Google Maps and Solar Eclipse Paths: 1941 - 1960

Fred Espenak

The table below is a concise summary of all total, annular and hybrid solar eclipses from 1941 through 1960 (excluding partial eclipses). The links in the table provide additional information and graphics for each eclipse. In particular, the Eclipse Type (third column) links to dynamic maps showing the central path of eclipses across Earth's surface. These interactive maps utilize NASA eclipse path predictions and the plotting capabilities of Google Maps. The northern and southern limits of each eclipse path are plotted in blue while the central line is red. The yellow lines plotted across the path indicate the position of maximum eclipse at 10-minute intervals. You can zoom into the map and turn the satellite view on or off. When you click on a position, the eclipse times and circumstances at that location are calculated and displayed.

The first column in the table gives the Calendar Date of the instant of greatest eclipse[1]. This links to an orthographic projection map of Earth showing the region of visibility for an eclipse. The path of the Moon's penumbral shadow (cyan and magenta) covers the region of partial eclipse. The track of the umbral/antumbral shadow (blue/red) defines the path of total or annular eclipse. These figures are described in greater detail in the Key to Solar Eclipse Maps. Each figure is stored as a gif of approximately 60 kilobytes.

The second column TD of Greatest Eclipse is the Terrestrial Dynamical Time when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center. Animations of the Moon's penumbral and umbral shadows across Earth are accessed by clicking the this link. Each animated GIF file is from 40 KB to 175 KB in size.

The Eclipse Type (column 3) is either Total, Annular or Hybrid[2]. The link opens a window with the central eclipse path plotted on an interactive Google Map.

The Central Eclipse Class (column 4) indicates whether an eclipse is central or non-central. The parameters N and S identify paths that have no northern or southern limit, respectively. The link opens a table containing the central path coordinates.

Eclipses recur over the Saros cycle, a period of approximately 18 years 11 days. The Saros series that an eclipse belongs to is found in column 5. All eclipses in a particular Saros series can be viewed in a table via the Saros number link.

The parameter Gamma (column 6) is the perpendicular distance of the Moon's shadow axis and Earth's center at greatest eclipse. The link opens a table containing the Besselian elements for the eclipse.

The Eclipse Magnitude[3] (column 7) gives the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured at the instant of greatest eclipse. The Path Width (column 8) gives the width of the central eclipse path (in kilometers) at the instant of greatest eclipse. The Central Duration[4] (column 9) gives the length of the eclipse as seen from the central line at greatest eclipse.

The Key to Solar Eclipse Path Tables contains a more detailed description of each item in the table.

For more data on solar eclipses during this period, see Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1901 to 2000 .

