If you want to observe eclipses in 2023, now is the time to plan your trip. Here’s where to watch the year’s solar and lunar eclipses from.
There is no year without an eclipse. At a minimum, there are bound to be 4 eclipses and a maximum of 7 eclipses, in a year. There were 4 in 2022, 2023 will be similar. 2 solar eclipses and 2 lunar eclipses will punctuate the year. However, it will be impossible to attend all of them without making a short trip.
Here are the places to which you will have to travel to attend the eclipses of the year 2023.
The solar eclipses of 2023
During any type of solar eclipse, there needs to be an alignment between the Sun, Moon, and Earth (in that order). Here is how, seen from our planet, the Moon can occult the Sun, partially and/or totally. We never observe a solar eclipse without protection.
The Solar Eclipse of April 20, 2023
The first solar eclipse of 2023 occurs on April 20. It is special because it is a hybrid eclipse. This means that, depending on where it is seen on Earth, the eclipse can appear total or annular.
The aspect of the eclipse changes as the Moon’s shadow moves across Earth. Solar eclipses are already rare phenomena, but hybrid eclipses are even more so.
Here, the eclipse is mostly total: it is annular only over a small portion of the start and end of the eclipse. France cannot attend this eclipse, visible in Asia and Oceania.
The band of centrality begins in the Indian Ocean, where the eclipse is annular. It becomes total before passing to the north of Australia. It ends in the Pacific Ocean, where it becomes annular again. This hybrid eclipse lasts 5 hours and 24 minutes in total, and 3 hours and 19 minutes for its hybrid phase.
The Solar Eclipse of October 14, 2023
The second solar eclipse of 2023 occurs on October 14. This is an annular eclipse. During this kind of eclipse, the apparent diameter of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun.
Concretely, this means that observers of an annular eclipse see the Sun as a brilliant ring surrounding the Moon, at the maximum of the phenomenon.
France cannot see this eclipse, reserved for the American continent. The eclipse begins in the northern Pacific Ocean. It crosses the United States, Mexico. Then, it runs along Central America, continues in Colombia and Brazil before ending in the Atlantic Ocean.
This annular eclipse lasts 5 hours and 51 minutes, including 3 hours and 38 minutes for its annular phase.
Lunar eclipses of 2023
For a lunar eclipse to occur, the Moon must pass through the shadow or penumbra of the Earth. It is therefore necessary that the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are aligned in this order. There is no lunar eclipse every month.
The lunar eclipse of May 5, 2023
The first lunar eclipse of 2023 occurs on May 5. It is a penumbral eclipse, which means that you should not expect a grandiose spectacle. This type of eclipse is even imperceptible.
During a penumbral eclipse, the Moon receives less sunlight, but it is not completely eclipsed. The decrease in luminosity which occurs is too difficult to perceive for the observer.
The “visibility” zone of the eclipse does not concern France, because the Moon is set when entering the penumbra and at its maximum. The eclipse is “visible” from Central Asia, Oceania and the Indian Ocean. The penumbral phase lasts 4 hours and 17 minutes.
The lunar eclipse of October 28, 2023
The second lunar eclipse of 2023 takes place on October 28. This is a partial eclipse, which means that the Moon passes part of the shadow of the Earth. Note that, this time, only the lunar limb passes into this shadow, during the eclipse.
The phenomenon is visible from Europe, including in France. Africa and Asia can also attend the event. The partial phase of this eclipse lasts 1 hour and 17 minutes.
All about the star of the solar system, the Sun