A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Sunday, August 29, 1886, with a magnitude of 1.0735. 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 4 hours after perigee (on August 29, 1886, at 8:55 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Grenada, Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Madagascar. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of eastern North America, Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, and Africa.
Observations
A team of astronomers travelled to the island of Grenada in the Caribbean to observe this eclipse. Their observation station was placed in Fort St. George.
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.
+August 29, 1886 Solar Eclipse Times Event Time (UTC) First Penumbral External Contact 1886 August 29 at 10:18:21.0 UTC First Umbral External Contact 1886 August 29 at 11:11:44.6 UTC First Central Line 1886 August 29 at 11:13:12.5 UTC First Umbral Internal Contact 1886 August 29 at 11:14:40.4 UTC First Penumbral Internal Contact 1886 August 29 at 12:08:31.9 UTC Greatest Duration 1886 August 29 at 12:52:24.8 UTC Ecliptic Conjunction 1886 August 29 at 12:54:18.0 UTC Greatest Eclipse 1887 August 29 at 12:55:22.7 UTC Equatorial Conjunction 1886 August 29 at 12:58:29.5 UTC Last Penumbral Internal Contact 1886 August 29 at 13:42:08.5 UTC Last Umbral Internal Contact 1886 August 29 at 14:36:03.1 UTC Last Central Line 1886 August 29 at 14:37:30.7 UTC Last Umbral External Contact 1886 August 29 at 14:38:58.4 UTC Last Penumbral External Contact 1886 August 29 at 15:32:23.5 UTC
+August 29, 1886 Solar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Eclipse Magnitude 1.07351 Eclipse Obscuration 1.15242 Gamma −0.10587 Sun Right Ascension 10h31m23.1s Sun Declination +09°17'26.5" Sun Semi-Diameter 15'50.7" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7" Moon Right Ascension 10h31m15.9s Moon Declination +09°11'12.6" Moon Semi-Diameter 16'43.3" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°01'22.2" ΔT -5.9 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. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.
+ Eclipse season of August–September 1886 August 14Descending node (full moon) August 29Ascending node (new moon) September 13Descending node (full moon) Penumbral lunar eclipseLunar Saros 107 Total solar eclipseSolar Saros 133 Penumbral lunar eclipseLunar Saros 145
Related eclipses Eclipses in 1886 A penumbral lunar eclipse on February 18. An annular solar eclipse on March 5. A penumbral lunar eclipse on March 20. A penumbral lunar eclipse on August 14. A total solar eclipse on August 29. A penumbral lunar eclipse on September 13.
Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of November 10, 1882 Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 17, 1890
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 19, 1879 Followed by: Solar eclipse of October 9, 1893
Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 23, 1877 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of September 4, 1895
Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 29, 1875 Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 29, 1897
Solar Saros 133 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 18, 1868 Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 9, 1904
Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 18, 1857 Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 10, 1915
Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 28, 1799 Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 30, 1973
Solar eclipses of 1884–1888
The partial solar eclipses on April 25, 1884 and October 19, 1884 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the partial solar eclipse on July 9, 1888 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Solar eclipse series sets from 1884 to 1888 Descending node Ascending node Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma 108 March 27, 1884Partial 1.4602 113 118 March 16, 1885Annular 0.8030 123 September 8, 1885Total −0.8489 128 March 5, 1886Annular 0.0970 133 August 29, 1886Total −0.1059 138 February 22, 1887Annular −0.6040 143 August 19, 1887Total 0.6312 148 February 11, 1888Partial −1.2684 153 August 7, 1888Partial −1.2797
Saros 133
Metonic series
Tritos series
Inex series
References
NASA graphic Googlemap NASA Besselian elements