A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Monday, December 14, 2020, with a magnitude of 1.0254. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's and the apparent path of the Sun and Moon intersect, blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness; the Sun appears to be black with a halo around it. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 1.8 days after perigee (on December 12, 2020, at 20:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

Totality was visible from parts of southern Chile and Argentina. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of central and southern South America, Southern Africa, and Antarctica. A total solar eclipse crossed a similar region of the Earth about a year and a half earlier on July 2, 2019.

Visibility

Chile Totality made landfall in Puerto Saavedra, before traversing through portions of Araucanía Region, Los Ríos Region, and a very small part of Bío Bío Region. Cities in the path included Temuco, Villarrica, and Pucón. Totality was also visible on Mocha Island. The eclipse's path was similar to the solar eclipse of February 26, 2017. It occurred just 17 months after the solar eclipse of July 2, 2019 and, like the 2019 eclipse, was also visible from Chile and Argentina. It was also a partial solar eclipse in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Argentina Totality was visible across the Northern Patagonia (specifically the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro), passing through cities including Piedra del Águila, Sierra Colorada, Ministro Ramos Mexía, Junín de los Andes, and partially in San Martín de los Andes and San Carlos de Bariloche.

Eclipse timing Places experiencing total eclipse Solar Eclipse of December 14, 2020(Local Times)Country or territory City or placeStart of partial eclipseStart of total eclipseMaximum eclipseEnd of total eclipseEnd of partial eclipseDuration of totality (min:s)Duration of eclipse (hr:min)Maximum magnitude Temuco 11:39:54 13:02:40 13:02:47 13:02:53 14:30:16 0:13 2:50 1.0006 Villarrica 11:41:15 13:02:59 13:04:03 13:05:08 14:31:12 2:09 2:50 1.0127References:

Places experiencing partial eclipse Solar Eclipse of December 14, 2020(Local Times)Country or territory City or placeStart of partial eclipseMaximum eclipseEnd of partial eclipseDuration of eclipse (hr:min)Maximum coverage Clipperton Island 05:46:35 06:21:49 06:59:40 1:13 9.90% Galápagos Islands 07:58:26 08:40:45 09:27:23 1:29 9.41% Adamstown 05:58:30 06:48:49 07:43:39 1:45 53.34% Taioha'e 05:23:37 (sunrise) 05:25:59 05:59:58 0:36 52.11% Lima 09:16:41 10:16:19 11:23:19 2:07 17.19% Papeete 05:18:06 (sunrise) 05:20:35 05:34:28 0:16 13.03% La Paz 10:40:55 11:48:07 13:00:35 2:20 17.69% Sucre 10:47:59 12:00:55 13:17:40 2:30 22.08% Santiago 11:36:27 13:01:27 14:31:35 2:55 78.66% Asunción 12:07:34 13:31:38 14:53:31 2:46 37.56% Buenos Aires 12:03:59 13:32:38 14:59:17 2:55 73.66% Stanley 12:20:26 13:35:16 14:48:54 2:28 64.64% Montevideo 12:09:21 13:38:06 15:03:38 2:54 74.14% Orcadas Base 12:47:09 13:47:17 14:45:46 1:59 35.51% Pelotas 12:19:26 13:47:47 15:10:37 2:51 61.08% Rio Grande 12:20:00 13:48:22 15:11:08 2:51 62.12% King Edward Point 13:52:43 15:00:35 16:04:50 2:12 53.20% Maseru 18:54:09 19:02:22 19:05:11 (sunset) 0:11 6.57% Brasília 13:05:54 14:03:17 14:56:03 1:50 8.50% São Paulo 12:45:42 14:05:05 15:16:34 2:31 31.57% Ghanzi 18:58:37 19:09:08 19:11:45 (sunset) 0:13 9.99% Tsabong 18:56:13 19:11:09 19:17:57 (sunset) 0:22 16.22% Rio de Janeiro 12:57:10 14:14:19 15:22:51 2:26 31.17% Bouvet Island 17:34:22 18:21:50 19:06:55 1:33 26.80% Lubango 18:04:48 18:28:36 18:31:05 (sunset) 0:26 29.69% Windhoek 18:58:41 19:29:12 19:31:50 (sunset) 0:33 45.47% Edinburgh of the Seven Seas 16:32:29 17:40:07 18:40:58 2:08 89.74% Walvis Bay 18:58:33 19:40:18 19:42:56 (sunset) 0:44 69.27% Cape Town 18:52:05 19:43:34 19:53:06 (sunset) 1:01 59.36% Jamestown 17:03:11 18:01:03 18:49:51 (sunset) 1:47 50.25%References:

Scientific observations The ionospheric effects of the eclipse were expected to be monitored as part of the December 2020 Eclipse Festival of Frequency Measurement, a citizen science experiment organized through the Amateur Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI). Also, a prediction was made for a group of ionospheric stations in South America, using a numerical model (SUPIM-INPE), of the ionospheric response to this event.

Coincidentally, a comet belonging to the Kreutz sungrazer family called C/2020 X3 (SOHO) appeared during the eclipse, which later disintegrated shortly before reaching perihelion around the same day.

Gallery

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.

+December 14, 2020 Solar Eclipse Times Event Time (UTC) First Penumbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 13:35:04.2 UTC First Umbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 14:33:44.2 UTC First Central Line 2020 December 14 at 14:34:00.3 UTC First Umbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 14:34:16.4 UTC First Penumbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 15:38:01.7 UTC Greatest Eclipse 2020 December 14 at 16:14:39.4 UTC Greatest Duration 2020 December 14 at 16:14:45.1 UTC Ecliptic Conjunction 2020 December 14 at 16:17:44.3 UTC Equatorial Conjunction 2020 December 14 at 16:19:21.9 UTC Last Penumbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 16:51:09.2 UTC Last Umbral Internal Contact 2020 December 14 at 17:55:01.7 UTC Last Central Line 2020 December 14 at 17:55:15.8 UTC Last Umbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 17:55:29.8 UTC Last Penumbral External Contact 2020 December 14 at 18:54:16.8 UTC

+December 14, 2020 Solar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Eclipse Magnitude 1.02536 Eclipse Obscuration 1.05136 Gamma −0.29394 Sun Right Ascension 17h30m05.9s Sun Declination -23°15'32.3" Sun Semi-Diameter 16'14.9" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9" Moon Right Ascension 17h29m54.3s Moon Declination -23°32'58.8" Moon Semi-Diameter 16'23.7" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°00'10.4" ΔT 70.2 s

Eclipse season

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 November–December 2020 November 30Ascending node (full moon) December 14Descending node (new moon) Penumbral lunar eclipseLunar Saros 116 Total solar eclipseSolar Saros 142

Related eclipses This eclipse took place one lunar year after the Solar eclipse of December 26, 2019.

Eclipses in 2020 A penumbral lunar eclipse on January 10. A penumbral lunar eclipse on June 5. An annular solar eclipse on June 21. A penumbral lunar eclipse on July 5. A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 30. A total solar eclipse on December 14.

Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 26, 2017 Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 2, 2024

Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 3, 2013 Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 26, 2028

Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 10, 2011 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of December 20, 2029

Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010 Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 14, 2031

Solar Saros 142 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 4, 2002 Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 26, 2038

Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 4, 1992 Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 25, 2049

Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 14, 1934 Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 16, 2107

Solar eclipses of 2018–2021

Saros 142

Metonic series

Tritos series

Inex series

References

External links

solar-eclipse.de: The total solar eclipse of 12/14/2020