Solar Eclipse Paths: 1941 - 1960
Calendar Date TD of Greatest Eclipse Eclipse Type Central Eclipse Class Saros Series Gamma Eclipse Magnitude Path Width (km) Central Duration
(Link to Global Map) (Link to Animation) (Link to Google Map) (Link to Path Table) (Link to Saros) (Link to Besselian Elements)
1941 Mar 27 20:08:08 Annular central 138 -0.5025 0.935 275.8 07m41s
1941 Sep 21 04:34:03 Total central 143 0.4649 1.038 143.0 03m22s
1943 Feb 04 23:38:10 Total central 120 0.8734 1.033 229.4 02m39s
1943 Aug 01 04:16:13 Annular central 125 -0.8041 0.941 367.1 06m59s
1944 Jan 25 15:26:42 Total central 130 0.2025 1.043 146.0 04m09s
1944 Jul 20 05:43:13 Annular central 135 -0.0314 0.970 107.7 03m42s
1945 Jan 14 05:01:43 Annular central 140 -0.4937 0.997 11.9 00m15s
1945 Jul 09 13:27:45 Total central 145 0.7356 1.018 91.5 01m15s
1947 May 20 13:47:47 Total central 127 -0.3528 1.056 195.6 05m13s
1947 Nov 12 20:05:37 Annular central 132 0.3743 0.965 135.2 03m59s
1948 May 09 02:26:04 Annular central 137 0.4133 1.000 0.2 00m00s
1948 Nov 01 05:59:18 Total central 142 -0.3517 1.023 83.8 01m56s
1950 Mar 18 15:32:01 Annular non-central (S) 119 -0.9988 0.962 - -
1950 Sep 12 03:38:47 Total central 124 0.8903 1.018 134.4 01m14s
1951 Mar 07 20:53:40 Annular central 129 -0.2420 0.990 37.6 00m59s
1951 Sep 01 12:51:51 Annular central 134 0.1557 0.975 91.3 02m36s
1952 Feb 25 09:11:35 Total central 139 0.4697 1.037 137.8 03m09s
1952 Aug 20 15:13:35 Annular central 144 -0.6102 0.942 264.3 06m40s
1954 Jan 05 02:32:01 Annular central 121 -0.9296 0.972 277.8 01m42s
1954 Jun 30 12:32:38 Total central 126 0.6135 1.036 152.6 02m35s
1954 Dec 25 07:36:42 Annular central 131 -0.2576 0.932 262.0 07m39s
1955 Jun 20 04:10:42 Total central 136 -0.1528 1.078 253.7 07m08s
1955 Dec 14 07:02:25 Annular central 141 0.4266 0.918 345.7 12m09s
1956 Jun 08 21:20:39 Total central 146 -0.8934 1.058 428.7 04m45s
1957 Apr 30 00:05:28 Annular non-central (N) 118 0.9992 0.980 - -
1957 Oct 23 04:54:02 Total non-central (S) 123 -1.0022 1.001 - -
1958 Apr 19 03:27:17 Annular central 128 0.2750 0.941 227.7 07m07s
1958 Oct 12 20:55:28 Total central 133 -0.2951 1.061 208.8 05m11s
1959 Apr 08 03:24:08 Annular central 138 -0.4546 0.940 247.5 07m26s
1959 Oct 02 12:27:00 Total central 143 0.4207 1.033 120.4 03m02s

Central Eclipse Class abbreviations (used above):
N = no northern limit, S = no southern limit, AT = annular-total hybrid, TA = total-annular hybrid


[1] Greatest Eclipse is the instant when the distance between the Moon's shadow axis and Earth's center reaches a minimum.

[2] Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular/total eclipses. Such an eclipse is both total and annular along different sections of its umbral path.

[3] Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured by the Moon. For annular eclipses, the eclipse magnitude is always less than 1. For total eclipses, the eclipse magnitude is always greater than or equal to 1. For both annular and total eclipses, the value listed is actually the ratio of diameters between the Moon and the Sun.

[4] Central Duration is the duration of a total or annular eclipse at greatest eclipse. This is the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center.


Twenty Year Solar Eclipse Path Tables (w/Google Maps)

Each of the following links displays a table containing 20 years of total, annular and hybrid eclipses. Each eclipse offers links to a global map, shadow animation, interactive Google map, path coordinates table, and saros table.

Twenty Year Solar Eclipse Path Tables (w/Google Maps)
Years
1901-1920 1921-1940 1941-1960 1961-1980 1981-2000
2001-2020 2021-2040 2041-2060 2061-2080 2081-2100

Decade Tables of Solar Eclipses

Each link in the following table displays a page containing 10 years of eclipses. Every eclipse has links of global maps, interactive Google maps, animations, path coordinate tables, and saros tables.

Decade Tables of Solar Eclipses
Decades
1901-1910 1911-1920 1921-1930 1931-1940 1941-1950
1951-1960 1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000
2001-2010 2011-2020 2021-2030 2031-2040 2041-2050
2051-2060 2061-2070 2071-2080 2081-2090 2091-2100

Maps of Solar Eclipse Paths

Solar Eclipse Catalogs

Reproduction of Eclipse Data

All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Some of the information presented on this web site is based on data originally published in:

Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986 - 2035
and
Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE)

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

2013 Dec 09