If you want to watch solar eclipses in 2023, now is the time to start planning your trip. From here you can watch the solar and lunar eclipses of the year.
There is no year without a solar eclipse. In a year there are at least 4 solar eclipses and a maximum of 7 solar eclipses. In 2022 there were 4, in 2023 it will be similar. 2 solar eclipses and 2 lunar eclipses will punctuate the year. However, it will be impossible to visit all of them without taking a short trip.
Here are the places you need to travel to to attend the 2023 eclipses.
The solar eclipses of 2023
In any type of eclipse, there must be an alignment between the sun, moon, and earth (in that order). Seen from our planet, the moon can partially and/or completely cover the sun. We never watch a solar eclipse without protection.
The solar eclipse of April 20, 2023
The first solar eclipse of 2023 will take place on April 20th. It’s special because it’s a hybrid eclipse. This means that the eclipse can appear total or annular depending on where it is seen on Earth.
The aspect of the eclipse changes as the moon’s shadow moves across the earth. Solar eclipses are already rare phenomena, but hybrid eclipses are even more so.
Here the eclipse is mostly total: it is annular for only a small portion of the beginning and end of the eclipse. France cannot participate in this solar eclipse visible in Asia and Oceania.
The band of centrality begins in the Indian Ocean, where the eclipse is annular. It becomes total before transitioning to northern Australia. It ends in the Pacific Ocean, where it becomes ring-shaped again. This hybrid eclipse will last a total of 5 hours and 24 minutes and 3 hours and 19 minutes for its hybrid phase.
The solar eclipse of October 14, 2023
The second solar eclipse of 2023 will take place on October 14th. This is an annular solar eclipse. In this type of solar eclipse, the apparent diameter of the moon is smaller than that of the sun.
Specifically, this means that observers of an annular solar eclipse see the sun as a luminous 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. It crosses the United States, Mexico. Then it runs along Central America, continuing in Colombia and Brazil before ending in the Atlantic Ocean.
This annular eclipse will last 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, earth and moon are aligned in this order. There is not a lunar eclipse every month.
The lunar eclipse of May 5, 2023
The first lunar eclipse of 2023 will take place on May 5th. It’s a penumbral eclipse, which means don’t expect a grand spectacle. This type of solar eclipse is even imperceptible.
During a penumbral eclipse, the moon receives less sunlight but is not completely eclipsed. The resulting decrease in luminosity is too difficult for the viewer to perceive.
The “visibility” zone of the eclipse does not affect France, as the moon sets as it enters 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 will take place on October 28th. This is a partial eclipse, meaning the moon will pass part of the Earth’s shadow. Note that this time during the eclipse, only the moon’s edge transitions into this shadow.
The phenomenon is visible from Europe, including in France. Africa and Asia can also take part in the event. The partial phase of this eclipse lasts 1 hour and 17 minutes.
All about the star of the solar system, the sun