A total solar eclipse occurred on Saturday, July 20, 1963. 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 the same size as 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 from Hokkaido in Japan and Kuril Islandsin Soviet Union on July 21, and Alaska, and Maine in the United States and also Canada on July 20. Astronomer Charles H. Smiley observed the eclipse from a U.S. Air Force F-104D Starfightersupersonic aircraft that was "racing the moon's shadow" at extending the duration of totality to 4 minutes 3 seconds. The moon was 375,819 km from the Earth. Occurring about 4.1 days after perigee, the Moon’s apparent diameter was larger. The moon's apparent diameter was 4.8 arcseconds smaller than the January 25, 1963 annular solar eclipse. This was a total solar eclipse because occurred in July and July is near is aphelion. The moon's apparent diameter was just over 2.2% larger than the Sun's.
In popular culture
The eclipse was featured in the comic strip Peanuts, with Linus demonstrating a safe way of observing the eclipse as opposed to looking directly at the eclipse. On the day the eclipse passed over his area, Linus was left helplessly standing in the rain with cloud cover entirely too thick to witness the eclipse. This particular eclipse event plays an important part in two of Stephen King's novels, Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne. It was also featured in a season 3 episode of Mad Men titled "Seven Twenty Three".
In the 19th century: • Solar Saros 140: Total Solar Eclipse of 1818 Oct 29 • Solar Saros 141: Annular Solar Eclipse of 1847 Oct 09 • Solar Saros 142: Total Solar Eclipse of 1876 Sep 17 In the 22nd century: Solar Saros 150: Partial Solar Eclipse of 2108 Apr 11 Solar Saros 151: Annular Solar Eclipse of 2137 Mar 21 Solar Saros 152: Total Solar Eclipse of 2166 Mar 02 Solar Saros 153: Annular Solar Eclipse of 2195 Feb 10
