In a new research, astronomers have used the MERLIN radio telescope network cantered on the Jodrell Bank Observatory to show that magnetic fields play an important role during the birth of massive stars. Magnetic fields are already known to strongly influence the formation of lower-mass stars like our Sun.

This new study reveals that the way in which high-mass and low-mass stars form may be more similar than previously suspected. Massive stars, more than 8 times the mass of the Sun, are crucial to the formation of other stars, planets and even life. Though rare, they dominate the content and evolution of the interstellar material in the Galaxy and are responsible for the production of heavy elements such as iron. However, the question of how massive stars are formed has proved extremely difficult to answer. The role of magnetic fields in particular has been a topic of great debate. “While magnetic fields have been observed in the clouds of molecular hydrogen from which stars form, observations close to massive stars have up to now been in short supply,” said Dr. Wouter Vlemmings at Bonn University, who led the research. “If the formation of massive stars is similar to their lighter counterparts, we should be able to detect the strong magnetic fields needed to both produce the jets and stabilize the disks associated with them,” he added.

For the first time, Vlemmings and his collaborators have managed to observe the 3-dimensional magnetic field structure around the disk of the massive newly forming star (or protostar) Cepheus A HW2. In their new observations, the astronomers have found that the magnetic field is surprisingly regular and strong, implying that it is controlling how the matter is transferred through the disk to feed the growing embryonic star.

To determine the magnetic field structure, the researchers used the MERLIN telescope array to observe radio waves (with a wavelength of approximately 5 cm) that are amplified by methanol molecules. These methanol molecules, the simplest of the alcohol compounds, are found in regions surrounding the massive disk around HW2, which extend over a region 10 times the size of our Solar System. Such regions are called masers, because they amplify microwave radiation in the same way a laser amplifies light radiation. Even though a strong magnetic field produces only a very weak signature in the signal from the methanol molecules, this amplification is strong enough to make the new work possible.

Cupola View: Why is this man smiling? Oh right NASA

Here we get a view of George Zamka, NASA astronaut and STS-130 commander, peeking out from the newly-installed cupola on February 19 while the space shuttle remained docked with the space station. ISS resident Soichi Noguchi has already made good use of the cupola to take pretty Earth Twitpics with his 800mm lens camera.

Speaking of Noguchi, the astronaut also took advantage of his fresh vantage point to capture this stunning image of the space shuttle making an s-turn while undergoing atmospheric reentry on its return home.

Space Shuttle S-Turn: Sky shuttle in flight Soichi Noguchi/NASA

Nasa has produced a new free iPhone app that allows users to be part of their own space mission to the moon, officials said.

NASA's Office of the Chief Engineer has announced the recipients of the first NASA Systems Engineering Award, including two people from NASA Ames Research Center. Bill Borucki, will receive a methodology award for the Kepler mission, and Daniel Andrews will receive a project award for the LCROSS mission.

Systems engineering is a core competency of NASA's highly skilled workforce and has been recognized as one of the "secrets" of the agency’s success in the Apollo program and many other programs and projects since then. NASA teams and organizations are increasingly employing well-defined, proven processes and practices to develop, manage, and integrate increasingly complex systems.

Each NASA center nominated several highly deserving projects and each was worthy of recognition. After a very difficult and competitive review process the Office of the Chief Engineer is pleased to announce the 2010 award recipients.

2010 Award Recipients:

• Preston Burch, Hubble
• Craig Tooley, LRO
• Ab Davis, Grace Mission
• Daniel Andrews, LCROSS
• Dawn Schaible, MLAS
• William Borucki, Discovery/Kepler Science Merit Function
• Riley Duren, Discovery/Kepler Science Merit Function
• Peter Parker, Shuttle Gaseous Hydrogen Valve

During the year 2010, two solar and two lunar eclipses occur as follows:

Predictions for the eclipses are summarized in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. World maps show the regions of visibility for each eclipse. The lunar eclipse diagrams also include the path of the Moon through Earth's shadows. Contact times for each principal phase are tabulated along with the magnitudes and geocentric coordinates of the Sun and Moon at greatest eclipse.

All times and dates used in this publication are in Universal Time or UT. This astronomically derived time system is colloquially referred to as Greenwich Mean Time or GMT. To learn more about UT and how to convert UT to your own local time, see Time Zones and Universal Time.

