A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Sunday, May 29, 1938, with a magnitude of 1.0552. 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 1.2 days before perigee (on May 30, 1938, at 17:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was mostly on the sea. The only land that was covered was South Orkney Islands of Antarctica, as well as South Georgia except for its northwestern part, Zavodovski Island and Visokoi Island controlled by the United Kingdom. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of southern and central South America and Southern Africa. This was the first of 41 umbral eclipses of Solar Saros 146.
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 29, 1938 solar eclipse times Event Time (UTC) First penumbral external contact 1938 May 29 at 11:46:36.9 UTC First umbral external contact 1938 May 29 at 13:17:53.5 UTC First central line 1938 May 29 at 13:22:34.9 UTC First umbral internal contact 1938 May 29 at 13:28:10.1 UTC Equatorial conjunction 1938 May 29 at 13:43:32.0 UTC Greatest eclipse 1938 May 29 at 13:50:18.5 UTC Greatest duration 1938 May 29 at 13:50:38.6 UTC Ecliptic conjunction 1938 May 29 at 13:59:56.4 UTC Last umbral internal contact 1938 May 29 at 14:12:30.3 UTC Last central line 1938 May 29 at 14:18:06.8 UTC Last umbral external contact 1938 May 29 at 14:22:49.5 UTC Last penumbral external contact 1938 May 29 at 15:54:00.6 UTC
+May 29, 1938 solar eclipse parameters Parameter Value Eclipse magnitude 1.05523 Eclipse obscuration 1.11351 Gamma −0.96068 Sun right ascension 04h22m54.3s Sun declination +21°34'16.3" Sun semi-diameter 15'46.6" Sun equatorial horizontal parallax 08.7" Moon right ascension 04h23m11.2s Moon declination +20°36'05.3" Moon semi-diameter 16'34.8" Moon equatorial horizontal parallax 1°00'50.8" ΔT 24.0 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 1938 May 14Ascending node (full moon) May 29Descending node (new moon) Total lunar eclipseLunar Saros 120 Total solar eclipseSolar Saros 146
Related eclipses Eclipses in 1938 A total lunar eclipse on May 14. A total solar eclipse on May 29. A total lunar eclipse on November 7. A partial solar eclipse on November 21.
Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 10, 1934 Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 16, 1942
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 18, 1931 Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 9, 1945
Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 23, 1929 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 3, 1947
Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 29, 1927 Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1949
Solar Saros 146 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 18, 1920 Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 8, 1956
Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 17, 1909 Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 9, 1967
Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 28, 1851 Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 29, 2025
Solar eclipses of 1935–1938
Saros 146
Metonic series
Tritos series
Inex series
References