Solar eclipse of May 18, 1901
PreviousSolar eclipse of November 22, 1900
NextSolar eclipse of November 11, 1901

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Saturday, May 18, 1901,[1][2][3][4][5] 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 (on May 17, 1901, at 6:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[6]

The path of totality crossed French Madagascar (the part now belonging to Madagascar), Réunion, British Mauritius (now Mauritius), Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), and British New Guinea (now belonging to Papua 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.[7] A team from Lick Observatory, California also observed it in Padang.[8]

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.[9]

May 18, 1901 Solar Eclipse Times
EventTime (UTC)
First Penumbral External Contact1901 May 18 at 02:59:47.9 UTC
First Umbral External Contact1901 May 18 at 03:56:01.2 UTC
First Central Line1901 May 18 at 03:57:29.2 UTC
First Umbral Internal Contact1901 May 18 at 03:58:57.4 UTC
First Penumbral Internal Contact1901 May 18 at 05:03:42.9 UTC
Equatorial Conjunction1901 May 18 at 05:28:40.2 UTC
Greatest Eclipse1901 May 18 at 05:33:48.0 UTC
Greatest Duration1901 May 18 at 05:35:43.3 UTC
Ecliptic Conjunction1901 May 18 at 05:37:30.7 UTC
Last Penumbral Internal Contact1901 May 18 at 06:04:00.5 UTC
Last Umbral Internal Contact1901 May 18 at 07:08:43.7 UTC
Last Central Line1901 May 18 at 07:10:10.7 UTC
Last Umbral External Contact1901 May 18 at 07:11:37.6 UTC
Last Penumbral External Contact1901 May 18 at 08:07:52.8 UTC
May 18, 1901 Solar Eclipse Parameters
ParameterValue
Eclipse Magnitude1.06800
Eclipse Obscuration1.14063
Gamma−0.36258
Sun Right Ascension03h37m03.3s
Sun Declination+19°23'51.8"
Sun Semi-Diameter15'48.4"
Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax08.7"
Moon Right Ascension03h37m15.9s
Moon Declination+19°02'00.5"
Moon Semi-Diameter16'37.0"
Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax1°00'58.9"
ΔT-1.0 s

Eclipse season

See also: Eclipse cycle

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) 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.

Eclipse season of May 1901
May 3
Ascending node (full moon)		May 18
Descending node (new moon)
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 110		Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 136

Eclipses in 1901

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 136

Inex

Triad

Notes

  1. ^ "May 18, 1901 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Viewing the solar eclipse: Many of America's astronomers now on the other side of the globe". The Atchison Daily Globe. 1901-05-17. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-10-27. – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "The sun eclipsed: On the whole astronomers have been disappointed.". The Fresno Morning Republican. 1901-05-19. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-10-27. – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "The Eclipse of the Sun.". Daily News Advertiser. 1901-05-19. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-10-27. – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "What is the solar corona?". San Francisco Chronicle. 1901-11-10. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-10-27. – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  7. ^ H. F. Newall (1901–1902). "Total Solar Eclipse of 1901, May 17-18. Preliminary Report of the Observations Made at Ayer Karoe, Sawah Loento, Sumatra". Vol. 69. Royal Society. pp. 209–234. Archived 9 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ C. D. Perrine (1 December 1901). "THE LICK OBSERVATORY-CROCKER EXPEDITION TO OBSERVE THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 1901, MAY 17-18". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. ISSN 0004-6280
  9. ^ "Total Solar Eclipse of 1901 May 18". EclipseWise.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.

References