Annular Solar Eclipse of January 15

The first solar eclipse of 2010 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western Sagittarius. An annular eclipse will be visible from a 300-km-wide track that traverses central Africa, the Indian Ocean and eastern Asia (Espenak and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes eastern Europe, most of Africa, Asia, and Indonesia (Figure 1).

The annular path begins in westernmost Central African Republic at 05:14 UT. Because the Moon passes through apogee two days later (Jan 17 at 01:41 UT), its large distance from Earth produces an unusually wide path of annularity. Traveling eastward, the shadow quickly sweeps through Uganda, Kenya, and southern Somalia while the central line duration of annularity grows from 7 to 9 minutes.

For the next two hours, the antumbra crosses the Indian Ocean, its course slowly curving from east-southeast to northeast. The instant of greatest eclipse [1] occurs at 07:06:33 UT when the eclipse magnitude [2] will reach 0.9190. At this instant, the duration of annularity is 11 minutes 8 seconds, the path width is 333 kilometers and the Sun is 66° above the flat horizon formed by the open ocean. Such a long annular duration will not be exceeded for over 1000 years (3043 Dec 23).

The central track continues northeast where it finally encounters land in the Maldive Islands (07:26 UT). The capital city Male experiences an annular phase lasting 10 minutes 45 seconds This is the longest duration of any city having an international airport in the eclipse track.

When the antumbra reaches Asia the central line passes directly between the southern tip of India and northern Sri Lanka (07:51 UT). Both regions lie within the path where maximum annularity lasts 10 minutes 15 seconds Quickly sweeping over the Bay of Bengal the shadow reaches Burma where the central line duration is 8 minutes 48 seconds and the Sun's altitude is 34°.

By 08:41 UT, the central line enters China. The shadow crosses the Himalayas through Yunnan and Sichuan provinces Chongqing lies directly on the central line and witnesses a duration of 7 minutes 50 seconds with the Sun 15° above the horizon. Racing through parts of Shaanxi and Hubei provinces, the antumbra's speed increases as the duration decreases. In its final moments, the antumbra travels down the Shandong Peninsula and leaves Earth's surface (08:59 UT).

During the course of its 3 3/4-hour trajectory, the antumbra's track is approximately 12,900 km long that covers 0.87% of Earth's surface area. Path coordinates and central line circumstances are presented in Table 1.

Partial phases of the eclipse are visible primarily from Africa, Asia and Indonesia. Local circumstances for a number of cities are found in Table 2. All times are given in Universal Time. The Sun's altitude and azimuth, the eclipse magnitude and obscuration3 are all given at the instant of maximum eclipse.

This is the 23rd eclipse of Saros 141 (Espenak and Meeus, 2006). The family began with a series of 6 partial eclipses starting on 1613 May 19. The first annular eclipse took place on 1739 Aug 04 and had a maximum duration just under 4 minutes. Subsequent members of Saros 141 were all annular eclipses with increasing durations, the maximum of which was reached on 1955 Dec 14 and lasted 12 minutes 9 seconds. This event was the longest annular eclipse of the entire Second Millennium. The duration of annularity of each succeeding eclipse is now dropping and will dwindle to 1 minute 9 seconds when the last annular eclipse of the series occurs on 2460 Oct 14. Saros 141 terminates on 2857 Jun 13 after a long string of 22 partial eclipses. Complete details for the 70 eclipses in the series (29 partial and 41 annular) may be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros141.html

Complete details including many tables, maps and weather prospects can be found in the NASA 2010 eclipse bulletin (Espenak and Anderson, 2008) and online at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/ASE2010/ASE2010.html

Finally, a web-based zoomable map of the 2010 annular eclipse path is available plotted on Google maps at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2010Jan15Agoogle.html

Partial Lunar Eclipse of June 26

The first lunar eclipse of 2010 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in western Sagittarius about 3° east of the Lagoon Nebula (M8). It is visible from much of the Americas, the Pacific and eastern Asia (Figure 2). The Moon's contact times with Earth's shadows are listed below.

