Solar eclipse of December 22, 1889


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Sunday, December 22, 1889, with a magnitude of 1.0449. 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 12.5 hours before perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day Trinidad and Tobago, northern French Guiana, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, and Somalia. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of the eastern Caribbean, northern and central South America, and Africa.
The eclipse was the focus of a 242-day United States scientific expedition, roughly 70 miles south of Luanda.

Observations

The eclipse was the focus of a scientific expedition from the United States, led by David P. Todd of Amherst College and including a team of at least six. Among the members was E. J. Loomis from the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac office. It set sail October 16 on the USS Pensacola and set up the eclipse base camp in December, roughly 70 miles south of Luanda in Cape Ledo. Totality was completely obscured by cloud cover. The ship returned to New York after 242 days, with the expedition performing a variety of other scientific studies along the way.

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 Contact1889 December 22 at 10:16:37.8 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1889 December 22 at 11:12:11.2 UTC
First Central Line1889 December 22 at 11:12:55.8 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1889 December 22 at 11:13:40.4 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1889 December 22 at 12:10:55.7 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1889 December 22 at 12:52:18.2 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1889 December 22 at 12:52:26.5 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1889 December 22 at 12:54:14.4 UTC
Greatest Duration1889 December 22 at 12:56:22.0 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1889 December 22 at 13:37:36.0 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1889 December 22 at 14:34:48.8 UTC
Last Central Line1889 December 22 at 14:35:34.0 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1889 December 22 at 14:36:19.3 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1889 December 22 at 15:31:50.3 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.04489
Eclipse Obscuration1.09179
Gamma0.18881
Sun Right Ascension18h04m04.9s
Sun Declination-23°26'59.9"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'15.7"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension18h04m09.5s
Moon Declination-23°15'29.9"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'42.5"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°01'19.2"
ΔT-6.2 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.
December 22
Descending node
January 6
Ascending node
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 130		Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 142

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1889

Metonic

Tzolkinex

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 10, 1882
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 1, 1897

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 130

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 1888–1891

The partial solar eclipses on February 11, 1888 and August 7, 1888 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set.