A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Tuesday, November 19, 1816, with a magnitude of 1.0233. 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 November 17, 1816, at 17:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger. The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day Norway, Sweden, Poland, western Ukraine, Romania, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, and western China. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of Europe, North Africa, Northeast Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Observations

From Germany, this total eclipse could not be seen with clouded sky except by few observers at Pomerania only. Capel Lofft observed this eclipse from Ipswich.

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 1816

Metonic

Tzolkinex

Half-Saros

Tritos

Solar Saros 120

Inex

Triad

Solar eclipses of 1816–1819

The partial solar eclipses on March 25, 1819 and September 19, 1819 occur in the next lunar year eclipse set.

Saros 120

Metonic series

All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's descending node.

Tritos series

Inex series