A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Saturday, February 16, 1980,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0434.

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.

[2] The path of totality crossed parts of Angola, Zaire, Tanzania, Kenya, southern India, Bangladesh, Burma, and China at sunset.

This was the third total solar eclipse visible from mainland India excluding the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the 20th century.

[3] The Indian Institute of Astrophysics established two camps at Hosur near Hubli and at Jawalagera near Raichur, analyzing the chromospheric and coronal radiation.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences held a solar physics conference in Kunming in April 1975, proposing to form a joint observation of the eclipse.

In addition, Shanghai Scientific and Educational Film Studio made a documentary on the entire process of the observation.

Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee).