Solar eclipse of February 15, 1961
A total solar eclipse occurred on Wednesday, February 15, 1961. Totality was visible from France, Monaco, Italy, San Marino, SFR Yugoslavia (parts now belonging to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo, North Macedonia), Albania, Bulgaria including the capital city Sofia, Romania including the capital city Bucharest, and the Soviet Union (parts now belonging to Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan). The maximum eclipse was recorded near Novocherkassk (Russian SFSR).
This was the 51st of 55 umbral eclipses in Solar Saros 120.
Upcoming 4 umbral eclipses
52. 1979 February 26
53. 1997 March 9
54. 2015 March 20
55. 2033 March 30
Observation
A team from the University of Texas observed the total eclipse in Pisa, Italy, mostly studying the solar irradiance with a wavelength below 1 centimeter. At that time, coronagraphs had already allowed coronal observation in the visible light band so it could be observed at any time, not just during total solar eclipses, but instruments allowing millimeter-wave band observations were still lacking. Therefore, it was still necessary to make such observations during a total solar eclipse.[1] Arcetri Observatory in Florence, Italy also made observations.[2]
In popular culture
The crucifixion scene in the 1961 film Barabbas was shot during this eclipse.[3]
Related eclipses
Solar eclipses of 1961–1964
This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[4]
Solar eclipse series sets from 1961 to 1964 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
Saros | Map | Gamma | Saros | Map | Gamma | |
120 | 1961 February 15 Total | 0.88302 | 125 | 1961 August 11 Annular | -0.88594 | |
130 | 1962 February 05 Total | 0.21066 | 135 | 1962 July 31 Annular | -0.11296 | |
140 | 1963 January 25 Annular | -0.48984 | 145 | 1963 July 20 Total | 0.65710 | |
150 | 1964 January 14 Partial | -1.23541 | 155 | 1964 July 09 Partial | 1.36228 | |
Partial solar eclipses of June 10, 1964 and December 4, 1964 belong in the next lunar year set. |
Saros 120
This eclipse is a part of Saros cycle 120, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 71 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on May 27, 933 AD, and reached an annular eclipse on August 11, 1059. It was a hybrid event for 3 dates: May 8, 1510, through May 29, 1546, and total eclipses from June 8, 1564, through March 30, 2033. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 7, 2195. The longest duration of totality was 2 minutes, 50 seconds on March 9, 1997. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon’s descending node.
Series members 55–65 occur between 1901 and 2100 | ||
---|---|---|
55 | 56 | 57 |
January 14, 1907 | January 24, 1925 | February 4, 1943 |
58 | 59 | 60 |
February 15, 1961 | February 26, 1979 | March 9, 1997 |
61 | 62 | 63 |
March 20, 2015 | March 30, 2033 | April 11, 2051 |
64 | 65 | |
April 21, 2069 | May 2, 2087 |
Metonic series
The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's descending node.
21 eclipse events, progressing from north to south between July 11, 1953 and July 11, 2029 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
July 10–12 | April 29–30 | February 15–16 | December 4–5 | September 21–23 |
116 | 118 | 120 | 122 | 124 |
July 11, 1953 | April 30, 1957 | February 15, 1961 | December 4, 1964 | September 22, 1968 |
126 | 128 | 130 | 132 | 134 |
July 10, 1972 | April 29, 1976 | February 16, 1980 | December 4, 1983 | September 23, 1987 |
136 | 138 | 140 | 142 | 144 |
July 11, 1991 | April 29, 1995 | February 16, 1999 | December 4, 2002 | September 22, 2006 |
146 | 148 | 150 | 152 | 154 |
July 11, 2010 | April 29, 2014 | February 15, 2018 | December 4, 2021 | September 21, 2025 |
156 | 158 | 160 | 162 | 164 |
July 11, 2029 |
See also
Notes
- ^ C. W. Tolbert & A. W. Straiton. "Observations of 4.3-MM Radiation during the Solar Eclipse of February 15, 1961". The Astrophysical Journal. 135: 822–826. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019.
