Solar eclipse of October 23, 1957


A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, October 23, 1957, with a magnitude of 1.0013. 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 1.4 days after perigee, the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
It was unusual that while it is a total solar eclipse, it is not a central one. A non-central eclipse is one where the center-line of totality does not intersect the surface of the Earth. Instead, the center line passes just above the Earth's surface. This rare type occurs when totality is only visible at sunset or sunrise in a polar region.
While totality was not visible for any land masses, a partial eclipse was visible for Southern Africa, Antarctica, and New Zealand. This was the last of 44 umbral solar eclipses in Solar Saros 123.

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 Contact1957 October 23 at 02:51:30.3 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1957 October 23 at 04:43:52.2 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1957 October 23 at 04:49:55.5 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1957 October 23 at 04:54:02.5 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1957 October 23 at 04:57:47.0 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1957 October 23 at 05:22:28.4 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1957 October 23 at 06:56:24.8 UTC

ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.00130
Eclipse Obscuration-
Gamma−1.00218
Sun Right Ascension13h49m48.9s
Sun Declination-11°18'19.3"
Sun Semi-Diameter16'04.7"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.8"
Moon Right Ascension13h48m44.3s
Moon Declination-12°16'32.6"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'26.5"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°00'20.5"
ΔT32.1 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.
October 23
Ascending node
November 7
Descending node
Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 123		Total lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 135

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1957

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 123

Inex

Triad