Solar eclipse of January 3, 1908
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| Total eclipse | |
 Map | |
| Gamma | 0.1934 |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 1.0437 |
| Maximum eclipse | |
| Duration | 254 s (4 min 14 s) |
| Coordinates | 11°48′S 145°06′W / 11.8°S 145.1°W |
| Max. width of band | 149 km (93 mi) |
| Times (UTC) | |
| Greatest eclipse | 21:45:22 |
| References | |
| Saros | 130 (46 of 73) |
| Catalog # (SE5000) | 9299 |
A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit between Friday, January 3 and Saturday, January 4, 1908,[1][2][3][4][5] with a magnitude of 1.0437. 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 14 hours before perigee (on January 4, 1908, at 12:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[6]
Totality was visible from Ebon Atoll in German New Guinea (now in Marshall Islands), British Western Pacific Territories (the part now belonging to Kiribati), Line Islands (now in Kiribati), Phoenix Islands (now in Kiribati) on January 4 (Saturday), and Costa Rica on January 3 (Friday). A partial eclipse was visible for parts of northern Oceania, Hawaii, southern North America, Central America, the western Caribbean, and western South America.
The eclipse was observed by astronomer William Wallace Campbell of Lick Observatory, viewed from Flint Island, Kiribati, an uninhabited island in the Line Islands. The team of Lick Observatory departed from San Francisco on November 22, 1907, and arrived in Papeete, Tahiti Island, the capital of French Polynesia on December 4. After making preparations of supplies and logistics personnel, it departed again on the evening of December 7 and arrived at Flint Island on the afternoon of 9 December.[7]
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Astronomers from the Royal Astronomical Society, Sydney Observatory and a party from Australia and New Zealand which included Francis McClean and Henry Winkelmann also observed the total eclipse near the observation site of Lick Observatory. The team successfully took images of the corona.[8][9]
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.[10]
| Event | Time (UTC) |
|---|---|
| First Penumbral External Contact | 1908 January 3 at 19:07:37.2 UTC |
| First Umbral External Contact | 1908 January 3 at 20:03:19.2 UTC |
| First Central Line | 1908 January 3 at 20:04:02.0 UTC |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 1908 January 3 at 20:04:44.8 UTC |
| First Penumbral Internal Contact | 1908 January 3 at 21:02:14.0 UTC |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 1908 January 3 at 21:43:22.3 UTC |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 1908 January 3 at 21:45:11.7 UTC |
| Greatest Eclipse | 1908 January 3 at 21:45:21.4 UTC |
| Greatest Duration | 1908 January 3 at 21:45:57.9 UTC |
| Last Penumbral Internal Contact | 1908 January 3 at 22:28:29.5 UTC |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 1908 January 3 at 23:25:57.2 UTC |
| Last Central Line | 1908 January 3 at 23:26:40.8 UTC |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 1908 January 3 at 23:27:24.4 UTC |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 1908 January 4 at 00:23:04.0 UTC |
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.04375 |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.08941 |
| Gamma | 0.19334 |
| Sun Right Ascension | 18h52m47.6s |
| Sun Declination | -22°53'44.4" |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 16'16.0" |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.9" |
| Moon Right Ascension | 18h52m48.0s |
| Moon Declination | -22°41'55.4" |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'41.7" |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°01'16.1" |
| ΔT | 7.7 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.
| January 3 Descending node (new moon) | January 18 Ascending node (full moon) |
|---|---|
|  |
| Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 130 | Penumbral lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 142 |
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