- ^ "How Italy Saw The Eclipse (1961)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017.
- ^ Elley, Derek (2013). The Epic Film: Myth and History. Routledge. p. 94. ISBN 9781317928874.
- ^ van Gent, R.H. "Solar- and Lunar-Eclipse Predictions from Antiquity to the Present". A Catalogue of Eclipse Cycles. Utrecht University. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
References
- Earth visibility chart and eclipse statistics Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
- Google interactive map
- Besselian elements
- Solar eclipse of February 15, 1961 in Russia Archived December 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- v
- t
- e
By era | |
---|---|
Saros series (list) | |
Visibility | |
Historical |
|
Total/hybrid eclipses
→ next total/hybrid
- 1133
- 1185
- 1560
- 1598
- 1652
- 1654
- 1673
- 1706
- 1715
- 1724
- 1766
- 1778
- 1780
- 1806
- 1816
- 1824
- 1842
- 1851
- 1853
- 1857
- 1858
- 1860
- 1865
- 1867
- 1868
- 1869
- 1870
- 1871
- 1874
- 1875
- 1878
- 1882
- 1883
- 1885
- 1886
- 1887
- Jan. 1889
- Dec. 1889
- 1893
- 1896
- 1898
- 1900
- 1901
- 1903
- 1904
- 1905
- 1907
- Jan. 1908
- Dec. 1908
- 1909
- 1910
- 1911
- Apr. 1912
- Oct. 1912
- 1914
- 1916
- 1918
- 1919
- 1921
- 1922
- 1923
- 1925
- 1926
- 1927
- 1928
- 1929
- Apr. 1930
- Oct. 1930
- 1932
- 1934
- 1936
- 1937
- 1938
- 1939
- 1940
- 1941
- 1943
- Jan. 1944
- 1945
- 1947
- 1948
- 1950
- 1952
- 1954
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1970
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1976
- 1977
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1994
- 1995
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2005
- 2006
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2012
- 2013
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2023
- 2024
- → 2026
- 2027
- 2028
- 2030
- 2031
- 2033
- 2034
- 2035
- 2037
- 2038
- 2039
- 2041
- 2042
- 2043
- 2044
- 2045
- 2046
- 2048
- 2049
- 2050
- 2052
- 2053
- 2055
- Jan. 2057
- Dec. 2057
- 2059
- 2060
- 2061
- 2063
- 2064
- 2066
- 2067
- 2068
- 2070
- 2071
- 2072
- 2073
- 2075
- 2076
- 2077
- 2078
- 2079
- 2081
- 2082
- 2084
- 2086
- 2088
- 2089
- 2090
- 2091
- 2093
- 2094
- 2095
- 2096
- 2097
- 2099
- 2100
- 2186
Annular eclipses
→ next annular
- 1820
- 1854
- 1879
- 1889
- 1900
- 1901
- 1903
- 1904
- 1905
- 1907
- 1908
- 1911
- 1914
- Feb. 1915
- Aug. 1915
- 1916
- 1917
- 1918
- 1919
- 1921
- 1922
- 1923
- 1925
- 1926
- 1927
- 1929
- 1932
- Feb. 1933
- Aug. 1933
- 1934
- 1935
- 1936
- 1937
- 1939
- 1940
- 1941
- 1943
- Jul. 1944
- 1945
- 1947
- 1948
- 1950
- Mar. 1951
- Sep. 1951
- 1952
- Jan. 1954
- Dec. 1954
- 1955
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1965
- 1966
- Mar. 1969
- Sep. 1969
- 1970
