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
