An annular solar eclipse occurs on Monday, 10 June, 2002; however, the chances are that not many people will see it, I'm afraid! The eclipse starts just off Sulawesi, in the Celebes sea, and crosses the Pacific to end near Manzanillo, Mexico.
The path width will be over 70km, and the eclipse will last over a minute, at either end; however, in the centre, the eclipse will last just 22 seconds and be just 13km wide. Pretty much the only land it touches is Mexico, and that just barely. Since this eclipse cannot be safely viewed with the naked eye, it seems unlikely to attract many watchers.
The partial eclipse will be visible over a wide area, however, including north-east Australia, eastern Indonesia, south-east Asia, much of North America, and most of the Pacific.
More information on this eclipse may be found at Fred Espenak's site.
Please note that these maps are very approximate. Check with reliable sources before making travel plans.
The following map shows the areas where the annular eclipse will be visible:
The start of the eclipse, in the Celebes sea, at around 21:55 UT. It looks like Sangir and Talaud will get lucky:
The early part of the eclipse track, in Micronesia and the Marianas. Saipan and Tinian are touched by the northern edge of the eclipse. But don't blink, the eclipse is 50 seconds long here!
The end of the eclipse track, in Mexico, at 01:30 UT, touches the coast between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, where the eclipse will be over a minute long. Observers on the centre line will see the sun set in a spectacular ring of fire:
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Copyright (C) 1995-2005 Ian Cameron Smith.
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