20:27:27
References
Saros	143 (21 of 72)
Catalog # (SE5000)	9459

A total solar eclipse occurred on October 12, 1977. 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.

Related eclipses

Solar eclipses of 1975-1978

Each member 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.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1975-1978

Ascending node			Descending node
Saros	Map		Saros	Map
118	May 11, 1975 Partial		123	November 3, 1975 Partial
128	April 29, 1976 Annular		133	October 23, 1976 Total
138	April 18, 1977 Annular		143	October 12, 1977 Total
148	150px April 7, 1978 Partial		153	150px October 2, 1978 Partial

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).

This series has 21 eclipse events between July 31, 1924 and July 31, 2000.

July 31-Aug 1	May 19-20	March 7	December 24-25	October 12
115	117	119	121	123
July 31, 1924	May 19, 1928	March 7, 1932	December 25, 1935	October 12, 1939
125	127	129	131	133
August 1, 1943	May 20, 1947	March 7, 1951	December 25, 1954	October 12, 1958
135	137	139	141	143
July 31, 1962	150px May 20, 1966	March 7, 1970	December 24, 1973	October 12, 1977
145	147	149	151	153
July 31, 1981	May 19, 1985	March 7, 1989	December 24, 1992	October 12, 1996
155
July 31, 2000

References

• Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
  • Google interactive map
  • Besselian elements