A total eclipse of the Sun occurred on Wednesday 22 July, 2009 UT, lasting from 23:58 on 21 Jul–05:12 UT. A dramatic total eclipse plunged the Sun into darkness for 6 minutes and 39 seconds at maximum, creating an amazing spectacle for observers in a very broad path, 258 km wide at maximum. It was seen in India and China, and across the Pacific. The partial eclipse was visible across south-east Asia.

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: 23:58:19 on 21 Jul UT
Total eclipse began: 00:51:17 UT
Maximum eclipse: 02:35:21 UT
Total eclipse ended: 04:19:26 UT
Partial eclipse ended: 05:12:25 UT

During this eclipse the Sun was 0.525° in apparent diameter, 1.6% smaller than average. The Moon was at perigee, making it extremely large. At the start and end of the eclipse the Moon was 0.557°, and at maximum eclipse 0.567°, which is 6.7% 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 begain on the easten coast of India, then crossed north-east into Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan before entering China. A total eclipse was also visible from the extreme north of Myanmar (Burma). The eclipse track crossed China, then passed over the Ryukyu Archipelago and the Bonin Islands, some of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Nikumaroro, before finishing over the ocean.

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 3 eclipses:

This was the 37th eclipse in solar Saros series 136.The surrounding eclipses in this Saros series are:

This Saros series, solar Saros series 136, is linked to lunar Saros series 129. The nearest partner eclipses in that series are:

Eclipse Parameters

UT Date/time (max) 02:35:19 on 22 Jul UT TDT Date/time (max) 02:36:25 on 22 Jul TDT
Saros Series 136 Number in Series 37
Penumbral Magnitiude Central Magnitiude 1.0799
Gamma 0.0698 Path Width (km) 258
Delta T 1m06s Error ± 0m00s (95%)
Penumbral Duration Partial Duration
Total Duration 6m39s
Partial Rating Total Rating
Sun Distance 151994536 km (101.3%) Moon Distance 357534 km (2.3%)
Sun Diameter 0.525° Moon Diameter 0.557° - 0.567°
Perigee 20:17 on 21 Jul UT Apogee 00:43 on 4 Aug UT
Contact p1 23:58:19 on 21 Jul UT Contact p2
Contact u1 00:51:17 on 22 Jul UT Contact u2 00:54:31 on 22 Jul UT
Max eclipse 02:35:21 on 22 Jul UT
Contact u3 04:16:13 on 22 Jul UT Contact u4 04:19:26 on 22 Jul UT
Contact p3 Contact p4 05:12:25 on 22 Jul 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.