Solar and Lunar Eclipses

by SPACE.com Staff

Date: 01 January 2009 Time: 02:00 AM ET

There will be three penumbral and one partial lunar eclipses, and one annular and one total solar eclipse in 2009.

January 26

Annular Solar Eclipse

This eclipse is visible as an annular eclipse in the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia. It will be visible as a partial eclipse in southern Africa, Madagascar, most of Australia, southeast India, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia.

Times of maximum eclipse and magnitude at major cities:

Adelaide	09:00UT	0.10
Bangkok	10:00UT	0.45
Calcutta	10:00UT	0.06
Cape Town	06:12UT	0.72
Hong Kong	10:03UT	0.38
Jakarta	09:41UT	0.89

February 9

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

This will be visible as a shading on the edge of the Moon at the time of maximum eclipse, 14:38UT. The best views will be from western North America, Australia, and East Asia.

July 7

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

The magnitude of this eclipse is only 0.16, so that it will be invisible to the naked eye.

July 22

Total Solar Eclipse

The path of totality of this eclipse covers some of the most heavily populated regions in the world. It begins in India, traverses China, and then heads out into the Pacific Ocean It will be visible as a partial eclipse over most of Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.

Times of maximum eclipse and magnitude at major cities:

Beijing	01:01UT	0.67
Bombay	00:52UT	0.96
Honolulu	03:48UT	0.12
Shanghai	01:39UT	1.08
T?aipei	01:41UT	0.85
Tokyo	02:13UT	0.75
Wuhan	01:27UT	1.08
Xi?an	01:20UT	0.91

August 6

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

The magnitude of this eclipse is only 0.40, so that it will be invisible to the naked eye.

December 31

Partial Lunar Eclipse

This minor partial eclipse has a magnitude of only 0.08 and will be visible mainly in the Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, Africa, and Asia). Maximum eclipse will be at 19:23UT.

Source: RASC - Observer's Handbook 2009