Solar eclipse of August 9, 1896


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Sunday, August 9, 1896, with a magnitude of 1.0392. 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 2.5 days before perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of northern Norway, northern Sweden, the Russian Empire, and the Empire of Japan. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for much of Europe, Central Asia, East Asia, Northeast Asia, Alaska, and Greenland.
This event was the subject of the first organized eclipse expedition by the British Astronomical Association. A group of 165 amateur and professional astronomers sailed from Tilbury, England on July 25, heading toward Vadsø, Norway. This expedition failed to produce any usable results as they were frustrated by the weather conditions at the time of the eclipse. However, a smaller expedition to Novaya Zemlya on Sir George Baden-Powell's yacht Otario met with success.

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 Contact1896 August 9 at 02:43:20.8 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1896 August 9 at 03:52:06.8 UTC
First Central Line1896 August 9 at 03:53:08.3 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1896 August 9 at 03:54:10.1 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1896 August 9 at 04:37:13.0 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1896 August 9 at 05:01:41.9 UTC
Greatest Duration1896 August 9 at 05:08:37.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1896 August 9 at 05:09:00.1 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1896 August 9 at 06:24:07.8 UTC
Last Central Line1896 August 9 at 06:25:11.8 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1896 August 9 at 06:26:15.3 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1896 August 9 at 07:34:47.9 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.03918
Eclipse Obscuration1.07989
Gamma0.69635
Sun Right Ascension09h18m02.6s
Sun Declination+15°44'00.4"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'46.9"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension09h19m10.6s
Moon Declination+16°21'57.5"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'12.5"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°59'29.1"
ΔT-5.8 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.
August 9
Descending node
August 23
Ascending node
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 124		Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 136

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1896

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 124

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 1895–1899

The partial solar eclipses on March 26, 1895 and September 18, 1895 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the partial solar eclipse on December 13, 1898 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.