Penumbral Eclipse Begins:   08:57:21 UT
Partial Eclipse Begins:     10:16:57 UT
Greatest Eclipse:           11:38:27 UT
Partial Eclipse Ends:       12:59:50 UT
Penumbral Eclipse Ends:     14:19:34 UT

At the instant of greatest eclipse4 the umbral eclipse magnitude5 will reach 0.5368. At that time the Moon will be at the zenith for observers in the South Pacific. In spite of the fact that barely half of the Moon enters the umbral shadow (the Moon's northern limb dips 16.2 arc-minutes into the umbra), the partial phase still lasts 2 2/3 hours.

Figure 2 shows the path of the Moon through the penumbra and umbra as well as a map of Earth showing the regions of eclipse visibility. New England and eastern Canada will miss the entire eclipse since the event begins after moonset from those regions. Observers in western Canada and the USA will have the best views with moonset occurring sometime after mid-eclipse. To catch the entire event, one must be located in the Pacific or eastern Australia.

Table 3 lists predicted umbral immersion and emersion times for 15 well-defined lunar craters. The timing of craters is useful in determining the atmospheric enlargement of Earth's shadow (see Crater Timings During Lunar Eclipses).

The June 26 partial lunar eclipse belongs to Saros 120, a series of 83 eclipses in the following sequence: 21 penumbral, 7 partial, 25 total, 7 partial, and 23 penumbral lunar eclipses (Espenak and Meeus, 2009). Complete details for the series can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros120.html

Total Solar Eclipse of July 11

The second solar eclipse of 2010 occurs at the Moon's descending node in central Gemini just 45 arc-minutes east of the 3rd magnitude star Delta Geminorum. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow crosses the South Pacific Ocean where it makes no landfall except for Mangaia (Cook Islands), Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and several isolated atolls. The path of totality ends just after reaching southern Chile and Argentina (Espenak and Anderson, 2008). The Moon's penumbral shadow produces a partial eclipse visible from a much larger region covering the South Pacific and southern South America (Figure 3).

The central eclipse path begins in the South Pacific about 700 km southeast of Tonga at 18:15 UT. Traveling northeast, the track misses Rarotonga - the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands - by just 25 km. The first landfall occurs at Mangaia where the total eclipse lasts 3 minutes 18 seconds with the Sun 14° above the horizon.

The southern coast line of French Polynesia's Tahiti lies a tantalizing 20 km north of the eclipse path and experiences a deep 0.996 magnitude partial eclipse at 18:28 UT. Several cruises are already scheduled to intercept the umbral shadow from Papeete.

Greatest eclipse occurs in the South Pacific at 19:33:31 UT. At this instant, the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center. The maximum duration of totality is 5 minutes 20 seconds, the Sun's altitude is 47°, and the path width is 259 km. Continuing across the vast Pacific, the umbral shadow's path encounters Easter Island, one of the most remote locations on Earth. From the capital, Hanga Roa, totality lasts 4 minutes 41 seconds with the Sun 40° above the horizon (20:11 UT). The 3,800 inhabitants of the isle are accustomed to tourism, but the eclipse is expected to bring record numbers to this unique destination.

The Moon's shadow sweeps across another 3700 km of open ocean before beginning its final landfall along the rocky shores of southern Chile at 20:49 UT. The shadow is now an elongated ellipse and its increasing ground velocity brings with it a corresponding decrease in the duration of totality. It is mid-winter in the Andes so clouds and high mountain peaks threaten to block views of the total eclipse. Nevertheless some hearty eclipse observers will find Argentina's tourist village of El Calafate a prime destination for the eclipse. The Sun's altitude is only 1° during the 2 minute 47 second total phase, but the lake may offer an adequate line-of-site to the eclipse hanging just above the rugged Andes skyline.

The path ends in southern Argentina when the umbra slips off Earth's surface as it returns to space (20:52 UT). Over the course of 2 2/3 hours, the umbra travels along a track approximately 11,100 km long that covers 0.48% of Earth's surface area. It will be 29 months before the next total solar eclipse occurs on 2012 Nov 13.

Path coordinates and central line circumstances are presented in Table 4. Local circumstances for a number of cities are listed in Table 5. All times are given in Universal Time. The Sun's altitude and azimuth, the eclipse magnitude and obscuration are all given at the instant of maximum eclipse.

