Solar eclipse of June 1, 2011
In the solar eclipse of June 1, 2011, there was a partial eclipse, the earth was so taken only from the half shadow of the moon. The visibility area was restricted to the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The eclipse was the 68th of 72 Sonnenfinsternisen in the Saros cycle number 118 In the four remaining lichens eclipses this cycle, the visibility area will be smaller and smaller until the moon penumbra at the 72nd darkness the earth for the last time - back in the far north - true.
In a total solar eclipse the umbra of the moon (about 130 km radius maximum) meets the Earth's surface. In areas that are taken from the surrounding penumbra (about 3400 km radius), the sun is seen partially covered. From a purely partial eclipse is spoken, if the moon is full at any observation of the Earth from the sun and thus only the penumbra of the Moon reaches the earth.
In the solar eclipse of June 1, 2011, the distance of the shadow axis of the Earth's surface was about 1350 km. The umbra of the moon no longer met the earth as with the two in the cycle preceding eclipses, probably still well be semi-shade.
Because the north polar day prevailed and the penumbra cone hit the Earth in the north, the sun appeared over the North Pole away and also shed light on the northern part of the actual night side of the earth. Thus, this part was darkened by the penumbra of the moon, which led to the unusual situation that even in the most part of the observation area did not migrate the shadow area in the normal way from west to east but in the opposite direction. The maximum coverage of 60% of the sun was just north of the Arctic Circle to watch at about 68 ° latitude in the Barents Sea. The standing on the northern horizon sun was - as usual from right to left - but unusual from east to west progressively covered.
The penumbra reached Earth at 19:25:18 UT (Universal Time ). The darkness began in northern China, where she was seen during sunrise, according to local time there was already June 2nd. The penumbra wandered on in a westerly direction, reaching in the north- west of Siberia the coast of the Arctic Ocean, where the eclipse occurred during the midnight sun. The darkness continued during the polar day over Greenland and Iceland. In Reykjavík, the size has been reached 0.462, the end of darkness was there just before sunset. Also in Alaska and northern Canada, the eclipse was visible before the penumbra at 23:06:56 UT left the earth in the Atlantic again north of Newfoundland.
The day-night line with the night in the south of China was starting over Japan to the northeast to Alaska and further east - south- east across Canada to Newfoundland. In the previous eclipse of January 4, 2011 ruled in the north polar night. The sun was not over the North Pole. The night was north of the day-night line, and the darkness took place across North Africa, Europe and the western part of Asia in mid-latitudes. It was by far more people than watched the eclipse of June 1. The shadow area was because of the earth nearer the axis of the moon's shadow also larger.
Until the next solar eclipse on July 1 took just one month. This is the shortest possible time interval between two solar eclipses, because solar eclipses are possible only at new moon. Two solar eclipses are a direct result of the " ideal setting " for a lunar eclipse totality high. Such was held with 100 minutes totality on 15 June 2011. In Central Europe, the moon was already darkened, the totality was not here full time observable.