The first solar eclipse in 2012 will be an annular solar eclipse on May 20–21. This is the first annular eclipse visible from the United States in 18 years. The eclipse will also be seen from eastern Asia and the northern Pacific. It starts in Asia and ends in the US.
All eclipses for years 1900 – 2100
This eclipse was visible in Tokyo - go to local timings and animation
Where the Eclipse Was Seen
Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.
Path of the Eclipse Shadow
Regions that saw, at least, a partial eclipse: North/East Europe, Much of Asia, Much of North America, Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic.
This eclipse was visible in Tokyo - go to local timings and animation
Eclipse Shadow Path
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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.
When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide — Timeline
The eclipse started at one location and ended at another. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the eclipse occurred. This calculation uses a Delta T value of 66.7 seconds.
| Eclipse Stages Worldwide | UTC Time | Local Time in Tokyo* |
|---|---|---|
| First location to see the partial eclipse begin | 5月20日 (日)20時56分07秒 | 5月21日 (月)5時56分07秒 |
| First location to see the full eclipse begin | 5月20日 (日)22時06分19秒 | 5月21日 (月)7時06分19秒 |
| Maximum Eclipse | 5月20日 (日)23時52分47秒 | 5月21日 (月)8時52分47秒 |
| Last location to see the full eclipse end | 5月21日 (月)1時39分11秒 | 5月21日 (月)10時39分11秒 |
| Last location to see the partial eclipse end | 5月21日 (月)2時49分23秒 | 5月21日 (月)11時49分23秒 |
* These local times do not refer to a specific location but indicate the beginning, peak, and end of the eclipse on a global scale, each line referring to a different location. Please note that the local times for Tokyo are meant as a guideline in case you want to view the eclipse via a live webcam. See the actual times the eclipse is visible in Tokyo.
Upcoming eclipses visible in Tokyo
Next Annular Solar Eclipse will be on 5月9日 (木) – 2013年5月10日 (金)
Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds
Countries Where the Eclipse Is Visible
| Country | Type | Start of Eclipse | End of Eclipse |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 5時09分 CST | 11時14分 VLAT | |
| Hong Kong | 5時40分 HKT | 7時16分 CST | |
| Japan | 6時04分 JST | 9時26分 JST | |
| Macau | 5時43分 CST | 7時16分 CST | |
| Taiwan | 5時06分 CST | 7時24分 CST | |
| United States | 12時15分 HST | 19時43分 PDT | |
| Vietnam | 5時07分 ICT | 6時16分 ICT | |
| Bangladesh | 5時05分 BST | 5時21分 BST | |
| Bhutan | 5時02分 BTT | 7時22分 CST | |
| Brunei | 6時05分 BNT | 6時50分 BNT | |
| Cambodia | 5時21分 ICT | 6時06分 ICT | |
| Canada | 15時25分 AKDT | 19時25分 PDT | |
| East Timor | 6時36分 TLT | 7時08分 TLT | |
| Finland | 2時22分 EEST | 3時15分 EEST | |
| Greenland | 21時34分 WGST | 22時12分 ADT | |
| Guam | 7時00分 ChST | 9時15分 ChST | |
| India | 6時38分 CST | 7時22分 CST | |
| Indonesia | 6時03分 WIT | 5時52分 WIB | |
| Kazakhstan | 4時21分 ALMT | 4時48分 UZT | |
| Kyrgyzstan | 5時15分 ALMT | 5時37分 ALMT | |
| Laos | 5時19分 ICT | 6時15分 ICT | |
| Malaysia | 5時48分 MYT | 5時57分 ICT | |
| Marshall Islands | 9時45分 | 11時39分 | |
| Mexico | 17時28分 PDT | 19時43分 PDT | |
| Micronesia | 6時57分 CHUT | 9時00分 CHUT | |
| Mongolia | 5時39分 ULAT | 9時55分 YAKT | |
| Myanmar | 6時34分 CST | 7時21分 CST | |
| Nepal | 7時17分 CST | 5時08分 NPT | |
| North Korea | 6時23分 KST | 9時00分 KST | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 7時00分 ChST | 9時36分 ChST | |
| Norway | 1時21分 CEST | 2時35分 CEST | |
| Palau | 5時57分 | 7時54分 | |
| Papua New Guinea | 7時23分 PGT | 8時10分 PGT | |
| Philippines | 5時12分 | 7時17分 | |
| Russia | 8時31分 VLAT | 13時31分 ANAT | |
| South Korea | 6時16分 KST | 8時53分 JST | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | --- | --- | |
| Sweden | 2時27分 EEST | 2時17分 CEST | |
| Thailand | 5時27分 ICT | 5時43分 MMT | |
| US Minor Outlying Islands | 9時34分 WAKT | 14時33分 SST |
All times shown in this table are local time. (Note: more than one time zone is listed.)
How Many People Can See This Eclipse?
| Number of People Seeing... | Number of People* | Fraction of World Population |
|---|---|---|
| Any part of the eclipse | 2,320,000,000 | 32.42% |
| At least 10% partial | 2,060,000,000 | 28.82% |
| At least 20% partial | 1,910,000,000 | 26.75% |
| At least 30% partial | 1,820,000,000 | 25.51% |
| At least 40% partial | 1,730,000,000 | 24.26% |
| At least 50% partial | 1,660,000,000 | 23.24% |
| At least 60% partial | 1,410,000,000 | 19.69% |
| At least 70% partial | 923,000,000 | 12.90% |
| At least 80% partial | 527,000,000 | 7.37% |
| Totality or annularity | 238,000,000 | 3.33% |
* The number of people refers to the resident population (as a round number) in areas where the eclipse is visible. timeanddate has calculated these numbers using raw population data provided by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The raw data is based on population estimates from the year 2000 to 2020.
An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.
This is the first eclipse this season.
Second eclipse this season: 2012年6月4日月曜日 — Partial Lunar Eclipse