A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit between Saturday, August 7, and Sunday, August 8, 1869, with a magnitude of 1.0551. 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 1.6 days before perigee (on August 9, 1869, at 13:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day eastern Russia, Alaska, western Canada, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of Northeast Asia, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Observations This eclipse was the first major eclipse photographed and also included many different scientific expeditions to view it across totality.
Maria Mitchell took a group of Vassar College students to view the eclipse with telescopes in Burlington, Iowa.
In 1869, astronomer and explorer George Davidson made a scientific trip to the Chilkat Valley of Alaska. He told the Chilkat Indians that he was anxious to observe a total eclipse of the Sun that was predicted to occur the following day, August 7. This prediction was considered to have saved Davidson's expedition from an attack.August 7, 1869, Astronomer impresses Indians with eclipse George Davidson, a prominent astronomer and explorer, impresses Alaskan Native Americans with his ability to predict a total solar eclipse.
A photographic expedition was organized by Philadelphia's Henry Morton under the authority of John H. C. Coffin, U.S.N., Superintendent of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. The expedition observed the eclipse in Iowa at three stations: Burlington, Mount Pleasant, and Ottumwa, under the respective supervisions of Alfred M. Mayer, Henry Morton, and Charles Francis Himes (1838–1918).
Observations were also made by meteorology pioneers Cleveland Abbe and General Albert Myer, in Dakota Territory and Virginia, respectively.David Baron, American Eclipse, p. 158
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.
+August 7, 1869 Solar Eclipse Times Event Time (UTC) First Penumbral External Contact 1869 August 7 at 19:38:08.9 UTC First Umbral External Contact 1869 August 7 at 20:44:43.8 UTC First Central Line 1869 August 7 at 20:46:19.1 UTC First Umbral Internal Contact 1869 August 7 at 20:47:55.4 UTC Equatorial Conjunction 1869 August 7 at 21:46:10.8 UTC Greatest Duration 1869 August 7 at 22:00:53.7 UTC Greatest Eclipse 1869 August 7 at 22:01:04.7 UTC Ecliptic Conjunction 1869 August 7 at 22:08:11.2 UTC Last Umbral Internal Contact 1869 August 7 at 23:14:22.8 UTC Last Central Line 1869 August 7 at 23:16:00.7 UTC Last Umbral External Contact 1869 August 7 at 23:17:37.6 UTC Last Penumbral External Contact 1869 August 8 at 00:24:03.9 UTC
+August 7, 1869 Solar Eclipse Parameters Parameter Value Eclipse Magnitude 1.05514 Eclipse Obscuration 1.11332 Gamma 0.69599 Sun Right Ascension 09h11m15.8s Sun Declination +16°14'37.3" Sun Semi-Diameter 15'46.6" Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 08.7" Moon Right Ascension 09h11m50.9s Moon Declination +16°55'41.0" Moon Semi-Diameter 16'27.0" Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax 1°00'22.4" ΔT 1.2 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.
+ Eclipse season of July–August 1869 July 23Descending node (full moon) August 7Ascending node (new moon) Partial lunar eclipseLunar Saros 117 Total solar eclipseSolar Saros 143
Related eclipses Eclipses in 1869 A partial lunar eclipse on January 28. An annular solar eclipse on February 11. A partial lunar eclipse on July 23. A total solar eclipse on August 7.
Metonic Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 19, 1865 Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 26, 1873
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 27, 1862 Followed by: Solar eclipse of September 17, 1876
Half-Saros Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of August 1, 1860 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of August 13, 1878
Tritos Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 7, 1858 Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 7, 1880
Solar Saros 143 Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 28, 1851 Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 19, 1887
Inex Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 27, 1840 Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 18, 1898
Triad Preceded by: Solar eclipse of October 7, 1782 Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 8, 1956
Solar eclipses of 1866–1870
The partial solar eclipses on April 15, 1866 and October 8, 1866 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the solar eclipses on June 28, 1870 (partial) and December 22, 1870 (total) occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Solar eclipse series sets from 1866 to 1870 Descending node Ascending node Saros Map Gamma Saros Map Gamma 108 March 16, 1866Partial 1.4241 113 118 March 6, 1867Annular 0.7716 123 August 29, 1867Total −0.7940 128 February 23, 1868Annular 0.0706 133 August 18, 1868Total −0.0443 138 February 11, 1869Annular −0.6251 143 August 7, 1869Total 0.6960 148 January 31, 1870Partial −1.2829 153 July 28, 1870Partial 1.5044
Saros 143
Metonic series All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.
25 eclipse events between March 14, 1801 and August 7, 1888March 14–15December 31–January 1October 19–20August 7May 26–27107109111113115March 14, 1801January 1, 1805October 19, 1808August 7, 1812May 27, 1816117119121123125March 14, 1820January 1, 1824October 20, 1827August 7, 1831May 27, 1835127129131133135March 15, 1839December 31, 1842October 20, 1846August 7, 1850May 26, 1854137139141143145March 15, 1858December 31, 1861October 19, 1865August 7, 1869May 26, 1873147149151153March 15, 1877December 31, 1880October 19, 1884August 7, 1888
Tritos series
Inex series
Notes
References NASA graphics Googlemap NASA Besselian elements Sketch of Solar Corona 1869 August 7 The Solar Eclipse of 7 August 1869 P 70: Coast Survey Report 1869, 126–127, Cambridge, August 20, 1869