Solar eclipse of February 26, 1979
| Solar eclipse of February 26, 1979 | |
|---|---|
Map
|
|
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | 0.8981 |
| Magnitude | 1.0391 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 169 sec (2 m 49 s) |
| Coordinates | 52°06′N 94°30′W / 52.1°N 94.5°W |
| Max. width of band | 298 km (185 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 16:55:06 |
| References | |
| Saros | 120 (59 of 71) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9462 |
In astronomy, a total solar eclipse occurred on February 26, 1979. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. The central shadow of the moon passed through the northwestern U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana (where totality covered almost the entire state), the north-central state of North Dakota, parts of the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and what is now the Canadian Territory of Nunavut, and Greenland.
Many visitors traveled to the Pacific Northwest to view the eclipse, since it would be the last chance to view a total solar eclipse in the United States for almost four decades. The next over the United States will be the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017.
Although the path of totality passed through Portland, Oregon in early morning, it was not directly observable from the Portland area due to overcast skies.
The path of totality passed through Winnipeg, Manitoba in the early afternoon.
Writer Annie Dillard viewed the eclipse from the Yakima Valley, in central Washington State. She described her impressions of the eclipse in an essay, "Total Eclipse," first published in the magazine Antaeus and then in her collection, Teaching a Stone to Talk (1982). It was later selected for inclusion in The Best American Essays of the [20th] Century (2000). Dillard describes a nearly overwhelming emotional experience, as suggested in this quotation: "I pray you will never see anything more awful in the sky." Describing the reactions of other onlookers, she relates "I heard screams."
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