Solar eclipse of October 10, 1912

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Thursday, October 10, 1912, with a magnitude of 1.0229. 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 2.8 days after perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
Totality was visible from Ecuador, Colombia, northern tip of Peru and Brazil. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Antarctica, and Southern Africa.

Observation

German physicist, mathematician and astronomer Johann Georg von Soldner calculated the gravitational lens effect in an article published in 1801. Albert Einstein got similar values in 1911, and proposed verifying it by observing the stars around the sun. The only feasible way at that time was observing during a total solar eclipse, when the sun is totally blocked. This was the first total solar eclipse after that. Local teams from Brazil and international teams from the United Kingdom, France, the German Empire, Argentina and Chile made attempts in Brazil. However, it rained throughout almost the whole path of totality, and all teams failed.

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	1912 October 10 at 10:57:15.4 UTC
First Umbral External Contact	1912 October 10 at 11:58:42.7 UTC
First Central Line	1912 October 10 at 11:58:57.3 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact	1912 October 10 at 11:59:12.0 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact	1912 October 10 at 13:16:22.6 UTC
Greatest Duration	1912 October 10 at 13:35:21.8 UTC
Greatest Eclipse	1912 October 10 at 13:36:13.5 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction	1912 October 10 at 13:40:37.9 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact	1912 October 10 at 13:55:30.8 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction	1912 October 10 at 14:00:01.6 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact	1912 October 10 at 15:13:03.4 UTC
Last Central Line	1912 October 10 at 15:13:15.6 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact	1912 October 10 at 15:13:27.7 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact	1912 October 10 at 16:15:07.6 UTC

Parameter	Value
Eclipse Magnitude	1.02287
Eclipse Obscuration	1.04625
Gamma	−0.41487
Sun Right Ascension	13h02m12.2s
Sun Declination	-06°38'03.1"
Sun Semi-Diameter	16'01.4"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax	08.8"
Moon Right Ascension	13h01m25.4s
Moon Declination	-06°59'39.3"
Moon Semi-Diameter	16'08.7"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax	0°59'15.3"
ΔT	14.3 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.