This is the 27th eclipse of Saros 146 (Espenak and Meeus, 2006). The series began on 1541 Sep 19 with the first of an unusually long series of 22 partial eclipses. The first central eclipse was total with a maximum duration of 4.1 minutes on 1938 May 29. Subsequent total eclipses in the series have seen an increase in the duration of totality. The 2010 eclipse marks the longest totality of Saros 146 because future durations will decrease. The series produces the first of 4 hybrid eclipses on 2172 Oct 17. The remaining 24 central eclipses of Saros 141 are all annular and span the period from 2244 Dec 01 to 2659 Aug 10. The series ends with a set of 13 partial eclipses the last of which occurs on 2893 Dec 29.

In all, Saros 146 produces 35 partial, 13 total, 4 hybrid and 24 annular eclipses. Complete details for the series can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros146.html

Complete details including many tables, maps and weather prospects can be found in the NASA 2010 eclipse bulletin (Espenak and Anderson, 2008) and online at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2010/TSE2010.html

Finally, a web-based zoomable map of the 2010 total eclipse path is available plotted on Google maps at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2010Jul11Tgoogle.html

Total Lunar Eclipse of December 21

The last lunar eclipse of 2010 is especially well placed for observers throughout North America. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node in eastern Taurus, four days before perigee.

The Moon's orbital trajectory takes it through the northern half of Earth's umbral shadow. Although the eclipse is not central, the total phase still lasts 72 minutes. The Moon's path through Earth's shadows as well as a map illustrating worldwide visibility of the event are shown in Figure 4. The timings of the major eclipse phases are listed below.

Penumbral Eclipse Begins:   05:29:17 UT
Partial Eclipse Begins:     06:32:37 UT
Total Eclipse Begins:       07:40:47 UT
Greatest Eclipse:           08:16:57 UT
Total Eclipse Ends:         08:53:08 UT
Partial Eclipse Ends:       10:01:20 UT
Penumbral Eclipse Ends:     11:04:31 UT

At the instant of greatest eclipse (08:17 UT) the Moon lies near the zenith for observers in southern California and Baja Mexico. At this time, the umbral magnitude peaks at 1.2561 as the Moon's southern limb passes 2.8 arc-minutes north of the shadow's central axis. In contrast, the Moon's northern limb lies 8.1 arc-minutes from the northern edge of the umbra and 34.6 arc-minutes from the shadow center. Thus, the southern half of the Moon will appear much darker than the northern half because it lies deeper in the umbra. Since the Moon samples a large range of umbral depths during totality, its appearance will change dramatically with time. It is not possible to predict the exact brightness distribution in the umbra, so observers are encouraged to estimate the Danjon value at different times during totality (see Danjon Scale of Lunar Eclipse Brightness). Note that it may also be necessary to assign different Danjon values to different portions of the Moon (i.e., north vs. south).

During totality, the winter constellations are well placed for viewing so a number of bright stars can be used for magnitude comparisons. Pollux (mv = +1.16) is 25° east of the eclipsed Moon, while Betelgeuse (mv = +0.45) is 16° to the south, Aldebaran (mv = +0.87) is 20° to the west, and Capella (mv = +0.08) is 24° to the north.

The entire event is visible from North America and western South America. Observers along South America's east coast miss the late stages of the eclipse because they occur after moonset. Likewise much of Europe and Africa experience moonset while the eclipse is in progress. Only northern Scandinavians can catch the entire event from Europe. For observers in eastern Asia the Moon rises in eclipse. None of the eclipse is visible from south and east Africa, the Middle East or South Asia.

Table 6 lists predicted umbral immersion and emersion times for 20 well-defined lunar craters. The timing of craters is useful in determining the atmospheric enlargement of Earth's shadow (see Crater Timings During Lunar Eclipses).

