A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Monday, January 6, 2076, with a magnitude of 1.0342. 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 larger than 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. Occurring about 8.5 hours before perigee (on January 6, 2076, at 18:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be larger.
This will be the first of four solar eclipses in 2076, with the others occurring on June 1, July 1, and November 26.
The path of totality will be visible from parts of Antarctica. A partial solar eclipse will also be visible for parts of southern South America, Antarctica, and southwestern Australia.
Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the Moon's penumbra or umbra attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.