A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Tuesday, September 7, 1858, with a magnitude of 1.0210. 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 2.5 days after perigee (on September 4, 1858, at 2:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day Peru, Brazil, and northern Bolivia. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Antarctica, and Southern Africa.

Gallery

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.

+September 7, 1858 Solar Eclipse Times Event Time (UTC) First Penumbral External Contact 1858 September 07 at 11:34:17.6 UTC First Umbral External Contact 1858 September 07 at 12:39:54.7 UTC First Central Line 1858 September 07 at 12:40:10.2 UTC First Umbral Internal Contact 1858 September 07 at 12:40:25.7 UTC Greatest Duration 1858 September 07 at 14:05:24.4 UTC Greatest Eclipse 1858 September 07 at 14:09:28.7 UTC Ecliptic Conjunction 1858 September 07 at 14:15:28.9 UTC Equatorial Conjunction 1858 September 07 at 14:42:09.6 UTC Last Umbral Internal Contact 1858 September 07 at 15:38:14.5 UTC Last Central Line 1858 September 07 at 15:38:27.4 UTC Last Umbral External Contact 1858 September 07 at 15:38:40.2 UTC Last Penumbral External Contact 1858 September 07 at 16:44:32.4 UTC

+September 7, 1858 Solar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Eclipse Magnitude 1.02096 Eclipse Obscuration 1.04236 Gamma −0.56091 Sun Right Ascension 11h03m21.8s Sun Declination +06°03'35.0" Sun Semi-Diameter 15'52.9" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7" Moon Right Ascension 11h02m19.1s Moon Declination +05°34'40.7" Moon Semi-Diameter 15'59.8" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 0°58'42.5" ΔT 7.1 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 August–September 1858 August 24Ascending node (full moon) September 7Descending node (new moon) Partial lunar eclipseLunar Saros 116 Total solar eclipseSolar Saros 142

Related eclipses Eclipses in 1858 A partial lunar eclipse on February 27. An annular solar eclipse on March 15. A partial lunar eclipse on August 24. An total solar eclipse on September 7.

Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 20, 1854 Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 27, 1862

Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 28, 1851 Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 19, 1865

Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of September 2, 1849 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 14, 1867

Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 9, 1847 Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 7, 1869

Solar Saros 142 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 27, 1840 Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 17, 1876

Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 28, 1829 Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 19, 1887

Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 6, 1771 Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 9, 1945

Solar eclipses of 1856–1859

The partial solar eclipses on February 3, 1859 and July 29, 1859 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1856 to 1859 Ascending node  Descending node Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma 117 April 5, 1856Total −0.7906 122 September 29, 1856Annular 0.9420 127 March 25, 1857Total −0.0892 132 September 18, 1857Annular 0.1912 137 March 15, 1858Annular 0.6461 142 September 7, 1858Total −0.5609 147 March 4, 1859Partial 1.4192 152 August 28, 1859Partial −1.2569

Saros 142

Metonic series All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's descending node.

22 eclipse events between September 8, 1801 and September 7, 1877September 7–8June 26–27April 14–15January 31–February 1November 19–20112114116118120September 8, 1801June 26, 1805April 14, 1809February 1, 1813November 19, 1816122124126128130September 7, 1820June 26, 1824April 14, 1828February 1, 1832November 20, 1835132134136138140September 7, 1839June 27, 1843April 15, 1847February 1, 1851November 20, 1854142144146148150September 7, 1858June 27, 1862April 15, 1866January 31, 1870November 20, 1873152September 7, 1877

Tritos series

Inex series

Notes

References

NASA graphic Googlemap NASA Besselian elements An Account of the Total Eclipse of the Sun on September 7, 1858, as Observed Near Olmos, Peru by Lieut. J. M. Gillis, Published by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, vol. 11, April 1859