solar eclipse of April 8, 1652 (8 April 1652)

A total solar eclipse occurred on Monday, April 8 [O.S. March 29] 1652. The path of totality intersected the British Isles, including the town of Carrickfergus in Ireland, and passed just off the west coast of Norway.

The day acquired the name "Mirk Monday" in Scotland, due to the darkness that fell across the country. Contemporary astrologers Nicholas Culpeper and William Lilly made broad and catastrophic predictions of the eclipse's effects on the world, which attracted criticism in the aftermath of the event as their predictions failed to happen.

One 19th century source misreported the date of the eclipse as March 24, 1652.

Observations

Observing the eclipse from Carrickfergus, Ireland, Dr. John Wybard wrote:

Luna momento quasi, et eximproviso, totam se intra Disci Solis orbitam seu ambitum (quatenus conspectui nostro appareret) tam agiliter injiciebat; ut circumagere aut circumvolutare videretur, sicut catillus, seu lapis molaris superior; Sole tunc circum-circa, ejus limbum seu marginem splendidulo vel corusco, apparente.

The Moon, as if at that moment, and unexpectedly, threw itself so very nimbly between the entire path or circuit of the Sun’s disc (in so far as it appeared to our sight); so that it seemed to move in a circle or roll around, like a plate or upper mill-stone; with the Sun, glowing or rather shimmering, all around its rim or edge.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Solar eclipse of April 8, 1652”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

One 19th century source misreported the date of the eclipse as March 24, 1652.

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Text from the Wikipedia article “solar eclipse of April 8, 1652”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

solar eclipse of April 8, 1652

Observations

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Observations