The December 21 total lunar eclipse belongs to Saros 125 a series of 72 eclipses in the following sequence: 17 penumbral, 13 partial, 26 total, 9 partial, and 7 penumbral lunar eclipses (Espenak and Meeus, 2009). Complete details for the series can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros125.html

Solar Eclipse Figures

Lunar Eclipse Figures

Shadow Diameters and Lunar Eclipses

Danjon Scale of Lunar Eclipse Brightness

Crater Timings During Lunar Eclipses

Eclipse Altitudes and Azimuths

The altitude a and azimuth A of the Sun or Moon during an eclipse depend on the time and the observer's geographic coordinates. They are calculated as follows:

h = 15 (GST + UT - α ) + λ
a = arcsin [sin δ sin φ + cos δ cos h cos φ]
A = arctan [-(cos δ sin h)/(sin δ cos φ - cos δ cos h sin φ)]

where

h = hour angle of Sun or Moon
a = altitude
A = azimuth
GST = Greenwich Sidereal Time at 0:00 UT
UT = Universal Time
α = right ascension of Sun or Moon
δ = declination of Sun or Moon
λ = observer's longitude (east +, west -)
φ = observer's latitude (north +, south -)

During the eclipses of 2010, the values for GST and the geocentric Right Ascension and Declination of the Sun or the Moon (at greatest eclipse) are as follows:

Eclipse             Date          GST         α         δ

Annular Solar    2010 Jan 15     7.642      19.797    -21.127
Partial Lunar    2010 Jun 26    18.299      18.353    -24.002
Total Solar      2010 Jul 11    19.307       7.399     22.036
Total Lunar      2010 Dec 21     5.986       5.955     23.746

Two web based tools that can also be used to calculate the local circumstances for all solar and lunar eclipses visible from any location. They are the Javascript Solar Eclipse Explorer and the Javascript Lunar Eclipse Explorer. The URLs for these tools are:

Javascript Solar Eclipse Explorer: eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JSEX/JSEX-index.html

Javascript Lunar Eclipse Explorer: eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JLEX/JLEX-index.html

Eclipses During 2011

During 2011, there will be four partial solar eclipses and two total lunar eclipses:

• 2011 Jan 04: Partial Solar Eclipse
• 2011 Jun 01: Partial Solar Eclipse
• 2011 Jun 15: Total Lunar Eclipse
• 2011 Jul 01: Partial Solar Eclipse
• 2011 Nov 25: Partial Solar Eclipse
• 2011 Dec 10: Total Lunar Eclipse

A full report on eclipses during 2011 will be published in Observer's Handbook 2011.

NASA Solar Eclipse Bulletins

Special bulletins containing detailed predictions and meteorological data for future solar eclipses of interest are prepared by Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson and are published through NASA's Publication series. The bulletins are provided as a public service to both the professional and lay communities, including educators and the media. A list of currently available bulletins and an order form can be found at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpubs/RPrequest.html

The most recent bulletin of the series covers the annular and total solar eclipses of 2010. Single copies of the eclipse bulletins are available at no cost by sending a 9 x 12-in. self-addressed envelope stamped with postage for 11 oz. (310 g). Please print the eclipse year on the envelope's lower left corner. Use stamps only, since cash and cheques cannot be accepted. Requests from outside the United States and Canada may include 10 international postal coupons. Mail requests to: Fred Espenak, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt MD 20771, USA.

The NASA eclipse bulletins are also available over the Internet, including out-of-print bulletins. They can be read or downloaded from the NASA Eclipse Web Site at:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpubs/bulletin.html

Eclipse Web Sites

The URL of the NASA Eclipse Web Site is:

eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html

The site features predictions and maps for all solar and lunar eclipses well into the 21st century, with special emphasis on upcoming eclipses. Special pages are devoted to the total solar eclipses of 2008, 2009 and 2010 that feature detailed maps, tables, graphs, and meteorological data. A world atlas of solar eclipses provides maps of all central eclipse paths from 2000 BCE to 3000 CE. The entire Five Millenium Canon of Solar Eclipses [Espenak and Meeus, 2006] can be downloaded in PDF format and all maps are also available online as individual GIFs of PSFs. Additional catalogues list every solar and lunar eclipse over a 5000-year period.

