A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Saturday, January 22, 1898. 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 1.8 days after perigee (on January 20, 1898, at 12:30 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of the Royal Niger Company, Kamerun, Upper Ubanghi, British East Africa, Abyssinia, Italian Somaliland, Hindustan, Nepal, and the Chinese Empire. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for much of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Observations
There were two organised expeditions to India to observe this eclipse. One was from the British Astronomical Association and the other was led by K D Naegamvala of the Maharaja Taihtasingji Observatory.
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.
Eclipses in 1898
- A partial lunar eclipse on January 8.
- A total solar eclipse on January 22.
- A partial lunar eclipse on July 3.
- An annular solar eclipse on July 18.
- A partial solar eclipse on December 13.
- A total lunar eclipse on December 27.
Metonic
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 6, 1894
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 11, 1901
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of December 12, 1890
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of March 6, 1905
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of January 17, 1889
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of January 29, 1907
Tritos
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 22, 1887
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of December 23, 1908
Solar Saros 139
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of January 11, 1880
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of February 3, 1916
Inex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of February 11, 1869
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of January 3, 1927
Triad
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of March 24, 1811
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of November 22, 1984
Solar eclipses of 1895–1899
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 March 26, 1895 and September 18, 1895 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the partial solar eclipse on December 13, 1898 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Saros 139
This eclipse is a part of Saros series 139, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on May 17, 1501. It contains hybrid eclipses from August 11, 1627 through December 9, 1825 and total eclipses from December 21, 1843 through March 26, 2601. There are no annular eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 3, 2763. 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 will be produced by member 61 at 7 minutes, 29.22 seconds on July 16, 2186. This date is the longest solar eclipse computed between 4000 BC and AD 6000. 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.
The partial solar eclipses on December 7, 2170 (part of Saros 164) and November 7, 2181 (part of Saros 165) are also a part of this series but are not included in the table below.
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.