Earth Perihelion and Aphelion, 1996

Jan. 4 Perihelion, 147,088,000 km (91,396,000 mi) from the Sun

July 5 Aphelion, 152,099,000 km (94,510,000 mi) from the Sun

Equinoxes and Solstices, 1996

March 20 Vernal equinox, 08:03{1}

June 21 Summer solstice, 02:24{1}

Sept. 22 Autumnal equinox, 18:00{1}

Dec. 21 Winter solstice, 14:06{1}

Eclipses, 1996

April 3-4 Moon, total (begins 21:16{1}), the beginning visible in

extreme eastern North America, South America east of the

Andes, southern and eastern Greenland, Europe, western

and central Asia, Africa, the Indian Ocean, and extreme

western Australia; the end visible throughout the Western

Hemisphere except for the western United States and western

Canada and in Europe, western Asia, and Africa.

April 17-18 Sun, partial (begins 22:05{1}), the beginning visible in

the South Pacific Ocean south of Tasmania, Australia; the

end visible in the South Pacific west of South America

(south of the Galapagos Islands).

Sept. 27 Moon, total (begins 03:06{1}), the beginning visible in

central and eastern regions of Canada and the United

States, much of Mexico, South America, Greenland, Europe,

western Asia, and Africa; the end visible in the entire

Western Hemisphere, western and central Europe, and

western Africa.

Oct. 12 Sun, partial (begins 13:24{1}), the beginning visible

south of Hudson Bay (near Winnipeg) and in northern

Greenland; the end visible in northeastern Africa

(near Khartoum).

{1}Universal time.

Adapted from The Astronomical Almanac for the Year 1996,

Copyright © Science and Engineering Research Council 1995,

reproduced by permission of the Controller of HMSO.