| Solar eclipse of April 17, 1912 | |
|---|---|
 Map | |
| Type of eclipse | |
| Nature | Hybrid |
| Gamma | 0.528 |
| Magnitude | 1.0003 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 2 s (0 min 2 s) |
| Coordinates | 38°24′N 11°18′W / 38.4°N 11.3°W |
| Max. width of band | 1 km (0.62 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 11:34:22 |
| References | |
| Saros | 137 (30 of 70) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9308 |
A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, April 17, 1912,[1][2][3] with a magnitude of 1.0003. It was a hybrid event, starting and ending as an annular eclipse, with only a small portion of totality (only 1.3 km (0.808 mi or 4,265 feet) wide). 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 7.4 days after apogee (on April 10, 1912, at 0:50 UTC) and 5.5 days before perigee (on April 22, 1912, at 22:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[4]
Annularity was first visible from southeastern tip of Venezuela, northern tip of Brazil, British Guyana (today's Guyana), Dutch Guiana (today's Suriname) and Porto Santo Island in Madeira, Portugal, then totality from Portugal and Spain, with annularity continuing northeast across France (including northwestern suburbs of Paris), Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Russian Empire (the parts now belonging to northern Latvia, southern Estonia and Russia). A partial eclipse was visible for parts of eastern South America, eastern North America, West Africa, Europe, and West Asia.
It was the 30th eclipse of the 137th Saros cycle, which began with a partial eclipse on May 25, 1389, and will conclude with a partial eclipse on June 28, 2633. This eclipse occurred two days after the RMS Titanic sank in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean under the darkness of new moon.[5]
- ^ "April 17, 1912 Total Solar Eclipse". timeanddate. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "TO'DAY'S ECLIPSE OF THE SUN". The Guardian. London, Greater London, England. 1912-04-17. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-11-04 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Few saw eclipse". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. 1912-04-17. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-11-04 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England". timeanddate. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ www.astronomeer.com: The "Titanic" eclipse of 17 April 1912 Archived 7 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine The last annular eclipse in the Netherlands was 17 April 1912, just two days after the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.