Solar eclipse of December 22, 1889

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Solar eclipse of December 22, 1889
Map
Type of eclipse
NatureTotal
Gamma0.1888
Magnitude1.0449
Maximum eclipse
Duration258 s (4 min 18 s)
Coordinates12°42′S 12°48′W / 12.7°S 12.8°W / -12.7; -12.8
Max. width of band152 km (94 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse12:54:15
References
Saros130 (45 of 73)
Catalog # (SE5000)9257

A total solar eclipse occurred on December 22, 1889. 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. It was visible from Cuba, to the coast of Brazil, and across southern Africa.

The eclipse was the focus of a 242-day United States scientific expedition, roughly 70 miles south of Luanda.

Observations[edit]

The eclipse was the focus of a scientific expedition from the United States, led by David P. Todd of Amherst College and including a team of at least six. Among the members was E. J. Loomis from the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac office. It set sail October 16 on the USS Pensacola and set up the eclipse base camp in December, roughly 70 miles south of Luanda in Cape Ledo. Totality was completely obscured by cloud cover. The ship returned to New York after 242 days, with the expedition performing a variety of other scientific studies along the way.[1][2]

The 1889 solar eclipse was the last to be photographed by Stephen Joseph Perry.

Related eclipses[edit]

Saros 130[edit]

This eclipse is a part of Saros cycle 130, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, containing 73 events. The series started with partial solar eclipse on August 20, 1096. It contains total eclipses from April 5, 1475 through July 18, 2232. There are no annular eclipses in the series. The series ends at member 73 as a partial eclipse on October 25, 2394. The longest duration of totality was 6 minutes, 41 seconds on July 11, 1619. All eclipses in this series occurs at the Moon’s descending node.[3]

Series members 43–56 between 1853 and 2300
43 44 45

November 30, 1853

December 12, 1871

December 22, 1889
46 47 48

January 3, 1908

January 14, 1926

January 25, 1944
49 50 51

February 5, 1962

February 16, 1980

February 26, 1998
52 53 54

March 9, 2016

March 20, 2034

March 30, 2052
55 56 57

April 11, 2070

April 21, 2088

May 3, 2106
58 59 60

May 14, 2124

May 25, 2142

June 4, 2160
61 62 63

June 16, 2178

June 26, 2196

July 8, 2214
64 65 66

July 18, 2232

July 30, 2250

August 9, 2268
67

August 20, 2286

References[edit]

  1. ^ "United States Eclipse Expedition to West Africa (1889-1890)", Smithsonian Institution Archives, retrieved 2021-06-10.
  2. ^ Todd, David P. (May 1890), "The United States Scientific Expedition to West Africa, 1889", Nature, 42 (1070): 8–10, Bibcode:1890Natur..42R...8T, doi:10.1038/042008c0.
  3. ^ "Saros Series catalog of solar eclipses". NASA.