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Eclipses during 2005:
8th April - Annular-Total eclipse of the Sun.
An annular eclipse is when the Moon appears too small to cover the Sun and a ring of the Sun's surface remains
showing at mid-eclipse. A total eclipse is when the Moon completely covers the Sun. The curvature of the Earth's surface
can cause an eclipse to be annular or total at different points along its track. The 8th April eclipse is annular-total
with a track across the Pacific Ocean, Central America and northern South America near sunset. A partial eclipse is visible
from the USA, Mexico, Central America and the west coast of South America.
24th April - Penumbral eclipse of the Moon.
A penumbral eclipse is when the Moon enters the outer or penumbral shadow of the Earth and darkens only slightly.
This eclipse is visible from the Pacific Ocean, Americas, Australia and part of Antarctica.
3rd October - Annular eclipse of the Sun.
On the 3rd October there will be an Annular Eclipse of the Sun. This annular eclipse will be visible from
within a narrow corridor traversing the Iberian Peninsula and stretching across the African continent. A partial eclipse
will be seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes Europe, western Asia, the Middle
East, India and most of Africa. In Spain the annular phase lasts up to 4 minutes at about 11.00h.
The path of the annular eclipse begins in the North Atlantic at 08:41 UT. Quickly moving southeast, the penumbra reaches
the northern coast of Spain and Portugal at 10.51h (08:51 UT). Bisecting the Iberian Peninsula, the penumbra engulfs Madrid
at 08:56 UT which lies near the central line. The annular phase will last 4m 11s from this capital city with 90% of the
Sun's surface being obscured by the Moon. Ibiza straddles the northern path limit as the shadow crosses the western
Mediterranean. Upon reaching the African continent, Algiers lies within the shadow's trajectory at 09:05 UT and will
experience an annularity of 3m 51s. Following a south eastern course, the penumbra passes through southern Tunisia and
central Libya where the Moon's umbral shadow will return six months later during the total eclipse of 2006 Mar 29. After
briefly skirting northern Chad, the penumbra sweeps across central Sudan where greatest eclipse occurs at 10:31:42 UT with
annular duration of 4m 31s. The central track runs along the southern Sudanese-Ethiopian border before entering northern
Kenya where it engulfs much of Lake Rudolf at 11:10 UT. Southernmost Somalia is the penumbra's final landfall at 11:30 UT
before heading east across the Indian Ocean where the path ends at local sunset, 12:22 UT.
17th October - Partial eclipse of the Moon.
In a partial eclipse only part of the Moon passes through the Earth's dark umbral shadow, the rest through
the lighter penumbra. During this eclipse only the extreme southern part of the Moon will pass through the umbra. Visible
from the Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, East Asia, Indonesia and Australia.
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Other Eclipse Information: