Solar and Lunar Eclipses 2017
Dates and Dhaka timings for every eclipse of the year, with a note on whether the Sun or Moon is above the horizon in Bangladesh while it happens. Lunar eclipses are seen from the whole night side of Earth at once, so most of them can be watched from here; solar eclipses reach Bangladesh only along a narrow track, and most years bring none.
Next eclipse
Annular solar eclipse on Sat, February 6, 2027
Not visible from Bangladesh.
Lunar eclipses 2017
The Moon passes through Earth's shadow. Penumbral eclipses only dim the Moon slightly; partial and total eclipses take a visible bite out of it. Times are for Dhaka.
| Date | Type | Coverage | Dhaka timings | Bengali date | Hijri date | From Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, February 11, 2017Panchang for this day | Penumbral | 0% |
| 28 Magh 1423 | 13 Jumada al-Awwal 1438 AH | Visible |
| Mon, August 7, 2017Panchang for this day | Partial | 17% |
| 23 Srabon 1424 | 14 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1438 AH | Visible |
A lunar eclipse happens at the same instant for everyone; the times above apply to all of Bangladesh. "Visible" means the Moon is above the horizon during at least part of the eclipse.
Solar eclipses 2017
The Moon passes in front of the Sun. The magnitude shown is for Dhaka when the eclipse is visible here, otherwise for the point of greatest eclipse elsewhere on Earth.
| Date | Type | Coverage | Dhaka timings | Bengali date | Hijri date | From Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, February 26, 2017Panchang for this day | Annular | 98% | Greatest eclipse: 8:53 PM | 13 Falgun 1423 | 28 Jumada al-Awwal 1438 AH | Not visible |
| Tue, August 22, 2017Panchang for this day | Total | 100% | Greatest eclipse: 12:25 AM | 7 Bhadra 1424 | 29 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1438 AH | Not visible |
Solar eclipse contact times shift by a few minutes between districts. "Not visible" means the Sun is below the horizon in Bangladesh or the Moon's shadow never reaches this part of Earth.
About eclipses
- A lunar eclipse can only happen at full moon, when the Moon moves into Earth's shadow. In a penumbral eclipse it crosses only the faint outer shadow and dims a little. In a partial eclipse part of the Moon enters the dark umbra. In a total eclipse the whole Moon is inside the umbra and usually turns a deep red.
- A solar eclipse can only happen at new moon, when the Moon's shadow falls on Earth. The shadow's dark core is only a few hundred kilometres wide, so a total or annular eclipse is seen along a narrow path, and a partial eclipse across a wider region. Bangladesh lies on such a path only a few times a century.
- Never look at the Sun during a solar eclipse without proper eclipse glasses or a welder's glass of shade 14. Ordinary sunglasses, X-ray film and smoked glass do not protect the eye. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye.
- Eclipses come in pairs about two weeks apart, a solar and a lunar, and repeat in the 18-year Saros cycle. That is why the same kinds of eclipse return to the same region of the sky generations later.
- In the Bengali calendar a lunar eclipse always falls on Purnima and a solar eclipse on Amavasya. The panchang for each day lists the tithi and the traditional observances kept during the eclipse.