Home

What's new

Access to information

Public services

Public forms

Electronic services

Tender notices

Links

Tropical Cyclones

Aviation Weather Services

Marine Meteorological Services

Synchronization of computer clock

Radiation Monitoring, Assessment and Protection

Climatological Information Services

Climate Change

HKO Side Lights

Educational Resources

World Meteorological Day

World Meteorological Organization-Official City Weather Forecasts

World Meteorological Organization-Global Severe Weather

Contact us

Print Version

Back

Different Stages in Solar Eclipse

There are 5 stages in a total solar eclipse:

1. "Eclipse Begins" - instant of first external tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the start of partial solar eclipse;
2. "Total Eclipse Begins" - instant of first internal tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the start of total solar eclipse;
3. "Maximum Eclispe" - when the centre of the Moon is closest to the centre of the Sun;
4. "Total Eclipse Ends" - instant of last internal tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the end of the total solar eclipse;
5. "Eclipse Ends" - instant of last external tangency between the Moon and the Sun, this is the end of a partial solar eclipse.

During an annular eclipse, there would be "Annular Eclipse Begins" and "Annular Eclipse Ends" instead of the "Total Eclipse Begins" and "Total Eclipse Ends" while in a partial solar eclipse, there would be no "Total Solar Eclipse Begins" and "Total Solar Eclipse Ends".