From the January 2012 issue

Catch May’s annular eclipse

Find the details about the event for your location.
By | Published: January 23, 2012 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
Catch May's annular eclipse
The path of annularity cuts across the southwestern United States late in the afternoon May 20. Credit: Astronomy:Roen Kelly
In the March issue, Senior Editor Richard Talcott previews three awesome Sun events that occur in 2012. The first one, an annular eclipse, happens May 20/21. This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon lies farther from Earth than average, so it doesn’t quite cover the Sun; observers then see a ring (or “annulus”) of sunlight at mideclipse.

But even if your city isn’t in the path of annularity (the U.S. portion is pictured at right), you could still see a partial eclipse. Check the table below to see when the eclipse starts and ends in your area, how high in the sky our star will be during the event, and the amount of the Sun the Moon will cover (the magnitude). If you’re fortunate enough to be in the path of annularity, the duration of the annular eclipse (umbral duration) is also listed for your location. (Note: r indicates that the eclipse is in progress at sunrise, while s indicates that the event is in progress at sunset.)

Location     
Start Time
UT

Max.
UT

End Time
UT

Sun Alt. 
°
Magnitude  Umbral
Duration
CANADA          

       

Calgary, Alberta    00:04 01:14  02:18 19  0.706  –
Edmonton, Alberta 00:01 01:10 02:13 19 0.657
Regina, Saskatchewan 00:10 01:15 01:15 12 0.655
Vancouver, B.C. 23:59 01:15 02:23 24 0.800
Victoria, B.C. 00:01 01:16 02:25 24 0.819
Winnipeg, Manitoba 00:13 01:14 02:11 8 0.615
CHINA
Beijing 21:31 22:33 23:42 17 0.670      –     
Chengdu r 22:22 23:24 3 0.736
Chongqing r 22:20 23:24 4 0.776
Guangzhou r 22:10 23:17 5 0.932 4m26s
Nanjing 21:17 22:21 23:32 15 0.831
Shanghai 21.15 22:20 23:33 16 0.872
Xi’an r 22.25 23:30 8 0.707
HONG KONG
Victoria r 22:08 23:16 5 0.932 3m26s
JAPAN
Osaka 21:17 22:30 23:54 31 0.938 2m54s
Tokyo 21:19 22:35 00:03 35 0.939 5m04s
Yokohama 21:19 22:34 00:02 35 0.939 5m03s
TAIWAN
Taipei r 22:11 23:24 13 0.934 1m50s
UNITED STATES
Albuquerque, New Mexico 00:28 01:36 s 5 0.933 4m26s
Boise, Idaho 00:12 01:25 02:23 17 0.864
Denver, Colorado 00:23 01:30 s 7 0.855
Des Moines, Iowa 00:23 01:24 s 1 0.734
El Paso, Texas 00:33 01:40 s 3 0.896
Eureka, California 00:10 01:28 02:37 21 0.937 3m59s
Flagstaff, Arizona 00:27 01:37 s 9 0.929
Honolulu, Hawaii 00.03 01:12 02:11 52 0.181
Lincoln, Nebraska 00:23 01:26 s 2 0.771
Los Angeles, California 00:25 01:38 02:43 13 0.848
Lubbock, Texas 00:31 01:36 s 1 0.931 4m13s
Medford, Oregon 00:08 01:26 02:34 21 0.936 2m46s
Minneapolis, Minnesota 00:19 01:20 s 3 0.671
Omaha, Nebraska 00:23 01:25 s 2 0.757
Phoenix, Arizona 00:29 01:39 s 8 0.887
Portland, Oregon 00:04 01:21 02:29 22 0.873
Reno, Nevada 00:15 01:31 02.37 17 0.936 4m26s
Riverside, California 00:26 01:38 02:42 13 0.853
Sacramento, California 00:15 01:32 02:39 18 0.923
St. Paul, Minnesota 00:19 01:20 s 3 0.670
Salem, Oregon 00:05 01:22 02:30 22 0.888
Salt Lake City, Utah 00:19 01:29 02:33 12 0.889
San Diego, California 00:28 01:40 s 12 0.826
San Francisco, California 00:16 01:33 02:40 19 0.897
San Jose, California 00:17 01:33 02.40 18 0.892
Santa Fe, New Mexico 00:28 01:35 s 5 0.932 3m33s
Seattle, Washington 00:02 01:18 02:26 23 0.828
Topeka, Kansas 00:25 01:28 s 1 0.797
Source: The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Observer’s Handbook 2012