Solar eclipse of May 26, 1854


An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Friday, May 26, 1854, with a magnitude of 0.9551. 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. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus. An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. Occurring about 3.2 days before apogee, the Moon's apparent diameter was smaller.
The path of annularity was visible from parts of the modern-day Marshall Islands, southern Canada, Washington, northern Idaho, northern Montana, northern North Dakota, Minnesota, the upper peninsula of Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of Northeast Asia, northern Oceania, Hawaii, North America, Central America, the Caribbean, far northern South America, and northern Scandinavia.

Visibility

The annular path crossed close to the boundary between the United States and Canada.

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 Contact1854 May 26 at 17:45:31.9 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1854 May 26 at 18:52:54.1 UTC
First Central Line1854 May 26 at 18:55:03.1 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1854 May 26 at 18:57:12.6 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1854 May 26 at 20:20:41.5 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1854 May 26 at 20:42:52.6 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1854 May 26 at 20:47:29.4 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1854 May 26 at 20:56:05.1 UTC
Greatest Duration1854 May 26 at 20:59:47.7 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1854 May 26 at 21:04:43.2 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1854 May 26 at 22:28:22.6 UTC
Last Central Line1854 May 26 at 22:30:34.0 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1854 May 26 at 22:32:45.0 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1854 May 26 at 23:40:11.8 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude0.95510
Eclipse Obscuration0.91221
Gamma0.39177
Sun Right Ascension04h13m05.4s
Sun Declination+21°11'11.2"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'46.7"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension04h12m40.1s
Moon Declination+21°31'39.9"
Moon Semi-Diameter14'51.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax0°54'32.6"
ΔT7.1 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.
May 12
Descending node
May 26
Ascending node
Partial lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 109		Annular solar eclipse
Solar Saros 135

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1854

Metonic

Tzolkinex

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 15, 1847
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 8, 1861

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 135

  • Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 15, 1836
  • Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 6, 1872

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 1852–1855

The partial solar eclipse on January 21, 1852 occurs in the previous lunar year eclipse set.

Metonic series

All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.