A total

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...

occurred on March 29, 2006. A solar eclipse occurs when the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

passes between

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

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 The angular diameter, angular size, apparent diameter, or apparent size is an angular distance describing how large a sphere or circle appears from a given point of view. In the vision sciences, it is called the visual angle, and in optics, it is ...

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. It was visible from a narrow corridor which traversed half the

. The magnitude, that is, the ratio between the apparent sizes of the Moon and that of the Sun, was 1.052, and it was part of Saros 139. It was the second solar eclipse visible in Africa in just 6 months.

Visibility

The path of totality of the

's shadow began at sunrise in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and extended across the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, traveling across

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, the southeastern tip of

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesChad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

, and a small corner of northwest

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, from there across the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

(

Kastellórizo Kastellorizo or Castellorizo (; el, Καστελλόριζο, Kastellórizo), officially Megisti ( ''Megísti''), is a Greek island and municipality of the Dodecanese in the Eastern Mediterranean.Bertarelli, 131 It lies roughly off the south ...

) and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, then across the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

via Georgia,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, and

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

to Western

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, where it ended at sunset. A

partial eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...

was seen from the much broader path of the

penumbra The umbra, penumbra and antumbra are three distinct parts of a shadow, created by any light source after impinging on an opaque object. Assuming no diffraction, for a collimated beam (such as a point source) of light, only the umbra is cast. Th ...

, including the northern two-thirds of

, the whole of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

Observations

People around the world gathered in areas where the eclipse was visible to view the event. The

Manchester Astronomical Society The Manchester Astronomical Society is an organisation that promotes popular and amateur astronomy in North West England. It is one of the oldest provincial astronomical societies in England. The Society is based in the Godlee Observatory loca ...

, the Malaysian Space Agency, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, as well as dozens of tour groups met at the Apollo temple and the theater in

Side Side or Sides may refer to: Geometry * Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape) * Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape) Places * Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece * Side (Caria), a town of ...

. The San Francisco

Exploratorium The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California. Characterized as "a mad scientist's penny arcade, a scientific funhouse, and an experimental laboratory all rolled into one", the participatory natur ...

featured a live webcast from the site, where thousands of observers were seated in the ancient, Roman-style theater. Almost all actively visited areas in the path of totality had perfect weather. Many observers reported an unusually beautiful eclipse, with many or all effects visible, and a very nice corona, despite the proximity to the solar minimum. The partial phase of the eclipse was also visible from the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

, where the astronauts on board took spectacular pictures of the moon's shadow on

's surface. It initially appeared as though an orbit correction set for the middle of March would bring the ISS into the path of totality, but this correction was postponed.

Gallery

Image:Eclipse 2006 - Nkanfoa, Ghana 3 (120171855).jpg,

Cape Coast, Ghana Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, ...

(9:10 UTC) Image:Libye Eclipse 700.jpg, Murzuq District, Libya (10:16 UTC) Image:Eclipse Sol 290306 Valencia.jpg,

Valencia, Spain Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area also ...

(10:16 UTC) Image:Eclipse on 2006-03-29 (18215576834).jpg, Oria, Italy (10:39 UTC) Image:Eclipse fromISS 2006-03-29.jpg, The

's shadow as seen from the

(10:50 UTC) Image:Eclipse 29032006.jpg,

Berkhamsted, England Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new to ...

(11:01 UTC) Image:Sun eclipse from a window in Marousi, Athens (121762574).jpg,

Marousi, Greece Marousi or Maroussi ( el, Μαρούσι, also Αμαρούσιο ''Amarousio'') is a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was Athmon ...

(11:01 UTC) Image:Eclipse krasnoyarsk 29 03 2006.jpg,

Krasnoyarsk, Russia Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yeni ...

(11:20 UTC) Image:Zatm lagan.jpg,

Lagan, Russia Lagan (russian: Лага́нь, ; xal-RU, Лагань, ''Lagaň'', ) is a town and the administrative center of Lagansky District in the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia, located a few kilometers from the Caspian Sea. Population: In terms of popul ...

(11:23 UTC) Image:Eclipsenovosib.jpg,

Novosibirsk, Russia Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...

(11:42 UTC) Image:Nirats - Eclipse (by-sa).jpg, Kathmandu, Nepal (12:01 UTC) Image:20060329sequence.jpg,

Degania A Degania Alef ( he, דְּגַנְיָה א', ) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. The Jewish communal settlement (''kvutza'') started off in 1910, making it the earliest socialist Zionist farming commune in the Land of Israel. Its status as "the ...

, Israel: Partial Solar Eclipse File:Animation eclipse.gif, Animation from Sallum, Egypt

Satellite failure

The satellite responsible for

SKY Network Television Sky Network Television Limited, more commonly known as Sky, is a New Zealand broadcasting company that provides pay television services via satellite television, satellite, media streaming services and broadband internet services. It is also a ...

