Albuquerque Solar Events 2012
Albuquerque's high desert location makes for clear skies and calm weather much of the year. This spring, it will be the place to be for astronomy buffs and amateur star gazers alike. Two astronomical "close encounters" will take place - and both are visible in Albuquerque.
Annular Eclipse
On Sunday, May 20, 2012 there is an unusual solar event called an "annular eclipse." During an annular eclipse, the moon covers most of the sun's disk leaving a thin ring of light around the edge. Albuquerque is one of only a few places to see it, and is the most convenient viewing location to travel to.
Photo by sancho_panza, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Eclipse details for Albuquerque
- Sun will be low on the horizon for the event.
- The centerline for the event passes nearly through the Albuquerque International Airport. Any location in the metro area will provide an excellent view of the eclipse.
- The viewing area must be high enough to see Mt. Taylor, which is 60 miles (100 km) west of Albuquerque.
- 1st contact is at 6:28pm (MDT) when the moon first begins to cover the sun.
- 2nd contact at 7:33pm (MDT) when the moon is completely within the disk of the sun. The totality of the annular portion of the eclipse is 4 minutes and 26 seconds.
- 3rd contact at 7:38pm when the moon touches the edge of the disk of the sun on its way out of the sun’s disk. The sun sets at 8:20pm before the eclipse is over.
Information provided by The Albuquerque Astronomical Society
Transit of Venus
Another solar event will take place just two weeks later on Tuesday, June 5th. This event is a Transit of Venus; where the planet Venus visibly and slowly moves across the disk of the sun. This won't happen again until 2117. If you miss this, you will never see it again in your lifetime...and it is also viewed perfectly in Albuquerque.
Education & Viewing Events
Plan now to enjoy the wonders of our solar system with viewing opportunities and local educational activities for the entire family. The annular eclipse is being billed as the "ultimate astronomical event" and will take place just before sunset on Sunday, May 20th. The Transit of Venus will take place on June 5th. Both of these rare occurrences include educational sessions leading up to the solar events. The following locations will be hosting special events to facilitate safe viewing of the eclipse and educate enthusiasts on what they are seeing in the sky.
Preparation Events
Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
www.cabq.gov/balloon
Bernalillo County’s Scholer Regional Recreation Complex, near Hard Rock Pavilion
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science
Petroglyph National Monument
- 5/19/12 Educational presentation by Dr. E.C. Krupp, Director of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles
- 5/20/12 Eclipse viewing event (event is sold out)
www.nps.gov/petr
University of New Mexico
http://eclipse2012.unm.edu/
Viewing Events
Some sites are optimal for viewing the annular eclipse, but will not be offering educational speakers or events.
Sandia Peak Tramway
Sandia Peak Tramway will be operating their regular schedule on May 20th making trips every 20-25 minutes throughout the day on a first come, first serve basis. Hours 9am– 8pm (last car uphill) with downhill trips until all guests are down. They will have special eclipse viewing glasses available for purchase. High Finance Restaurant (505-242-9052) and Sandiago’s Mexican Grill (505-856-6692) will be taking reservations for dinner last seating 8pm. www.sandiapeak.com
Tours of Old Town
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