Timezone / Date

You have not selected a timezone for eclipse timings, so all times are shown in UT (essentially GMT).

Accuracy

Due to the erratic rotation of the Earth, the time and location of the eclipse cannot be forecast perfectly. This eclipse's forecast is estimated to be accurate to within 2km in distance and a few seconds in time.

A partial eclipse of the Sun occurred on Sunday 13 September, 2015 UT, lasting from 04:41–09:06 UT. A moderate partial eclipse, with 79% of the Sun covered for viewers closest to the center, created an interesting spectacle for observers from southern Africa and parts of Antarctica.

The timings of the phases of the overall eclipse worldwide are as follows. In any particular place it would have been seen for a significantly shorter duration as the shadow moved across the Earth:

Partial eclipse began: 04:41:40 UT
Maximum eclipse: 06:54:11 UT
Partial eclipse ended: 09:06:25 UT

During this eclipse the Sun was 0.530° in apparent diameter, 0.6% smaller than average. The Moon was just a day before apogee, making it extremely small. At maximum eclipse it was 0.490° in apparent diameter, which is 7.7% smaller than average. This has no real effect on this eclipse, since the Moon's central shadow misses the Earth, making this a partial 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.

Visibility

The eclipse will be visible from southern Angola, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique south, as well as the southern half of Madagascar. The eclipse will be quite small and hard to see, though, except in the far south of Africa.

In most of Namibia and western South Africa, the eclipse will begin before the Sun rises; however, the moment of maximum eclipse will be occur after sunrise.

The following table summarises the circumstances at various places; "Coverage" is the percentage of the Sun's diameter which will be covered at maximum eclipse:

Place Start Maximum Coverage End
Namibe sunrise 05:16 UT 1% 05:27 UT
Namacunde sunrise 05:19 UT 7% 05:45 UT
Windhoek sunrise 05:25 UT 19% 06:11 UT
Cape Town sunrise 05:43 UT 42% 06:50 UT
Gaborone 04:43 UT 05:32 UT 23% 06:26 UT
Port Elizabeth 04:45 UT 05:47 UT 42% 06:57 UT
Maseru 04:43 UT 05:40 UT 33% 06:44 UT
Maputo 04:45 UT 05:38 UT 25% 06:38 UT
Tsihombe 05:00 UT 05:51 UT 17% 06:48 UT
Kerguelen 05:59 UT 07:16 UT 38% 08:33 UT

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 partial solar eclipse. (Click on it for the full-sized version.)

Eclipse Season and Saros Series

This eclipse season contains 2 eclipses:

This was the 54th eclipse in solar Saros series 125.The surrounding eclipses in this Saros series are:

This Saros series, solar Saros series 125, is linked to lunar Saros series 118. The nearest partner eclipses in that series are:

Eclipse Parameters

UT Date/time (max) 06:54:10 on 13 Sep UT TDT Date/time (max) 06:55:19 on 13 Sep TDT
Saros Series 125 Number in Series 54
Penumbral Magnitiude Central Magnitiude 0.7875
Gamma -1.1004 Path Width (km) 0
Delta T 1m09s Error ± 0m03s (95%)
Penumbral Duration Partial Duration
Total Duration
Partial Rating minor Total Rating
Sun Distance 150543124 km (71.3%) Moon Distance 405987 km (98.6%)
Sun Diameter 0.530° Moon Diameter 0.490° - 0.490°
Perigee 15:25 on 30 Aug UT Apogee 11:28 on 14 Sep UT
Contact p1 04:41:40 on 13 Sep UT Contact p2
Contact u1 Contact u2
Max eclipse 06:54:11 on 13 Sep UT
Contact u3 Contact u4
Contact p3 Contact p4 09:06:25 on 13 Sep 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.