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October 3, 1986 Total Solar Eclipse

This eclipse was visible in Columbus - go to local timings and animation

What the Eclipse Looked Like Near the Maximum Point

The animation shows what the eclipse approximately looked like near the maximum point. The curvature of the Moon's path is due to the Earth's rotation.

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Where the Eclipse Was Seen

Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.


Path of the Eclipse Shadow

Regions that saw, at least, a partial eclipse: North in Asia, North America, North in South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic.

Expand for a list of selected cities where the partial eclipse was visible

This eclipse was visible in Columbus - go to local timings and animation

Eclipse Shadow Path

Portion of Sun covered by the Moon (Eclipse obscuration)

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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.

When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide — Timeline

The eclipse started at one location and ended at another. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the eclipse occurred. This calculation uses a Delta T value of 55.2 seconds.

Eclipse Stages WorldwideUTC TimeLocal Time in Columbus*
First location to see the partial eclipse beginOct 3 at 16:57:28Oct 3 at 12:57:28 pm
First location to see the full eclipse beginOct 3 at 18:54:45Oct 3 at 2:54:45 pm
Maximum EclipseOct 3 at 19:05:29Oct 3 at 3:05:29 pm
Last location to see the full eclipse endOct 3 at 19:12:53Oct 3 at 3:12:53 pm
Last location to see the partial eclipse endOct 3 at 21:13:31Oct 3 at 5:13:31 pm

* These local times do not refer to a specific location but indicate the beginning, peak, and end of the eclipse on a global scale, each line referring to a different location. Please note that the local times for Columbus are meant as a guideline in case you want to view the eclipse via a live webcam. See the actual times the eclipse is visible in Columbus.

Upcoming eclipses visible in Columbus

Next Total Solar Eclipse will be on Mar 29, 1987

Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds

Countries Where the Eclipse Is Visible

CountryTypeStart of EclipseEnd of Eclipse
Anguilla
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:05 pm AST5:07 pm AST
Antigua and Barbuda
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:09 pm AST5:09 pm AST
Aruba
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:19 pm AST5:05 pm AST
Barbados
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:23 pm AST5:11 pm AST
Belize
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:56 pm EST2:30 pm CST
Bermuda
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:29 pm ADT5:49 pm ADT
Brazil
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:50 pm AMT6:10 pm BRT
British Virgin Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:04 pm AST5:06 pm AST
Canada
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:58 am PDT5:32 pm ADT
Caribbean Netherlands
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:08 pm AST5:08 pm AST
Cayman Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:50 pm EST3:48 pm EST
Colombia
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:13 pm COT5:04 pm VET
Costa Rica
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:28 pm CST3:40 pm EST
Cuba
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:38 pm CDT4:56 pm CDT
Curaçao
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:20 pm AST5:06 pm AST
Dominica
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:15 pm AST5:10 pm AST
Dominican Republic
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:55 pm AST5:04 pm AST
El Salvador
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:18 pm CST2:28 pm CST
French Guiana
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:50 pm GFT6:11 pm GFT
Greenland
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:19 pm AST5:06 pm WGT
Grenada
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:25 pm AST5:11 pm AST
Guadeloupe
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:13 pm AST5:10 pm AST
Guatemala
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:00 pm CST2:28 pm CST
Guyana
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:38 pm VET6:11 pm GYT
Haiti
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:53 pm EDT5:00 pm EDT
Honduras
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:58 pm CST2:43 pm CST
Iceland
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:53 pm GMT6:59 pm GMT
Jamaica
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:55 pm EST3:55 pm EST
Martinique
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:18 pm AST5:10 pm AST
Mexico
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:20 pm CDT3:33 pm EST
Montserrat
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:11 pm AST5:09 pm AST
Nicaragua
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:08 pm CST2:44 pm CST
Norway
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:47 pm CET6:48 pm CET
Panama
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:31 pm EST3:52 pm EST
Portugal
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:42 pm AZOT6:45 pm AZOT
Puerto Rico
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:02 pm AST5:06 pm AST
Russia
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:33 am ANAT6:35 am ANAT
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:09 pm AST5:08 pm AST
Saint Lucia
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:20 pm AST5:11 pm AST
Saint Martin
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:07 pm AST5:07 pm AST
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:08 pm PMST5:28 pm PMST
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:22 pm AST5:11 pm AST
Sint Maarten
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:07 pm AST5:07 pm AST
St. Barts
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:08 pm AST5:08 pm AST
Suriname
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:48 pm SRT6:11 pm SRT
The Bahamas
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:29 pm EDT4:57 pm EDT
Trinidad and Tobago
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:29 pm AST5:11 pm AST
Turks and Caicos Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:48 pm EDT4:58 pm EDT
US Minor Outlying Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:57 pm EDT4:56 pm CDT
US Virgin Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:05 pm AST5:07 pm AST
United Kingdom
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:12 pm BST7:24 pm BST
United States
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:57 am AKDT4:42 pm EDT
Venezuela
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:13 pm VET5:11 pm VET

All times shown in this table are local time. (Note: more than one time zone is listed.)

How Many People Can See This Eclipse?

Number of People Seeing...Number of People*Fraction of World Population
Any part of the eclipse286,000,0005.78%
At least 10% partial201,000,0004.07%
At least 20% partial164,000,0003.32%
At least 30% partial134,000,0002.73%
At least 40% partial95,900,0001.94%
At least 50% partial64,300,0001.30%
At least 60% partial33,300,0000.67%
At least 70% partial3,920,0000.08%
At least 80% partial723,0000.01%
At least 90% partial47,5000.0009%
Totality or annularity--

* The number of people refers to the resident population (as a round number) in areas where the eclipse is visible. timeanddate has calculated these numbers using raw population data provided by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The raw data is based on population estimates from the year 2000 to 2020.

An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!

A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.

Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.

All eclipses 1900 — 2199

This is the first eclipse this season.

Second eclipse this season: October 17, 1986 — Total Lunar Eclipse