Solar eclipse of May 9, 1929

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Thursday, May 9, 1929, with a magnitude of 1.0562. 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 1.7 days before perigee (on May 10, 1929, at 21:00 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

Totality was visible from Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia), Federated Malay States (now belonging to Malaysia), Siam (name changed to Thailand later), French Indochina (the part now belonging to Vietnam), Spratly Islands, Philippines, and South Seas Mandate in Japan (the part now belonging to FS Micronesia). A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Southeast Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Australia..

Observations

A team of British and German scientists observed the total eclipse in Pattani province in southern Siam. King Rama VII and Queen Rambai Barni also visited the observation camp set up by foreign scientists and observed the eclipse together in Pattani. This was the last time that Siam (Thailand) received a large-scale solar eclipse observation team so far. The other teams Thailand received later, including the American team for the total solar eclipse of June 20, 1955 were much smaller.

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.

Related eclipses

Eclipses in 1929

• A total solar eclipse on May 9.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on May 23.
• An annular solar eclipse on November 1.
• A penumbral lunar eclipse on November 17.

Metonic

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 20, 1925
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 24, 1933

Tzolkinex

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 28, 1922
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 19, 1936

Half-Saros

• Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 3, 1920
• Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 14, 1938

Tritos

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 8, 1918
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 7, 1940

Solar Saros 127

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 28, 1911
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 20, 1947

Inex

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of May 28, 1900
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of April 19, 1958

Triad

• Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 8, 1842
• Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 9, 2016

Solar eclipses of 1928–1931

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 eclipse on June 17, 1928 occurs in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the partial solar eclipse on September 12, 1931 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 127

This eclipse is a part of Saros series 127, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 82 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on October 10, 991 AD. It contains total eclipses from May 14, 1352 through August 15, 2091. There are no annular or hybrid eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 82 as a partial eclipse on March 21, 2452. 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 totality was produced by member 31 at 5 minutes, 40 seconds on August 30, 1532. 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.

External links

• Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC