Solar eclipse of February 26, 1998

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Thursday, February 26, 1998, with a magnitude of 1.0441. 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. Totality was visible in the Galápagos Islands, Panama, Colombia, the Paraguaná Peninsula in northwestern Venezuela, all of Aruba, most of Curaçao and the northwestern tip of Bonaire (belonging to Netherlands Antilles which dissolved later), all of Montserrat, Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda.

Observations
Jay Pasachoff led a team from Williams College, Massachusetts to Aruba and studied the rapid oscillations of the corona and coronal temperature, and also recorded coronal and other solar images in the visible and infrared parts of the spectrum. The team also photographed the corona using the same green filter onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, providing calibration for the spacecraft. Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center also observed it in Aruba. Clouds gradually gathered at the beginning of the eclipse, and it rained for a while. This was the first precipitation on the island in 6 months. Later, the sky gradually cleared up and totality was successfully seen. The wind speed on the island was often larger than 30 knots.

A team of the Johnson Space Center observed the eclipse in Curaçao. Curaçao got the first precipitation in 4 months on the morning of the eclipse day, but it gradually cleared up afterwards. During the totality, the sky was completely clear. The corona was extending in the east-west direction, and helmet streamers could be seen at the poles of the sun.

In popular culture
The 2001 Japanese film Orozco the Embalmer briefly featured the total eclipse as seen from Colombia.

Eclipses in 1998

 * A total solar eclipse on February 26, 1998.
 * A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 13, 1998.
 * A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 8, 1998.
 * An annular solar eclipse on August 22, 1998.
 * A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 6, 1998.

Metonic

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 10, 1994
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 14, 2001

Tzolkinex

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 15, 1991
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 8, 2005

Half-Saros

 * Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of February 20, 1989
 * Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007

Tritos

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 29, 1987
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 26, 2009

Solar Saros 130

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 16, 1980
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016

Inex

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 18, 1969
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 6, 2027

Triad

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1911
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 27, 2084

Sites and Photos

 * Venezuela. Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site
 * Aruba. Prof. Druckmüller's eclipse photography site
 * Solar Corona Shape
 * APOD 3/11/1998, A Total Eclipse of the Sun, totality from Venezuela.
 * APOD 3/12/1998, Moon Shadow satellite animation, 2/1998.
 * The 1998 Eclipse in Venezuela

Videos

 * Total eclipse, 1998 February 26, Venezuela
 * Aruba Eclipse - February 26, 1998
 * Maracaibo eclipse solar 1998