A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, July 18, 1860, with a magnitude of 1.0500. 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 2.2 days before perigee (on July 20, 1860, at 19:15 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day northwestern Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho, northwestern Montana, Canada, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of North America, Europe, West Asia, North Africa, and West Africa.
Coronal Mass Ejection
The first coronal mass ejection may have been observed as coronal loops progressing during this total eclipse.
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 1860
- An annular solar eclipse on January 23.
- A partial lunar eclipse on February 7.
- A total solar eclipse on July 18.
- A partial lunar eclipse on August 1.
- A penumbral lunar eclipse on December 28.
Metonic
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 29, 1856
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 6, 1864
Tzolkinex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of June 6, 1853
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of August 29, 1867
Half-Saros
- Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 13, 1851
- Followed by: Lunar eclipse of July 23, 1869
Tritos
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 18, 1849
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 18, 1871
Solar Saros 124
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of July 8, 1842
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of July 29, 1878
Inex
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of August 7, 1831
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of June 28, 1889
Triad
- Preceded by: Solar eclipse of September 16, 1773
- Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 20, 1947
Solar eclipses of 1859–1862
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 4, 1859 and August 28, 1859 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the partial solar eclipse on November 21, 1862 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.
Saros 124
This eclipse is a part of Saros series 124, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 73 events. The series started with a partial solar eclipse on March 6, 1049. It contains total eclipses from June 12, 1211 through September 22, 1968, and a hybrid eclipse on October 3, 1986. There are no annular eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 73 as a partial eclipse on May 11, 2347. 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 39 at 5 minutes, 46 seconds on May 3, 1734. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s descending 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 descending 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.