Local Circumstances Tables
Local circumstances for approximately 940 cities, metropolitan
areas and places in the Western Hemisphere, Europe and Africa
are presented in
Tables
9 through 21. In addition, local circumstances
for 118 astronomical observatories listed in the Astronomical
Almanac for 1996 are given in
Table 22.
These tables give
the local circumstances at each contact and at maximum eclipse
for every location. The coordinates are listed along with the
location's elevation (meters) above sea-level, if known. If the
elevation is unknown (i.e. - not in the data base), then the local
circumstances for that location are calculated at sea-level. In
any case, the elevation does not play a significant role in the
predictions unless the location is near the umbral path limits
and the Sun's altitude is relatively small (<10°). The
Universal Time of each contact is given to the nearest second,
along with position angles P and V and the altitude
of the Sun. The position angles identify the point along the Sun's
disk where each contact occurs and are measured counter-clockwise
(i.e. - eastward) from the north and zenith points, respectively.
Locations outside the umbral path miss the umbral eclipse and
only witness first and fourth contacts. The Universal Time of
maximum eclipse (either partial or total) is listed to the nearest
second. Next, the position angles P and V of
the Moon's disk with respect to the Sun are given, followed by the
altitude and azimuth of the Sun at maximum eclipse. Finally, the
corresponding eclipse magnitude and obscuration are listed. For
umbral eclipses (both annular and total), the eclipse magnitude
is identical to the topocentric ratio of the Moon's and Sun's
apparent diameters. The eclipse magnitude is always less than
1 for annular eclipses and equal to or greater than 1 for total
eclipses. The final column gives the duration of totality if this
location lies in the path of the Moon's umbral shadow. The effects
of refraction have not been included in these calculations, nor
have there been any corrections for center of figure or the lunar
limb profile.
Locations were chosen based on general geographic distribution,
population, and proximity to the path. The primary source for
geographic coordinates is The New International Atlas (Rand
McNally, 1991). Elevations for major cities were taken from Climates
of the World (U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1972). The coordinates
for astronomical observatories are from the Astronomical Almanac
for 1996. In this rapidly changing political world, it is
often difficult to ascertain the correct name or spelling for
a given location. Therefore, the information presented here is
for location purposes only and is not meant to be authoritative.
Furthermore, it does not imply recognition of status of any location
by the United States Government. Corrections to names, spellings,
coordinates and elevations is solicited in order to update the
geographic data base for future eclipse predictions.
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