A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23, 1984, with a magnitude of 1.0237. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. 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 2.1 days after perigee (on November 20, 1984, at 20:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
Totality was visible in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and southern Pacific Ocean. West of the International Date Line the eclipse took place on November 23, including all land in the path of totality. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Indonesia, Australia, Oceania, Antarctica, and extreme southern South America.
Observations Jay Pasachoff led an observation team from Williams College in Massachusetts to Papua New Guinea, taking images of the process of the eclipse and the corona, as well as the Baily's beads and the illuminance of the corona. Besides the observations, the team members also went to places near the Sepik River in northern Papua New Guinea.
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.
+November 22, 1984 Solar Eclipse Times Event Time (UTC) First Penumbral External Contact 1984 November 22 at 20:14:19.4 UTC First Umbral External Contact 1984 November 22 at 21:13:34.5 UTC First Central Line 1984 November 22 at 21:13:48.2 UTC First Umbral Internal Contact 1984 November 22 at 21:14:01.9 UTC First Penumbral Internal Contact 1984 November 22 at 22:19:19.9 UTC Greatest Eclipse 1984 November 22 at 22:54:16.8 UTC Greatest Duration 1984 November 22 at 22:55:25.9 UTC Ecliptic Conjunction 1984 November 22 at 22:57:34.7 UTC Equatorial Conjunction 1984 November 22 at 23:04:48.0 UTC Last Penumbral Internal Contact 1984 November 22 at 23:28:57.9 UTC Last Umbral Internal Contact 1984 November 23 at 00:34:27.7 UTC Last Central Line 1984 November 23 at 00:34:39.2 UTC Last Umbral External Contact 1984 November 23 at 00:34:50.7 UTC Last Penumbral External Contact 1984 November 23 at 01:34:14.6 UTC
+November 22, 1984 Solar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Eclipse Magnitude 1.02368 Eclipse Obscuration 1.04792 Gamma −0.31318 Sun Right Ascension 15h54m44.1s Sun Declination -20°19'37.3" Sun Semi-Diameter 16'11.9" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9" Moon Right Ascension 15h54m19.9s Moon Declination -20°37'27.2" Moon Semi-Diameter 16'19.2" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°59'53.7" ΔT 54.3 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 1984 November 8Ascending node (full moon) November 22Descending node (new moon) Penumbral lunar eclipseLunar Saros 116 Annular solar eclipseSolar Saros 142
Related eclipses Eclipses in 1984 A penumbral lunar eclipse on May 15. An annular solar eclipse on May 30. A penumbral lunar eclipse on June 13. A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 8. A total solar eclipse on November 22.
Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 4, 1981 Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 11, 1988
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 12, 1977 Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 4, 1992
Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of November 18, 1975 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of November 29, 1993
Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 24, 1973 Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 24, 1995
Solar Saros 142 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 12, 1966 Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 4, 2002
Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 1955 Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 3, 2013
Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 22, 1898 Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 23, 2071
Solar eclipses of 1982–1985
Saros 142
Metonic series
Tritos series
Inex series
Notes
References