Solar eclipse of May 20, 2050
PreviousSolar eclipse of November 25, 2049
NextSolar eclipse of November 14, 2050

A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Friday, May 20, 2050,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0038. It is a hybrid event, with only a fraction of its path as total, and longer sections at the start and end as an annular eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A hybrid solar eclipse is a rare type of solar eclipse that changes its appearance from annular to total and back as the Moon's shadow moves across the Earth's surface. Totality occurs between the annularity paths across the surface of the Earth, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 5.2 days after perigee (on May 15, 2050, at 16:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.[2]

This hybrid eclipse is notable in that it does not hit land anywhere on Earth. However, a partial solar eclipse will be visible for parts of New Zealand, eastern Oceania, and western South America.

Eclipse timing

Places experiencing partial eclipse

Solar Eclipse of May 20, 2050
(Local Times)
Country or territoryCity or placeStart of partial eclipseMaximum eclipseEnd of partial eclipseDuration of eclipse (hr:min)Maximum coverage
Nuku'alofa[a]07:48:5508:13:0908:38:360:501.87%
Pangai[a]07:54:5908:13:4408:33:130:380.81%
Neiafu[a]08:05:0708:14:0308:23:090:180.08%
Alofi07:50:2208:17:3608:46:230:562.29%
Auckland[a]07:16:47 (sunrise)07:19:4208:07:450:5126.09%
Chatham Islands[a]07:45:32 (sunrise)08:09:0309:16:371:3155.45%
Rarotonga08:36:0209:29:3010:28:571:5315.95%
Kingston[a]06:27:40 (sunrise)06:30:1806:36:110:090.82%
Wellington[a]07:27:42 (sunrise)07:30:5208:16:380:4934.56%
Vaitape08:46:5109:44:0710:47:342:0114.62%
Papeete08:44:4409:48:0110:58:282:1419.64%
Christchurch[a]07:42:27 (sunrise)07:50:5608:18:340:3621.45%
Gambier Islands09:50:3911:20:0812:55:083:0452.10%
Adamstown10:57:4512:32:1614:09:033:1161.65%
Punta Arenas17:25:1717:45:2417:49:37 (sunset)0:2417.22%
Neuquén17:50:5018:21:3118:24:31 (sunset)0:3429.14%
Córdoba18:08:1718:23:0418:25:44 (sunset)0:178.99%
Easter Island13:49:1315:24:2316:48:372:5969.11%
Bariloche17:44:0518:28:4618:31:53 (sunset)0:4849.44%
San Miguel de Tucumán18:17:0818:32:2418:38:41 (sunset)0:227.95%
Mendoza18:01:0218:32:2418:41:21 (sunset)0:4026.13%
Salta18:21:4218:40:3818:43:08 (sunset)0:219.48%
Santiago16:58:0817:43:5117:47:26 (sunset)0:4941.56%
Sucre17:38:0517:49:5517:52:18 (sunset)0:143.06%
Cochabamba17:42:4217:56:1017:58:32 (sunset)0:162.85%
La Paz17:43:0218:05:2118:07:50 (sunset)0:254.40%
Arequipa16:37:4617:12:3017:21:37 (sunset)0:447.14%
Lima16:44:4317:13:1917:40:180:563.13%
References: [1]

Eclipse details

Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the Moon's penumbra or umbra attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.[3]

May 20, 2050 Solar Eclipse Times
EventTime (UTC)
First Penumbral External Contact2050 May 20 at 18:22:31.0 UTC
First Umbral External Contact2050 May 20 at 19:48:47.9 UTC
First Central Line2050 May 20 at 19:49:02.9 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact2050 May 20 at 19:49:18.0 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction2050 May 20 at 20:31:51.3 UTC
Greatest Duration2050 May 20 at 20:40:50.3 UTC
Greatest Eclipse2050 May 20 at 20:42:50.2 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction2050 May 20 at 20:52:15.7 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact2050 May 20 at 21:36:27.6 UTC
Last Central Line2050 May 20 at 21:36:45.5 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact2050 May 20 at 21:37:03.3 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact2050 May 20 at 23:03:20.1 UTC
May 20, 2050 Solar Eclipse Parameters
ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.00379
Eclipse Obscuration1.00760
Gamma−0.86877
Sun Right Ascension03h51m25.4s
Sun Declination+20°09'01.9"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'48.3"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension03h51m49.6s
Moon Declination+19°19'17.1"
Moon Semi-Diameter15'44.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°57'47.0"
ΔT84.3 s

Eclipse season

See also: Eclipse cycle

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.

Eclipse season of May 2050
May 6
Ascending node (full moon)
May 20
Descending node (new moon)
Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 122		Hybrid solar eclipse
Solar Saros 148

Eclipses in 2050

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 148

Inex

Triad

Notes

  1. ^ The times listed for this location occur on May 21, 2050, local time.

References

  1. ^ "May 20, 2050 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Hybrid Solar Eclipse of 2050 May 20". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 15 August 2024.