Detailed information on solar and lunar eclipse photography and tips on eclipse observing and eye safety may be found at:

www.mreclipse.com

Acknowledgments

All eclipse predictions were generated on an Apple G4 iMac computer using algorithms developed from the Explanatory Supplement [1974] with additional algorithms from Meeus, Grosjean, and Vanderleen [1966]. The solar coordinates used in the eclipse predictions are based on VSOP87 [P. Bretagnon and G. Francou, 1988]. The lunar coordinates are based on ELP-2000/82 [M. Chapront-Touzé and J. Chapront, 1983]. For lunar eclipses, the diameter of the umbral and penumbral shadows were calculated using Danjon's rule of enlarging Earth's radius by 1/85 to compensate for the opacity of the terrestrial atmosphere; corrections for the effects of oblateness have also been included. Text and table composition was done on a Macintosh using Microsoft Word. Additional figure annotation was performed with Claris MacDraw Pro.

All calculations, diagrams, tables, and opinions presented in this paper are those of the author, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy.

Footnotes

[1] The instant of greatest eclipse occurs when the distance between the Moon's shadow axis and Earth's geocenter reaches a minimum.

[2] Eclipse magnitude is defined as the fraction of the Sun's diameter occulted by the Moon

[3] The sub-solar point is the geographic location where the Sun appears directly overhead (zenith).

References

Bretagnon P., Francou G., "Planetary Theories in rectangular and spherical variables: VSOP87 solution", Astron. and Astrophys., vol. 202, no. 309 (1988).

Chapront-Touzé, M and Chapront, J., "The Lunar Ephemeris ELP 2000," Astron. and Astrophys., vol. 124, no. 1, pp 50-62 (1983).

Chauvenet, W., Manual of Spherical and Practical Astronomy, Vol.1, 1891 (Dover edition 1961).

Danjon, A., "Les éclipses de Lune par la pénombre en 1951," L'Astronomie, 65, 51-53 (Feb. 1951).

Espenak, F., Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986–2035, Sky Publishing Corp., Cambridge, MA, 1988.

Espenak, F., Fifty Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1986–2035, Sky Publishing Corp., Cambridge, MA, 1989.

Espenak, F., and Anderson, J., Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010, NASA TP–2008-214171, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 2008.–

Espenak, F., and Meeus, J., Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: –2000 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE), NASA TP–2006-214141, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 2006.

Espenak, F., and Meeus, J., Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses: –2000 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE), NASA TP–2009-214172, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 2006.

Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Ephemeris and the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office, London, 1974.

Littmann, M., Espenak, F., & Willcox, K., Totality—Eclipses of the Sun, 3rd Ed., Oxford University Press, New York, 2008.

Meeus, J., Grosjean, C.C., & Vanderleen, W., Canon of Solar Eclipses, Pergamon Press, New York, 1966.

Meeus, J. & Mucke, H., Canon of Lunar Eclipses: -2002 to +2526, Astronomisches Buro, Wien, 1979.

On Sunday, 2010 July 11, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses Earth's southern Hemisphere. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow crosses the South Pacific Ocean where it makes no landfall except for Mangaia (Cook Islands) and Easter Island (Isla de Pascua). The path of totality ends just after reaching southern Chile and Argentina. The Moon's penumbral shadow produces a partial eclipse visible from a much larger region covering the South Pacific and southern South America

Click to enlarge.

This web site has been established for the purpose of providing detailed predictions, maps, figures and information about this important event. The material here is adapted from Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010 (NASA/TP-2008-214171). The publication date of this document is 2008 December. It is part of NASA's official eclipse bulletin publication series. Instructions and a form for ordering a hard copy of this publication can be found at: Order Form for NASA Eclipse Bulletins.

A special Web site is also available for the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2010 January 15.

Preliminary Look at the Total Solar Eclipse of 2010 July 11

This data is from a paper presented at: IAU Symposium 233 - Solar Activity and Its Magnetic Origin

• Figure 1 - Orthographic (Global) Projection of the 2010 Total Solar Eclipse
• Figure 2 - 2010 Eclipse Path Through Cook Islands
• Figure 3 - 2010 Eclipse Path Through French Polynesia
• Figure 4 - 2010 Eclipse Path Through Easter Island
• Figure 5 - 2010 Eclipse Path Through South America
• Figure 6 - Mean Cloudiness in July Along the 2010 Eclipse Path (from satellite imaging)
• Figure 7 - Climate Statistics for July Along the 2010 Eclipse Path

See also: Eclipse Weather and Maps (Jay Anderson)

Interactive Map of the Path of Totality

An implementation of Google Map has been created which includes the central path of the 2010 total solar eclipse. This allows the user to select any portion of the path and to zoom in using either map data or Earth satellite data.

