A total eclipse of the Sun occurred on Sunday 23 November, 2003 UT, lasting from 20:46 on 23 Nov–00:52 on 24 Nov UT. The Sun was darkened for 1 minute and 57 seconds by a dramatic total eclipse covering a very broad path, 495 km wide at maximum. This was a sight worth seeing, and was visible in Antarctica and the extreme south Pacific. The partial eclipse was visible in most of Australia and in Cape Horn.

The timings of the phases of the overall eclipse worldwide are as follows. In any particular place it would have been seen for a significantly shorter duration as the shadow moved across the Earth:

Partial eclipse began: 20:46:09 UT
Total eclipse began: 22:19:25 UT
Maximum eclipse: 22:49:21 UT
Total eclipse ended: 23:18:57 UT
Partial eclipse ended: 00:52:19 on 24 Nov UT

During this eclipse the Sun was 0.540° in apparent diameter, 1.3% larger than average. The Moon was at perigee, making it very large. At the start and end of the eclipse the Moon was 0.558°, and at maximum eclipse 0.560°, which is 5.5% larger than average; hence it covered the Sun, making this a total eclipse. The statistics page has information on the ranges of the sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

Interactive Map

This map shows the visibility of the eclipse. The shaded area saw the total solar eclipse; however, near the edges of this area, the eclipse was very short. The bold line shows the centre of the path, where the eclipse lasted longest.

Use the zoom controls to zoom in and out; hover your mouse over any point on the centreline to see the time and duration of the eclipse at that point. You can pan and zoom the map to see detail for any part of the eclipse path.

The interactive map is currently not available.

Overview Map

This map sourced from NASA Goddard Space flight Center: GSFC Eclipse Web SiteGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
shows the visibility of the total solar eclipse. It also shows the broader area in which a partial eclipse was seen. (Click on it for the full-sized version.)

Eclipse Season and Saros Series

This eclipse season contains 2 eclipses:

This was the 12th eclipse in solar Saros series 152.The surrounding eclipses in this Saros series are:

This Saros series, solar Saros series 152, is linked to lunar Saros series 145. The nearest partner eclipses in that series are:

Eclipse Parameters

UT Date/time (max) 22:49:18 on 23 Nov UT TDT Date/time (max) 22:50:22 on 23 Nov TDT
Saros Series 152 Number in Series 12
Penumbral Magnitiude Central Magnitiude 1.0379
Gamma -0.9638 Path Width (km) 495
Delta T 1m04s Error ± 0m00s (95%)
Penumbral Duration Partial Duration
Total Duration 1m57s
Partial Rating Total Rating
Sun Distance 147720873 km (12.9%) Moon Distance 356811 km (0.8%)
Sun Diameter 0.540° Moon Diameter 0.558° - 0.560°
Apogee 12:06 on 10 Nov UT Perigee 23:15 on 23 Nov UT
Contact p1 20:46:09 on 23 Nov UT Contact p2
Contact u1 22:19:25 on 23 Nov UT Contact u2 22:26:30 on 23 Nov UT
Max eclipse 22:49:21 on 23 Nov UT
Contact u3 23:11:51 on 23 Nov UT Contact u4 23:18:57 on 23 Nov UT
Contact p3 Contact p4 00:52:19 on 24 Nov UT

Note that while all dates and times on this site (except where noted) are in UT, which is within a second of civil time, the dates and times shown in NASA's eclipse listingsGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
are in the TDT timescale.

The Sun and Moon distances are shown in km, and as a percentage of their minimum - maximum distances; hence 0% is the closest possible (Earth's perihelion, or the Moon's closest possible perigee) and 100% is the farthest (aphelion, the farthest apogee). The statistics page has information on the ranges of sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

Data last updated: 2015-06-21 22:11:46 UTC.