The total solar eclipse of March 9 2016 will be visible across Indonesia. This will be a great spectacle, lasting over 4 minutes at maximum and visible over a path up to 155 km wide.
The total eclipse begins in the Indian Ocean at 00:15:56 UT on March 9, and ends in the north Pacific at 03:38:19 UT on March 9. The maximum eclipse is at 01:57:10 UT on March 9, when the total phase will last over 4 minutes. The partial eclipse will be visible from south-east Asia to Australia between 23:19:19 UT on March 8 and 04:34:54 UT on March 9.
More information on this eclipse may be found at Fred Espenak's site. You can plot the eclipse for yourself using the table of mapping co-ordinates.
The following maps show the path of the total eclipse. Please note that these maps are approximate. Check with reliable sources before making travel plans.
This map shows the overall path of the total eclipse:
The total eclipse reaches land at the southern Kepulauan Mentawai islands at Batumonga, at 00:19 UT. The path is 107km wide here, and the eclipse will last 1 minute and 52 seconds on the centreline. The path of totality moves across Sumatra, passing just north of Palembang at 00:22 UT. The eclipse duration has increased to over 2 minutes on the centreline by this time, with the total eclipse visible over a path 114 km wide.
The total eclipse crosses over to Borneo, making landfall at 00:26 UT at Kendawangan with a total eclipse lasting 2 minutes 18 seconds on the centreline. The eclipse path curves slightly north as it passes east across Borneo, crossing the coast again around Tanangrogot at about 00:33 UT.
The path of the total eclipse reaches Sulawesi at about Lariang at 00:38 UT, with the total eclipse now lasting 2 minutes 49 seconds on the centreline and visible across a path 134 km wide. The path of totality crosses Teluk Tomini and runs along the coast from Ampoa to Maliku, with the path of totality increasing to 138 km wide, so Poso should have a good view of the eclipse.
The path of totality reaches Halmahera in the Moluccas at Ngofakiaha at 00:53 UT. By now the eclipse duration is up to 3 minutes 17 seconds on the centreline, and the path width is 144 km, so the eclipse should be visible to most of Halmahera.
After that, however, the path of the eclipse heads off into open ocean. Maximum eclipse occurs at 1:57 UT, and the eclipse finally ends north-east of Hawaii at 03:38:19 UT on March 9.
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Copyright (C) 1995-2005 Ian Cameron Smith.
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