This eclipse starts on 25 December.

A total eclipse of the Sun occurs on Wednesday 26 December, 2057 UT, lasting from 23:07 on 25 Dec–03:17 UT. The Sun will be darkened for 1 minute and 50 seconds by a dramatic total eclipse covering a very broad path, 355 km wide at maximum. This will be a sight worth seeing, and will be visible in a broad band passing over Antarctica, including the British Rothera research station. The partial eclipse will be visible across Antarctica.

The timings of the phases of the overall eclipse worldwide are as follows. In any particular place it will be seen for a significantly shorter duration as the shadow moves across the Earth:

Partial eclipse begins: 23:07:19 on 25 Dec UT
Total eclipse begins: 00:36:03 UT
Maximum eclipse: 01:12:37 UT
Total eclipse ends: 01:49:06 UT
Partial eclipse ends: 03:17:51 UT

During this eclipse the Sun will be 0.542° in apparent diameter, 1.7% larger than average. The Moon will be at perigee, making it very large. At the start and end of the eclipse the Moon will be 0.558°, and at maximum eclipse 0.561°, which is 5.6% larger than average; hence it will cover the Sun, making this a total eclipse. The statistics page has information on the ranges of the sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

Interactive Map

This map shows the visibility of the eclipse. The shaded area will see the total solar eclipse; however, near the edges of this area, the eclipse will be very short. The bold line shows the centre of the path, where the eclipse will last longest, so this is where you want to be if possible.

Use the zoom controls to zoom in and out; hover your mouse over any point on the centreline to see the time and duration of the eclipse at that point. You can pan and zoom the map to see detail for any part of the eclipse path.

The interactive map is currently not available.

Overview Map

This map sourced from NASA Goddard Space flight Center: GSFC Eclipse Web SiteGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
shows the visibility of the total solar eclipse. It also shows the broader area in which a partial eclipse will be seen. (Click on it for the full-sized version.)

Eclipse Season and Saros Series

This eclipse season contains 2 eclipses:

This is the 15th eclipse in solar Saros series 152.The surrounding eclipses in this Saros series are:

This Saros series, solar Saros series 152, is linked to lunar Saros series 145. The nearest partner eclipses in that series are:

Eclipse Parameters

UT Date/time (max) 01:12:46 on 26 Dec UT TDT Date/time (max) 01:14:35 on 26 Dec TDT
Saros Series 152 Number in Series 15
Penumbral Magnitiude Central Magnitiude 1.0348
Gamma -0.9405 Path Width (km) 355
Delta T 1m49s Error ± 0m37s (95%)
Penumbral Duration Partial Duration
Total Duration 1m50s
Partial Rating Total Rating
Sun Distance 147142375 km (1.0%) Moon Distance 356958 km (1.1%)
Sun Diameter 0.542° Moon Diameter 0.558° - 0.561°
Apogee 06:09 on 13 Dec UT Perigee 07:45 on 26 Dec UT
Contact p1 23:07:19 on 25 Dec UT Contact p2
Contact u1 00:36:03 on 26 Dec UT Contact u2 00:40:48 on 26 Dec UT
Max eclipse 01:12:37 on 26 Dec UT
Contact u3 01:44:21 on 26 Dec UT Contact u4 01:49:06 on 26 Dec UT
Contact p3 Contact p4 03:17:51 on 26 Dec UT

Note that while all dates and times on this site (except where noted) are in UT, which is within a second of civil time, the dates and times shown in NASA's eclipse listingsGSFC Eclipse Web Site
The primary source of all the information on eclipses presented here at Hermit Eclipse. (NASA Goddard Space flight Center)
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
are in the TDT timescale.

The Sun and Moon distances are shown in km, and as a percentage of their minimum - maximum distances; hence 0% is the closest possible (Earth's perihelion, or the Moon's closest possible perigee) and 100% is the farthest (aphelion, the farthest apogee). The statistics page has information on the ranges of sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the Moon data page displays detailed information on the Moon's key dates.

Data last updated: 2015-06-21 22:11:46 UTC.