An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit between Saturday, January 4 and Sunday, January 5, 1992, with a magnitude of 0.9179. 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. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 1.5 days before apogee (on January 6, 1992, at 11:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.

The duration of annularity at maximum eclipse (closest to but slightly shorter than the longest duration) was 11 minutes, 40.9 seconds in the Pacific. It will have been the longest annular solar eclipse until January 2, 3062, but the solar eclipse of December 24, 1973 lasted longer.

Annularity was visible in the Federal States of Micronesia, Nauru, Kiribati, Baker Island, Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, and southwestern California, including the southwestern part of Los Angeles. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Northeast Asia, Northern Australia, Oceania, Hawaii, and western North America.

Observations

In San Diego, the eclipse was described as "thrilling", with one observer saying it "looked like God was putting out a fire in the ocean". At other locations (like northeast Australia and the southern Philippines), it was partially obscured by clouds. Most attempts to view the eclipse from Los Angeles were unsuccessful due to cloud cover (and rain which ruined several campsites set up for eclipse-viewing). An astronomer there said that, while around ten thousand people had gathered there to watch the event, it was "completely socked up" and "as if there was no eclipse at all".

While it was only a partial eclipse in Hawaii, people nonetheless gathered to watch it; a museum reported 3,000 people in attendance during the event, although it was noted that "it was hard to tell who were there for the eclipse and who just kind of stumbled upon it".

Eclipse timing Places experiencing annular eclipse Solar Eclipse of January 4, 1992(Local Times)Country or territory City or placeStart of partial eclipseStart of annular eclipseMaximum eclipseEnd of annular eclipseEnd of partial eclipseDuration of annularity (min:s)Duration of eclipse (hr:min)Maximum coverage Colonia 07:04:48 (sunrise) 07:13:41 07:15:25 07:17:08 08:36:36 3:27 1:32 82.11% Yaren 08:09:27 09:39:50 09:43:43 09:47:38 11:45:17 7:48 3:36 83.63% Tabiteuea 08:18:01 09:59:00 10:04:16 10:09:34 12:16:26 10:34 3:58 84.00% Baker Island 08:34:44 10:32:30 10:36:39 10:40:48 12:51:02 8:18 4:16 84.29% San Bernardino 15:34:19 16:49:33 16:49:50 16:52:46 16:52:46 (sunset) 3:13 1:18 81.97% Moreno Valley 15:34:25 16:49:26 16:50:02 16:52:57 16:52:57 (sunset) 3:31 1:19 81.97% Riverside 15:34:17 16:49:29 16:50:38 16:53:34 16:53:35 (sunset) 4:05 1:19 81.97% Rancho Cucamonga 15:34:04 16:49:39 16:51:03 16:53:59 16:53:59 (sunset) 4:20 1:20 81.97% Ontario 15:34:02 16:49:38 16:51:23 16:54:19 16:54:19 (sunset) 4:41 1:20 81.97% Escondido 15:34:51 16:49:30 16:51:27 16:54:21 16:54:21 (sunset) 4:51 1:20 81.97% Pomona 15:33:57 16:49:40 16:51:48 16:54:44 16:54:45 (sunset) 5:04 1:21 81.97% Santa Clarita 15:33:11 16:51:13 16:52:15 16:53:18 16:57:05 (sunset) 2:05 1:24 81.98% Simi Valley 15:33:02 16:51:08 16:52:15 16:53:24 16:58:20 (sunset) 2:16 1:25 81.99% Thousand Oaks 15:33:01 16:50:48 16:52:18 16:53:48 16:58:48 (sunset) 3:00 1:26 82.00% Glendale 15:33:31 16:50:04 16:52:26 16:54:49 16:56:31 (sunset) 4:45 1:23 81.98% Hollywood 15:33:27 16:50:04 16:52:26 16:54:49 16:56:58 (sunset) 4:45 1:24 81.98% Huntington Beach 15:33:53 16:49:29 16:52:28 16:55:57 16:56:40 (sunset) 6:28 1:23 81.98% Oceanside 15:34:34 16:49:25 16:52:28 16:55:21 16:55:22 (sunset) 5:56 1:21 81.97% Los Angeles 15:33:32 16:49:56 16:52:28 16:55:03 16:56:46 (sunset) 5:07 1:23 81.98% Pasadena 15:33:36 16:50:00 16:52:28 16:54:55 16:56:05 (sunset) 4:55 1:22 81.97% Santa Ana 15:33:58 16:49:29 16:52:28 16:55:56 16:55:59 (sunset) 6:27 1:22 81.97% El Monte 15:33:43 16:49:50 16:52:28 16:55:12 16:55:50 (sunset) 5:22 1:22 81.97% Anaheim 15:33:54 16:49:33 16:52:28 16:55:46 16:55:56 (sunset) 6:13 1:22 81.97% San Diego 15:34:56 16:49:46 16:52:28 16:55:38 16:55:39 (sunset) 5:52 1:21 81.97% Fullerton 15:33:52 16:49:35 16:52:28 16:55:42 16:55:55 (sunset) 6:07 1:22 81.97% Long Beach 15:33:41 16:49:36 16:52:28 16:55:40 16:57:11 (sunset) 6:04 1:24 81.98% Chula Vista 15:35:02 16:49:52 16:52:28 16:55:31 16:55:31 (sunset) 5:39 1:20 81.97% Tijuana 15:35:07 16:50:01 16:52:28 16:55:35 16:55:36 (sunset) 5:34 1:20 81.97% Inglewood 15:33:29 16:49:52 16:52:31 16:55:09 16:57:23 (sunset) 5:17 1:24 81.98% Torrance 15:33:32 16:49:43 16:52:35 16:55:26 16:57:39 (sunset) 5:43 1:24 81.99%References:

