Solar eclipse of March 7, 1970
A total solar eclipse occurred on March 7, 1970, visible across most of North America and Central America.
| Solar eclipse of March 7, 1970 | |
|---|---|
Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | 0.4473 |
| Magnitude | 1.0414 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 208 sec (3 m 28 s) |
| Coordinates | 18.2°N 94.7°W |
| Max. width of band | 153 km (95 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 17:38:30 |
| References | |
| Saros | 139 (27 of 71) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9442 |
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. Occurring only 1.3 days after perigee (Perigee on March 6, 1970, at 09:32 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger than the Sun and thus fulfilled this condition.
Totality was visible across southern Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, the southeast Atlantic coast of the United States, northeast to the Maritimes of eastern Canada, and northern Miquelon-Langlade in the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
Greatest eclipse occurred over Mexico at 11:38 am CST, with totality lasting 3 minutes and 27.65 seconds. Totality over the U.S. lasted up to 3 minutes and 10 seconds. The media declared Perry as the first municipality in Florida to be in the eclipse direct path.
Inclement weather obstructed the viewing from that location and most of the eclipse path through the remainder of the southern states. There will not be an eclipse with a greater duration of totality over the contiguous U.S. until April 8, 2024, a period of 54 years.