| Solar eclipse of June 20, 1974 | |
|---|---|
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Total |
| Gamma | −0.8239 |
| Magnitude | 1.0592 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 309 s (5 min 9 s) |
| Coordinates | 32°06′S 103°42′E / 32.1°S 103.7°E |
| Max. width of band | 344 km (214 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 4:48:04 |
| References | |
| Saros | 146 (25 of 76) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9452 |
A total solar eclipse occurred on June 20, 1974. 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.
The path of totality passed over the Indian Ocean, Amsterdam Island, and Western Australia. The partial eclipse was visible from Madagascar, Indonesia, Australia, and the southwestern coast of South Island, New Zealand.[1]
This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[2]
Note: Partial solar eclipses on February 25, 1971 and August 20, 1971 occur in the next lunar year set.
| Solar eclipse series sets from 1971 to 1974 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Descending node | Ascending node | |||||
| Saros | Map | Gamma | Saros | Map | Gamma | |
| 116 |  1971 July 22 Partial |
1.51298 | 121 |  1972 January 16 Annular |
−0.93651 | |
| 126 |  1972 July 10 Total |
0.68719 | 131 |  1973 January 4 Annular |
−0.26441 | |
| 136 |  1973 June 30 Total |
−0.07853 | 141 |  1973 December 24 Annular |
0.41710 | |
| 146 | 1974 June 20 Total |
−0.82388 | 151 |  1974 December 13 Partial |
1.07974 | |
It is a part of Saros cycle 146, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 76 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on September 19, 1541. It contains total eclipses from May 29, 1938 through October 7, 2154, hybrid eclipses from October 17, 2172 through November 20, 2226, and annular eclipses from December 1, 2244 through August 10, 2659. The series ends at member 76 as a partial eclipse on December 29, 2893. The longest duration of totality was 5 minutes, 21 seconds on June 30, 1992.
| Series members 21-37 occur between 1901 and 2200: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 22 | 23 |
 May 7, 1902 |
 May 18, 1920 |
 May 29, 1938 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 |
 June 8, 1956 |
June 20, 1974 |
 June 30, 1992 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 |
 July 11, 2010 |
 July 22, 2028 |
 August 2, 2046 |
| 30 | 31 | 32 |
 August 12, 2064 |
 August 24, 2082 |
 September 4, 2100 |
| 33 | 34 | 35 |
 September 15, 2118 |
 September 26, 2136 |
 October 7, 2154 |
| 36 | 37 | |
 October 17, 2172 |
 October 29, 2190 | |
The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days).
| 22 eclipse events, progressing from north to south between April 8, 1902 and August 31, 1989: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 7–8 | January 24–25 | November 12 | August 31-September 1 | June 19–20 |
| 108 | 114 | 116 | ||
 April 8, 1902 |
 August 31, 1913 |
 June 19, 1917 | ||
| 118 | 120 | 122 | 124 | 126 |
 April 8, 1921 |
 January 24, 1925 |
 November 12, 1928 |
 August 31, 1932 |
 June 19, 1936 |
| 128 | 130 | 132 | 134 | 136 |
 April 7, 1940 |
 January 25, 1944 |
 November 12, 1947 |
 September 1, 1951 |
 June 20, 1955 |
| 138 | 140 | 142 | 144 | 146 |
 April 8, 1959 |
 January 25, 1963 |
 November 12, 1966 |
 August 31, 1970 |
June 20, 1974 |
| 148 | 150 | 152 | 154 | |
 April 7, 1978 |
 January 25, 1982 |
 November 12, 1985 |
 August 31, 1989 | |
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