Places experiencing partial eclipse Solar Eclipse of January 4, 1992(Local Times)Country or territory City or placeStart of partial eclipseMaximum eclipseEnd of partial eclipseDuration of eclipse (hr:min)Maximum coverage Manokwari 06:03:32 (sunrise) 06:13:11 07:24:05 1:21 48.02% Ngerulmud 06:15:22 (sunrise) 06:17:45 07:31:22 1:16 73.03% Port Moresby 06:12:48 07:18:50 08:37:12 2:24 38.87% Hagåtña 06:45:09 (sunrise) 07:19:55 08:47:42 2:03 74.30% Rabaul 06:06:06 07:21:26 08:54:15 2:48 60.51% Saipan 06:44:13 (sunrise) 07:21:36 08:49:48 2:06 68.20% Buka 06:06:49 07:24:06 08:59:54 2:53 59.62% Arawa 06:07:27 07:25:13 09:01:40 2:54 58.16% Palikir 07:06:02 08:29:54 10:17:08 3:11 78.26% Honiara 07:10:57 08:31:30 10:11:29 3:01 52.87% Port Vila 08:26:57 09:47:50 11:24:17 2:57 34.24% Wake Island 08:30:04 09:56:26 11:44:15 3:14 37.57% Majuro 08:18:00 09:58:47 12:07:19 3:49 67.24% Tokyo 06:51:29 (sunrise) 06:59:15 07:47:07 0:56 20.94% Tarawa 08:16:20 10:00:14 12:11:37 3:55 82.75% Suva 08:37:38 10:09:58 11:55:29 3:18 36.73% Funafuti 08:26:28 10:14:49 12:21:56 3:55 67.66% Nuku'alofa 09:55:13 11:25:17 13:02:13 3:07 27.10% Mata Utu 08:39:10 10:26:35 12:25:00 3:46 51.38% Howland Island 08:34:47 10:36:44 12:51:20 4:17 84.14% Apia 09:49:40 11:39:37 13:34:34 3:45 47.41% Alofi 10:02:51 11:40:33 13:20:59 3:18 30.48% Pago Pago 09:52:55 11:42:29 13:35:35 3:43 45.27% Fakaofo 09:47:16 11:45:52 13:48:04 4:01 61.01% Kiritimati 11:38:34 13:47:53 15:35:29 3:57 73.18% Honolulu 12:10:16 14:09:00 15:47:06 3:37 56.68% Vancouver 15:26:39 16:23:06 16:27:18 (sunset) 1:01 36.31% Hermosillo 16:41:48 17:36:25 17:39:09 (sunset) 0:57 54.27% Mexicali 15:36:23 16:46:06 16:48:59 (sunset) 1:13 77.10% San Francisco 15:29:09 16:49:12 17:03:43 (sunset) 1:35 69.79%References:

Eclipse details Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the Moon's penumbra or umbra attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.

+January 4, 1992 Solar Eclipse Times Event Time (UTC) First Penumbral External Contact 1992 January 04 at 20:04:35.0 UTC First Umbral External Contact 1992 January 04 at 21:13:17.2 UTC First Central Line 1992 January 04 at 21:17:01.0 UTC First Umbral Internal Contact 1992 January 04 at 21:20:46.2 UTC First Penumbral Internal Contact 1992 January 04 at 22:52:57.9 UTC Greatest Duration 1992 January 04 at 22:56:52.3 UTC Greatest Eclipse 1992 January 04 at 23:05:37.0 UTC Ecliptic Conjunction 1992 January 04 at 23:10:33.0 UTC Equatorial Conjunction 1992 January 04 at 23:15:42.7 UTC Last Penumbral Internal Contact 1992 January 04 at 23:18:00.0 UTC Last Umbral Internal Contact 1992 January 05 at 00:50:20.4 UTC Last Central Line 1992 January 05 at 00:54:06.6 UTC Last Umbral External Contact 1992 January 05 at 00:57:51.5 UTC Last Penumbral External Contact 1992 January 05 at 02:06:36.8 UTC

+January 4, 1992 Solar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Eclipse Magnitude 0.91791 Eclipse Obscuration 0.84256 Gamma 0.40908 Sun Right Ascension 19h00m10.0s Sun Declination -22°43'13.0" Sun Semi-Diameter 16'15.9" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.9" Moon Right Ascension 18h59m50.7s Moon Declination -22°21'37.6" Moon Semi-Diameter 14'43.6" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°54'02.8" ΔT 58.3 s

Eclipse season

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.

+ Eclipse season of December 1991–January 1992 December 21Descending node (full moon) January 4Ascending node (new moon) Partial lunar eclipseLunar Saros 115 Annular solar eclipseSolar Saros 141

Related eclipses Eclipses in 1992 An annular solar eclipse on January 4. A partial lunar eclipse on June 15. A total solar eclipse on June 30. A total lunar eclipse on December 9. A partial solar eclipse on December 24.

Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988 Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 24, 1995

Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 22, 1984 Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 1999

Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of December 30, 1982 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 9, 2001

Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 4, 1981 Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 4, 2002

Solar Saros 141 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 24, 1973 Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010

Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 25, 1963 Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020

Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 6, 1905 Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 4, 2078

Solar eclipses of 1990–1992

Saros 141

Metonic series

Tritos series

Inex series

Notes

References

External links

Photos: APOD Ring of Fire Revisited, annular eclipse at sunset