Solar eclipse of December 22, 1870

Solar eclipse of December 22, 1870
Map
Type of eclipse
Nature	Total
Gamma	0.8585
Magnitude	1.0248
Maximum eclipse
Duration	131 s (2 min 11 s)
Coordinates	35°42′N 1°30′W / 35.7°N 1.5°W / 35.7; -1.5
Max. width of band	165 km (103 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse	12:27:33
References
Saros	120 (53 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000)	9213

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Thursday, December 22, 1870, with a magnitude of 1.0248. 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 1.4 days before perigee (on December 21, 1870, at 3:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.^[1]

The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day southern Portugal, southern Spain, northern Morocco, northern Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, northwestern Turkey, southeastern Bulgaria, southeastern Ukraine, and western Russia. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of eastern Canada, Europe, North Africa, West Africa, and the Middle East.