Solar eclipse of January 1, 1889


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Tuesday, January 1, 1889, with a magnitude of 1.0262. 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 1.25 days after perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of the modern-day Aleutian Islands of Alaska, California, Nevada, extreme southeastern Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota in the United States and south-central Canada. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for much of North America, Hawaii, and the western Caribbean.

Impact

Wovoka the Paiute prophet received visions during the solar eclipse of January 1889. These visions were framework for the Pan-Indian religious movement known as the Ghost Dance.

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 January 1 at 19:03:37.4 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1889 January 1 at 20:23:10.8 UTC
First Central Line1889 January 1 at 20:24:07.8 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1889 January 1 at 20:25:05.6 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1889 January 1 at 21:08:05.1 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1889 January 1 at 21:16:00.1 UTC
Greatest Duration1889 January 1 at 21:16:12.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1889 January 1 at 21:16:50.0 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1889 January 1 at 22:08:36.5 UTC
Last Central Line1889 January 1 at 22:09:32.7 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1889 January 1 at 22:10:28.3 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1889 January 1 at 23:30:05.9 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.02616
Eclipse Obscuration1.05301
Gamma0.86031
Sun Right Ascension18h51m01.4s
Sun Declination-22°56'03.4"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'16.0"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.9"
Moon Right Ascension18h51m03.5s
Moon Declination-22°03'55.3"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'33.2"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°00'45.2"
ΔT-6.1 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.
January 1
Descending node
January 17
Ascending node
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 120		Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 132

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1889

A total solar eclipse on January 1.

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 120

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.