• Interactive Map of 2010 Total Solar Eclipse

General Map of the Eclipse Path

The following map shows the overall regions of visibility of the partial eclipse as well as the path of the total eclipse through the Pacific Ocean, Chile and Argentina. It uses high resolution coastline data from the World Data Base II (WDB). Curves of maximum eclipse are included as well as the outline of the umbral shadow.

The map is available as a high resolution (300 dpi) PDF file.

From NASA Tech. Pub. Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010 (NASA/TP-2008-214171).

Detailed Maps of the Path of Totality

The following maps show path of the 2010 total eclipse in greater detail. They use high resolution coastline, city and highway data from the Digital Chart of the World (DCW). Each map was chosen to isolate a specific region along the the eclipse path. Curves of maximum eclipse are included as well as the outline of the umbral shadow. Within the umbral path, curves of constant duration have been plotted for totality.

The maps are available as high resolution (300 dpi) PDF files.

From NASA Tech. Pub. Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010 (NASA/TP-2008-214171).

Additional Figures

The following figures depict the lunar limb profile, and meteorological data along the eclipse path.

From NASA Tech. Pub. Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010 (NASA/TP-2008-214171).

Eclipse Elements, Shadow Contacts and Path of Totality

The following tables give detailed predictions including the Besselian Elements, shadow contacts with Earth, path of the umbral shadow and topocentric data (with path corrections) along the path.

• Table 3.1 - Elements of the Eclipse
• Table 3.2 - Shadow Contacts and Circumstances
• Table 3.3 - Path of the Umbral Shadow
• Table 3.4 - Physical Ephemeris of the Umbral Shadow
• Table 3.5 - Local Circumstances on the Central Line
• Table 3.6 - Topocentric Data and Path Corrections Due to Lunar Limb Profile

From NASA Tech. Pub. Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010 (NASA/TP-2008-214171).

Coordinate Tables for the Path of Totality

The following tables do not appear in the NASA 2010 Eclipse Bulletin due to page constraints. The tables provide detailed coordinates for the path of the umbral shadow as well as the zones of grazing eclipse. They are listed in a format convenient for plotting on maps.

• Table 3.A - Mapping Coordinates for the Umbral Path
• Table 3.B - Mapping Coordinates for the Umbral Path (Extended - 7.5´ step size)
• Table 3.C - Mapping Coordinates for the Zones of Grazing Eclipse
• Table 3.D - Mapping Coordinates for the Zones of Grazing Eclipse (Extended - 7.5´ step size)

Local Circumstances

The following table gives the local circumstances of the eclipse from various cities throughout the region of eclipse visibility. All contact times are given in the tables are in Universal Time.

• Tables 3.7 - Local Circumstances for the Pacific Ocean and South America

From NASA Tech. Pub. Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010 (NASA/TP-2008-214171).

Additional Tables

The following tables also appear in the Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2010 (NASA/TP-2008-214171).

• Table 3.8 - Climate Statistics for July Along the Total Eclipse Path
• Tables 4.1 & 4.2 - Eclipse Photography

Explanation of Eclipse Maps and Tables

The following links give detailed descriptions and explanations of the eclipse maps and tables.

• Map 3.1 - Orthographic Map of the Eclipse Path
• Table 3.1 - Elements of the Eclipse
• Table 3.2 - Shadow Contacts and Circumstances
• Table 3.3 - Path of the Umbral (or Antumbral) Shadow
• Table 3.4 - Physical Ephemeris of the Umbral (or Antumbral) Shadow
• Table 3.5 - Local Circumstances on the Central Line
• Table 3.6 - Topocentric Data and Path Corrections Due to Lunar Limb Profile
• Table 3.A & 3.B - Mapping Coordinates for the Central Path
• Table 3.C & 3.D - Coordinates for the Zones of Grazing Eclipse
• Mean Lunar Radius
• Lunar Limb Profile
• Limb Corrections to the Path Limits: Graze Zones
• Local Circumstances Tables for Total Solar Eclipses

Reproduction of Eclipse Data

All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC"

For more information, see: NASA Copyright Information