, a New Zealand pay TV company, failed the day after this eclipse at around 1900 local time. While SKY didn't directly attribute the failure to the eclipse, they said in a media release that it took longer to resolve the issue because of it, but this claim was refuted by astronomers. The main reason for the failure was because of an aging and increasingly faulty satellite.Press release by Sky TV
Solar eclipse interferes with satellite restoration
Friday, 31 March 2006.

Related eclipses

Eclipses of 2006

* A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 14. * A total solar eclipse on March 29. * A partial lunar eclipse on September 7. * An annular solar eclipse on September 22. This solar eclipse was preceded by the penumbral lunar eclipse on March 14, 2006.

Tzolkinex

* Preceded:

Solar eclipse of February 16, 1999 An annular solar eclipse occurred on February 16, 1999. 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 ...

* Followed: Solar eclipse of May 10, 2013

Half-Saros

* Preceded: Lunar eclipse of March 24, 1997 * Followed: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 2015

Tritos

* Preceded:

Solar eclipse of April 29, 1995 An annular solar eclipse occurred on April 29, 1995. 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 Mo ...

* Followed:

Solar eclipse of February 26, 2017 An annular solar eclipse took place on February 26, 2017. 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 t ...

Solar Saros 139

* Preceded:

Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988 A total solar eclipse occurred on March 18, 1988. 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 a ...

* Followed:

Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 A total solar eclipse will take place at the Moon's ascending node on Monday, April 8, 2024, visible across North America and dubbed the Great North American Eclipse (also Great American Total Solar Eclipse and Great American Eclipse) by some of ...

Inex

* Preceded:

Solar eclipse of April 18, 1977 An annular solar eclipse took place at the Moon's descending node of the orbit on Monday, April 18, 1977. 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 viewe ...

* Followed:

Solar eclipse of March 9, 2035 An annular solar eclipse will occur on March 9, 2035. 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 M ...

Solar eclipses 2004–2007

Saros 139

Inex series

Metonic series

Notes

References

* Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. "
Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29
'".

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

Technical publication (NASA/TP-2004-212762), November 2004.
NASA – Total Solar Eclipse of 2006 March 29

solar-eclipse-2006.info Information about the March 29th Solar Eclipse.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060114090539/http://www.eclipse.za.net/html/2006_maps.html Eclipse.za.net Umbral Paths of March 29 Eclipse in Africa Photos:
Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site. Turkey, Cappadocia

Total eclipse photographs from Turkey

Another set of total eclipse photographs from Turkey

Photo gallery from Turkey

Phases of solar eclipse view from Antalya

Pictures taken from Smolyan, Bulgaria

NASA video of eclipse

Solar eclipse images and videos from Libya by traveling NASA employees and scientists

Images by Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society from Libya and Turkey

APOD, March 30, 2006, When Diamonds Aren't Forever, totality from Greek island of Kastelorizo in the eastern Aegean
Antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov
APOD, April 4, 2006, A Total Solar Eclipse over Turkey, totality from

Adrasan, Kumluca Adrasan, also known as Çavuşköy, is a village in the District of Kumluca, Antalya Province, Turkey. A collection of smaller villages and hamlets, Adrasan extends along a 2.5 Kilometer stretch of coast - most of which is sand and shingle beach ...

Antalya Province Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visit ...

, Turkey
Antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov
APOD, April 7, 2006, totality from

, Turkey, a larger version of the same picture chosen as APOD again on July 26, 2009
The Big Corona

APOD, April 8, 2006, Vanishing Umbra, from

Mount Hasan Mount Hasan ( tr, Hasan Dağı) is a volcano in Anatolia, Turkey. It has two summits, the high eastern Small Hasan Dagi and the high Big Hasan Dagi, and rises about above the surrounding terrain. It consists of various volcanic deposits, includ ...

southeast of

İncesu, Aksaray İncesu is a village in the Aksaray District, Aksaray Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,654 (2021). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde'').

, Turkey
The 2006 Eclipse in Turkey

University of Athens – Solar Eclipse 29/3/2006, Solar Party

29 March 2006 Total Solar Eclipse, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK)
Solar Eclipse over Kemer, Turkey 060329

External links

{{Solar eclipses 2006 03 29 2006 in science 2006 03 29 March 2006 events 2006 in Ghana 2006 in Togo 2006 in Benin 2006 in Nigeria 2006 in Niger 2006 in Chad 2006 in Libya 2006 in Egypt 2006 in Turkey 2006 in Georgia (country) 2006 in Russia 2006 in Kazakhstan