A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Saturday, May 18, 1901, 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.
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. A team from Lick Observatory, California also observed it in Padang.
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.
+May 18, 1901 Solar Eclipse Times Event Time (UTC) First Penumbral External Contact 1901 May 18 at 02:59:47.9 UTC First Umbral External Contact 1901 May 18 at 03:56:01.2 UTC First Central Line 1901 May 18 at 03:57:29.2 UTC First Umbral Internal Contact 1901 May 18 at 03:58:57.4 UTC First Penumbral Internal Contact 1901 May 18 at 05:03:42.9 UTC Equatorial Conjunction 1901 May 18 at 05:28:40.2 UTC Greatest Eclipse 1901 May 18 at 05:33:48.0 UTC Greatest Duration 1901 May 18 at 05:35:43.3 UTC Ecliptic Conjunction 1901 May 18 at 05:37:30.7 UTC Last Penumbral Internal Contact 1901 May 18 at 06:04:00.5 UTC Last Umbral Internal Contact 1901 May 18 at 07:08:43.7 UTC Last Central Line 1901 May 18 at 07:10:10.7 UTC Last Umbral External Contact 1901 May 18 at 07:11:37.6 UTC Last Penumbral External Contact 1901 May 18 at 08:07:52.8 UTC
+May 18, 1901 Solar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Eclipse Magnitude 1.06800 Eclipse Obscuration 1.14063 Gamma −0.36258 Sun Right Ascension 03h37m03.3s Sun Declination +19°23'51.8" Sun Semi-Diameter 15'48.4" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7" Moon Right Ascension 03h37m15.9s Moon Declination +19°02'00.5" Moon Semi-Diameter 16'37.0" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°00'58.9" ΔT -1.0 s
Eclipse season
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 3Ascending node (full moon) May 18Descending node (new moon) Penumbral lunar eclipseLunar Saros 110 Total solar eclipseSolar Saros 136
Related eclipses Eclipses in 1901 A penumbral lunar eclipse on May 3. A total solar eclipse on May 18. A partial lunar eclipse on October 27. An annular solar eclipse on November 11.
Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 29, 1897 Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 6, 1905
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 6, 1894 Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 28, 1908
Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 11, 1892 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 24, 1910
Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 17, 1890 Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 17, 1912
Solar Saros 136 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 6, 1883 Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 29, 1919
Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 6, 1872 Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1930
Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 17, 1814 Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988
Solar eclipses of 1898–1902
Saros 136
Metonic series
Tritos series
Inex series
Notes
References
Photo of Solar Corona May 18, 1901 Eclipse of May 18, 1901 (Sumatra). Contact print from the original glass plate negative. Lick Observatory Plate Archive, Mt. Hamilton. Total Eclipse of the Sun, May 18, 1901 Reports on the Dutch Expedition to Karang Sago, Sumatra, by Dr. A. A. Nijland, March 1903, Utrecht, Published by the Eclipse Committee of the Royal Academy, Amsterdam Russia expedition for solar eclipse of May 18, 1901