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Annular
Eclipse in Costa Rica.
(December 14, 2001)
On December 14th, an eclipse of the Sun will be visible from
much of the Americas and the Pacific Ocean. From some locations,
more than 96% of the Sun will be hidden by the Moon.
The eclipse
will be partial for most observers throughout this region
including the United States, Southern
Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Northern South
America and the Pacific Ocean. One
of the best places in the world to view the Eclipse is in
the tropical paradise of Costa Rica.
This
type of eclipse last happened 28 years ago and will occur
again on October 14, 2023. The amazing experience that will
last only 3 minutes and nineteen seconds will take you through
a wide variety of emotions… surprise, fear, cold, disorientation,
and hope.
During
this period of time, the moon blocks 97% of the sunlight and
looks like the sun disappears or had been swallowed by a black
hole.
Time and duration
The eclipse
will start at 3:13 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean and will end
at the sunset. That's why it's highly recommended to watch
from the beach or volcanic areas of Costa Rica. The beaches
are the best places to enjoy the whole experience because
you can see the entire path that makes the shadow while it's
approaching the sun.
Best locations for viewing the eclipse
The best
locations for viewing the eclipse are the North Pacific Coast of Costa
Rica.
There are a number
of beautiful beaches in this area, including Tamarindo, Playas del Coco,
Flamingo, Playa Nosara and Punta
Islita,where you can find a wide variety of hotels with
a wide range of accommodations.
The Arenal Volcano and its surroundings
are also considered a hot spot to view the phenomenon. One
of the best locations will be at the La
Mansion Arenal Inn.
Recommendations
To enjoy
the experience it's very important to take some precautions.
First of all never look directly at the sun with the naked
eye or through binoculars or telescopes unless those are equipped
with certified solar filters. For a normal view you have to
use also a certified solar filter. It is highly recommended
to view in five second intervals, with twenty second breaks
between each viewing period.
For more
information about Hotels, Tours or Rentals in Costa Rica,
visit: www.crica.com
The
following detailed information on the eclipse has been provided
courtesy of NASA.
The
Annular Eclipse
This
eclipse is actually a special kind of partial eclipse called
an annular eclipse. During an annular eclipse, the Moon passes
directly in front of the Sun but is unable to completely cover
it because the Moon's disk appears smaller than the Sun. The
annular phase of the eclipse can only be seen from a very
narrow track called the path of annularity. Although December's
annular path is nearly 13,000 kilometers long, it is only
124 to 177 kilometers wide.
The
annular path begins at 19:08 UT2 near the International
Date Line approximately 3000 kilometers northwest of the Hawaiian
Islands. Unfortunately, the path misses the island chain and
passes about 500 kilometers to its south. Still, the islands
enjoy a deep partial eclipse with a magnitude3
exceeding 0.8.
Traveling
along a southeastern track, the annular path begins curving
northward as it reaches the Equator. Greatest eclipse4
occurs at 20:51:56 UT just half a degree north of the Equator.
The duration of the annular phase will last for 3m53s, but
the event takes place in open ocean with no landfall in sight.
As
the annular path swings to the northeast, it finally makes
its only major landfall as it quickly crosses the Central
American nations of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Mid-annularity
occurs along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica at 22:32 UT during
the late afternoon. The Sun will stand 11° above the southwestern
horizon during an annular phase lasting 3m19s. The corresponding
eclipse magnitude and obscuration (fraction of Sun's surface)
will be 0.956 and 0.915, respectively. Costa Rica's capital
city of San Jose actually lies just inside the southern limit
where mid-annularity occurs at 23:33 UT.
Several
minutes later, the path ends at sunset in the Caribbean at
22:35:53 UT. Over the course of 3 hours and 28 minutes, the
Moon's annular shadow travels along a path approximately 12,900
kilometers long and covering 0.4% of Earth's surface area.
Read the other
features:
For more information
on visiting Costa Rica to view this spectacular event please
visit Costa Rica’s TravelWEB @ www.crica.com, or by calling our toll free number
at 1-800-788-7857 or 1-866-822-2269.
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