Solar eclipse of May 18, 1901

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Saturday, May 18, 1901, with a magnitude of 1.068. 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 23 hours after perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality crossed French Madagascar, Réunion, British Mauritius, Dutch East Indies, and British New Guinea. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Western Oceania.

Observations

The Joint Permanent Eclipse Committee of the Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society observed the total eclipse in Padang on the west coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. The weather was good after sunrise on May 18, but clouds gradually increased after the start of the eclipse. During the total phase, clouds continued to cover the sun and tended to become thicker, making it increasingly difficult to see the sun through the clouds. A team from Lick Observatory, California also observed it in Padang.

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.

Event	Time
First Penumbral External Contact	1901 May 18 at 02:59:47.9 UTC
First Umbral External Contact	1901 May 18 at 03:56:01.2 UTC
First Central Line	1901 May 18 at 03:57:29.2 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact	1901 May 18 at 03:58:57.4 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact	1901 May 18 at 05:03:42.9 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction	1901 May 18 at 05:28:40.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse	1901 May 18 at 05:33:48.0 UTC
Greatest Duration	1901 May 18 at 05:35:43.3 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction	1901 May 18 at 05:37:30.7 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact	1901 May 18 at 06:04:00.5 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact	1901 May 18 at 07:08:43.7 UTC
Last Central Line	1901 May 18 at 07:10:10.7 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact	1901 May 18 at 07:11:37.6 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact	1901 May 18 at 08:07:52.8 UTC

Parameter	Value
Eclipse Magnitude	1.06800
Eclipse Obscuration	1.14063
Gamma	−0.36258
Sun Right Ascension	03h37m03.3s
Sun Declination	+19°23'51.8"
Sun Semi-Diameter	15'48.4"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax	08.7"
Moon Right Ascension	03h37m15.9s
Moon Declination	+19°02'00.5"
Moon Semi-Diameter	16'37.0"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax	1°00'58.9"
ΔT	-1.0 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.