The total solar eclipse of December 14 2020 will be visible across the southern Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and across a strip of land covering Chile and Argentina. This will be an impressive total eclipse of the Sun, lasting over 2 minutes at maximum and visible over a path up to 90 km wide.
The total eclipse begins in the Pacific at 14:32:28 UT, and ends in the Atlantic close to Africa at 17:54:13 UT. The maximum eclipse is at 16:13:23 UT, when the total phase will last over 2 minutes. The partial eclipse will be visible over southern South America between 13:33:48 UT and 18:53:00 UT.
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 eclipse begins east of the Marquesas islands, and passes well north of Easter Island and south of the Juan Fernandez islands before reaching South America. It then heads off over the Atlantic towards Africa, but ends well before it reaches land.
The total eclipse reaches Chile at 16:01 UT, the centreline of the total eclipse making landfall just south of Punto Saavedra. The path is 90km wide here, and the eclipse will last 2 minutes and 8 seconds on the centreline. In fact, the eclipse duration is at least this long for the whole of its time on land.
The eclipse moves south-east over Gorbea, and reaches the Argentina border at 16:05 UT. It crosses the country and reaches maximum eclipse at 16:13 UT, between Cordoba and Corral Chico; at this point, the total eclipse will last 2 minutes 9 seconds on the centreline, and will be visible over a path 90 km wide.
The total eclipse passes Valcheta about 16:18 UT; 2 minutes later it reaches the Golfo San MatÃas, just south of San Antonio Oeste. The centreline of the eclipse touches land again around Moron, and finally heads into open ocean about 16:24 UT.
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Copyright (C) 1995-2005 Ian Cameron Smith.
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