Solar eclipse of January 16, 1972

An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Sunday, January 16, 1972, with a magnitude of 0.9692. 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. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide.

The areas included were the whole of Antarctica, a part of the southernmost portion of South America much of it in Argentina and a smaller part of Chile, much of it in the region of Patagonia, also it included New Amsterdam and the southern islands of the Indian Ocean,. The annular eclipse took place in western, southern and eastern Antarctica with its greatest eclipse in the eastcentral portion of the continent near the 75th parallel. The eclipse's edges were in Réunion and Mauritius, the eclipse was close to the island of Madagascar. The subsolar portion was in northcentral South West Africa (now Namibia).

Eclipses in 1972

 * An annular solar eclipse on January 16, 1972.
 * A total lunar eclipse on January 30, 1972.
 * A total solar eclipse on July 10, 1972.
 * A partial lunar eclipse on July 26, 1972.

Metonic

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 28, 1968
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 3, 1975

Tzolkinex

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 4, 1964
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 26, 1979

Half-Saros

 * Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 9, 1963
 * Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 20, 1981

Tritos

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 15, 1961
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 15, 1982

Solar Saros 121

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 5, 1954
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 26, 1990

Inex

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 4, 1943
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 25, 2000

Triad

 * Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 16, 1885
 * Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 16, 2058