Eclipses 2023

In 2023, there will be four eclipses: two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses

Date Type Visibility
20 April 2023 Solar eclipse, successively annular, total and annular Invisible in Belgium
5 May 2023 Penumbral lunar eclipse Partially visible in Belgium
14 October 2023 Annular solar eclipse Invisible in Belgium
28 October 2023 Partial lunar eclipse Visible in Belgium

I – 20 April 2023 – Solar eclipse, successively annular, total and annular, invisible in Belgium

Phase Universal time Longitude Latitude
Eclipse begins 01h34,4 075 38 E 40 18 S
Annular eclipse begins 02h37,1 063 15 E 48 32 S
Central eclipse begins 02h37,1 063 37 E 48 27 S
Total eclipse begins 02h37,3 067 57 E 47 29 S
Central eclipse at local apparent noon 03h55,6 120 52 E 14 50 S
Maximum of the eclipse 04h12,6 124 49 E 10 36 S
End of the total eclipse 05h55,5 173 43 E 04 14 N
End of the central eclipse 05h56,6 178 49 W 02 55 N
End of the annular eclipse 05h56,7 178 34 W 02 53 N
End of the eclipse 06h59,4 167 29 E 11 12 N

The map below shows the region where the eclipse is observable. The explanation of the codes used can be found at the bottom of the page.

The duration of the totality phase along the centrality line will reach a maximum of 1m 21s at a point located at 126° of longitude east and 10° of latitude south. The duration of the annular phase along the line of centrality will be maximum at the end of the eclipse (9s).

II – 5 May 2023 – Penumbral lunar eclipse, partially visible in Belgium

Phase Universal Time Longitude Latitude Position angle Altitude at Uccle/Ukkel
Penumbral eclipse begins 15h12,1 129 39 E 16 46 S 072 E
Maximum of the eclipse 17h23,0 098 01 E 17 15 S 023 E
Moonrise at Uccle/Ukkel 19h20,5 069 38 E 17 40 S 337 E 0
Penumbral eclipse ends 19h33,8 066 26 E 17 42 S 334 E +02

The longitude and the latitude refer to the point on Earth where the Moon is at that time at its zenith. The position angle is defined from the imaginary line that connects the center of the lunar disc to the center of the Earth’s shadow. It is measured at the center of the lunar disc, from the North, in an anti-clockwise direction. At the beginning and at the end of the penumbra and shadow phases, it is the position angle of the contact point. The altitude and times of the Moon’s rise and fall are calculated for its center, without taking refraction into account.

Magnitude of the eclipse: 0.989, the diameter of the lunar disk being taken as the unit.

The map below shows the region where the eclipse is observable. The explanation of the codes used can be found at the bottom of the page.

III – 14 October 2023 – Annular solar eclipse, invisible in Belgium

Phase Universal time Longitude Latitude
Eclipse begins 15h03,8 132 32 W 41 19 N
Annular eclipse begins 16h10,2 146 54 W 49 00 N
Central eclipse begins 16h12,4 146 55 W 49 21 N

Central eclipse at the local apparent noon
17h36,6 087 40 W 16 58 N
Maximum of the eclipse 18h03,4 082 20 W 10 27 N
End of the central eclipse 19h46,8 029 23 W 05 41 S
End of the annular eclipse 19h49,0 029 37 W 06 03 S
Fin de l’éclipse 20h55,3 045 01 W 13 44 S

The map below shows the region where the eclipse is observable. The explanation of the codes used can be found at the bottom of the page.

The duration of the annular phase along the centrality line will reach a maximum of 5m 13s at a point located at 80° of longitude west and 8° of latitude north.

IV – 28 October 2023 – Partial lunar eclipse, visible in Belgium

Phase Universal time Longitude Latitude Position angle Altitude at Uccle/Ukkel
Penumbral eclipse begins 17h59,9 084 25 E 13 31 N 102 E +16
Partial eclipse begins 19h34,4 061 35 E 13 55 N 134 E +30
Maximum of the eclipse 20h14,0 052 02 E 14 05 N 155 E +36
Partial eclipse ends 20h53,6 042 28 E 14 15 N 176 E +42
Penumbral eclipse ends 22h28,3 019 37 E 14 38 N 208 E +51

The longitude and the latitude refer to the point on Earth where the Moon is at that time at its zenith. The position angle is defined from the imaginary line that connects the center of the lunar disc to the center of the Earth’s shadow. It is measured at the center of the lunar disc, from the North, in an anti-clockwise direction. At the beginning and at the end of the penumbra and shadow phases, it is the position angle of the contact point. The altitude and times of the Moon’s rise and fall are calculated for its center, without taking refraction into account.

Magnitude of the eclipse: 0.128, the diameter of the lunar disk being taken as the unit.

The map below shows the region where the eclipse is observable. The explanation of the codes used can be found at the bottom of the page.

Explanations:

The codes used on the maps to indicate the moon eclipse visibility are: entry into the darkness is visible in regions 1 to 6, entry into the darkness in regions 2 to 7, the beginning of the totality in regions 3 to 8. The exits of the totality, the shadow and the penumbra are respectively observable in regions 4 to 9, 5 to 10, and 6 to 11. In region 6, the entire eclipse can be observed, in regions 5 to 7 the umbral phases are observable; in regions 4 to 8 the totality is fully visible.

On solar eclipse visibility maps, the following codes are used:

“P”: Partial eclipse of the Sun, visible.
“p”: Partial eclipse of the Sun, partly visible.
“R”: Annular eclipse, whose annular phase is fully observable.
“r”: Annular eclipse, whose annular phase is partially observable.
“T”: Total eclipse, whose totality phase is fully observable.
“t”: Total eclipse, whose totality phase is partially observable.

The basic data used to write the eclipse chapter were borrowed from the DE405 digital integration, kindly provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. To move from Terrestrial Time (TT) to Universal Time (UT), the following provisional relationship was used:

 

UT = TT – 69.0 s