Solar eclipse of August 29, 1886

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.

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.

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

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.

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.

Saros 133

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 133, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 72 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on July 13, 1219. It contains annular eclipses from November 20, 1435 through January 13, 1526; a hybrid eclipse on January 24, 1544; and total eclipses from February 3, 1562 through June 21, 2373. The series ends at member 72 as a partial eclipse on September 5, 2499. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.

The longest duration of annularity was produced by member 25 at 1 minutes, 14 seconds on November 30, 1453, and the longest duration of totality was produced by member 61 at 6 minutes, 50 seconds on August 7, 1850. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.

Metonic series

The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.

Tritos series

This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

Inex series

This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.

• Mabel Loomis Todd (1900). . Little, Brown.