Solar eclipse of April 28, 1911


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit between Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29, 1911, with a magnitude of 1.0562. 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 1.4 days before perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
Totality was visible from southeastern tip of Australia, [Kingdom of Kingdom of Tonga (1900–1970)|Tonga (1900–1970)|Tonga], American Samoa and the Cook Islands. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Oceania, southern North America, Central America, and the western Caribbean.

Observations

A team of Stonyhurst College, England and Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, New South Wales made observations in Vavaʻu Islands, Tonga. Members of Stonyhurst College departed from Tilbury, England by ship on February 3 and arrived in Sydney on March 16. The team later departed from Sydney on March 25 and arrived in Vavaʻu on April 2. All the instruments were shipped ashore on April 5. The weather was clear for the next few days, but heavy rain showers fell almost every day starting from April 10. The southeast wind starting on April 26 brought thick and large cirrus clouds. On April 28, one day before the eclipse, there were many clouds, which lasted until the morning of April 29. On April 29, the eclipse day, the sky cleared before the first contact. Afterwards, some cumulus clouds passed through at first, and the weather remained relatively good. During the totality, weather conditions were good in Neiafu, but some areas about away were affected by cirrostratus clouds, and the sun was not visible until 90 seconds before the third contact. During the eclipse, there was almost no sound on the island except the chirping of crickets, because the government told the local people to keep quiet and not to light fires to avoid creating smoke and disturbing the observations. The team shipped the instruments back on May 2, and the team members departed the island on May 4. They first arrived in Suva, capital of the Colony of Fiji on May 6, and departed again on May 11 and arrived in Sydney on May 17. The British in charge boarded the ship with the instruments leaving Sydney on June 10 and arriving in Tilbury on July 23.

Eclipse details

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.
EventTime
First Penumbral External Contact1911 April 28 at 19:49:01.8 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1911 April 28 at 20:44:54.8 UTC
First Central Line1911 April 28 at 20:45:58.7 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1911 April 28 at 20:47:02.6 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1911 April 28 at 21:45:34.0 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1911 April 28 at 22:16:23.0 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1911 April 28 at 22:24:59.5 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1911 April 28 at 22:27:21.8 UTC
Greatest Duration1911 April 28 at 22:34:25.8 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1911 April 28 at 23:09:25.1 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1911 April 29 at 00:07:45.8 UTC
Last Central Line1911 April 29 at 00:08:51.3 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1911 April 29 at 00:09:56.8 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1911 April 29 at 01:05:42.7 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.05617
Eclipse Obscuration1.11549
Gamma−0.22939
Sun Right Ascension02h20m34.5s
Sun Declination+14°01'17.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'52.8"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension02h20m58.3s
Moon Declination+13°48'41.7"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'29.9"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°00'33.0"
ΔT12.1 s

Eclipse season

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months 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.
April 28
Ascending node 		May 13
Descending node
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 127		Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 139

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1911

A total solar eclipse on April 28.

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 127

Inex

Triad