Solar Eclipses are events that can only be observed in narrow paths where the Moon’s shadow passes along the Earth. Observers usually travel long distances in order to position themselves along the shadow’s path.
The May 30, 1984 annular eclipse along the southeast US was a very unusual eclipse. The Sun was never completely covered like a total eclipse and yet the annular ring was not complete either. The apparent angular size of the Sun and Moon were so close that the mountains on the Moon were high enough to break the annular ring and Sun light could still pass through the valleys between the mountains. The central path was only about 5 miles wide so it was critical to use accurate maps to make sure we would see the Moon pass through the center of the Sun. It only took 11 seconds for the Moon to pass from tangent on one side to tangent on the other side of the Sun.
The May 30, 1984 annular eclipse along the southeast US was a very unusual eclipse. The Sun was never completely covered like a total eclipse and yet the annular ring was not complete either. The apparent angular size of the Sun and Moon were so close that the mountains on the Moon were high enough to break the annular ring and Sun light could still pass through the valleys between the mountains. The central path was only about 5 miles wide so it was critical to use accurate maps to make sure we would see the Moon pass through the center of the Sun. It only took 11 seconds for the Moon to pass from tangent on one side to tangent on the other side of the Sun.