- 1972
- Jan. 1973
- Dec. 1973
- 1976
- 1977
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1983
- 1984
- 1987
- 1988
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1994
- 1995
- 1998
- 1999
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2005
- 2006
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2016
- 2017
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2023
- → 2024
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
- 2030
- 2031
- 2032
- 2034
- 2035
- 2036
- Jan. 2038
- Jul. 2038
- 2039
- 2041
- 2042
- 2043
- 2044
- 2045
- 2046
- 2048
- 2049
- 2052
- 2053
- Jan. 2056
- Jul. 2056
- 2057
- 2059
- 2060
- 2061
- 2063
- 2064
- 2066
- 2067
- 2070
- 2071
- Jan. 2074
- Jul. 2074
- 2075
- 2077
- 2078
- 2079
- 2081
- 2082
- 2084
- Jun. 2085
- Dec. 2085
- 2088
- 2089
- Feb. 2092
- Aug. 2092
- 2093
- 2095
- 2096
- 2097
- 2099
- 2100
Partial eclipses
→ next partial
- Jan. 1639
- Apr. 1902
- May 1902
- Oct. 1902
- Feb. 1906
- Jul. 1906
- Aug. 1906
- Dec. 1909
- Nov. 1910
- Apr. 1913
- Aug. 1913
- Sep. 1913
- Dec. 1916
- Jan. 1917
- Jun. 1917
- Jul. 1917
- May 1920
- Nov. 1920
- Mar. 1924
- Jul. 1924
- Aug. 1924
- Dec. 1927
- Jun. 1928
- Nov. 1928
- Apr. 1931
- Sep. 1931
- Oct. 1931
- Jan. 1935
- Feb. 1935
- Jun. 1935
- Jul. 1935
- Nov. 1938
- Mar. 1942
- Aug. 1942
- Sep. 1942
- Jan. 1946
- May 1946
- Jun. 1946
- Nov. 1946
- Apr. 1949
- Oct. 1949
- Feb. 1953
- Jul. 1953
- Aug. 1953
- Dec. 1956
- Mar. 1960
- Sep. 1960
- Jan. 1964
- Jun. 1964
- Jul. 1964
- Dec. 1964
- May 1967
- Mar. 1968
- Feb. 1971
- Jul. 1971
- Aug. 1971
- Dec. 1974
- May 1975
- Nov. 1975
- Apr. 1978
- Oct. 1978
- Jan. 1982
- Jun. 1982
- Jul. 1982
- Dec. 1982
- May 1985
- Apr. 1986
- Mar. 1989
- Aug. 1989
- Dec. 1992
- May 1993
- Nov. 1993
- Apr. 1996
- Oct. 1996
- Sep. 1997
- Feb. 2000
- 1 Jul. 2000
- 31 Jul. 2000
- Dec. 2000
- Apr. 2004
- Oct. 2004
- Mar. 2007
- Sep. 2007
- Jan. 2011
- Jun. 2011
- Jul. 2011
- Nov. 2011
- Oct. 2014
- Sep. 2015
- Feb. 2018
- Jul. 2018
- Aug. 2018
- Jan. 2019
- Apr. 2022
- Oct. 2022
- → Mar. 2025
- Sep. 2025
- Jan. 2029
- Jun. 2029
- Jul. 2029
- Dec. 2029
- 2032
- 2033
- Feb. 2036
- Jul. 2036
- Aug. 2036
- 2037
- May 2040
- Nov. 2040
- Jan. 2047
- Jun. 2047
- Jul. 2047
- Dec. 2047
- 2050
- Apr. 2051
- Oct. 2051
- Mar. 2054
- Aug. 2054
- Sep. 2054
- 2055
- May 2058
- Jun. 2058
- Nov. 2058
- Mar. 2062
- Sep. 2062
- Feb. 2065
- Jul. 2065
- Aug. 2065
- Dec. 2065
- 2068
- Apr. 2069
- May 2069
- Oct. 2069
- 2072
- 2073
- Jun. 2076
- Jul. 2076
- Nov. 2076
- Feb. 2083
- Jul. 2083
- Aug. 2083
- 2084
- 2086
- May 2087
- Jun. 2087
- Oct. 2087
- 2090
- 2091
- Jun. 2094
- Jul. 2094
- Dec. 2094
- Apr. 2098
- Sep. 2098
- Oct. 2098
- Astronomy portal
- Solar System portal
- Category