A total eclipse of the Sun occurred on Friday 1 August, 2008 UT, lasting from 08:04–12:38 UT. A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 2 minutes and 27 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a broad path up to 237 km wide. It was seen in northern Canada, northern Russia, and China. The partial eclipse was visible in Europe and most of Asia, though it will not be dramatic in Britain.

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: 08:04:07 UT
Total eclipse began: 09:21:07 UT
Maximum eclipse: 10:21:08 UT
Total eclipse ended: 11:21:28 UT
Partial eclipse ended: 12:38:28 UT

During this eclipse the Sun was 0.525° in apparent diameter, 1.4% smaller than average. The Moon was just 2 days past perigee, making it relatively large. At the start and end of the eclipse the Moon was 0.541°, and at maximum eclipse 0.546°, which is 2.8% 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.

The total eclipse began in far northern Canada, then skirted northern Greenland, crossed the Arctic Ocean, and passed over Novaya Zemlya on its way into the Russian mainland. It crossed south over Momngolia and the eastern tip of Kazakhstan into China, where it finished.

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 47th eclipse in solar Saros series 126.The surrounding eclipses in this Saros series are:

This Saros series, solar Saros series 126, is linked to lunar Saros series 119. The nearest partner eclipses in that series are:

Eclipse Parameters

UT Date/time (max) 10:21:06 on 1 Aug UT TDT Date/time (max) 10:22:12 on 1 Aug TDT
Saros Series 126 Number in Series 47
Penumbral Magnitiude Central Magnitiude 1.0394
Gamma 0.8307 Path Width (km) 237
Delta T 1m06s Error ± 0m00s (95%)
Penumbral Duration Partial Duration
Total Duration 2m27s
Partial Rating Total Rating
Sun Distance 151833825 km (98.0%) Moon Distance 368036 km (23.1%)
Sun Diameter 0.525° Moon Diameter 0.541° - 0.546°
Perigee 23:25 on 29 Jul UT Apogee 20:19 on 10 Aug UT
Contact p1 08:04:07 on 1 Aug UT Contact p2
Contact u1 09:21:07 on 1 Aug UT Contact u2 09:24:10 on 1 Aug UT
Max eclipse 10:21:08 on 1 Aug UT
Contact u3 11:18:30 on 1 Aug UT Contact u4 11:21:28 on 1 Aug UT
Contact p3 Contact p4 12:38:28 on 1 Aug 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.