A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Friday, September 9, 1904,[1] [2] [3] [4] with a magnitude of 1.0709. 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 only about 1.5 hours after perigee (on September 9, 1904, at 19:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[5]
Totality was visible from German New Guinea (the part now belonging to Marshall Islands) on September 10 and Chile on September 9. A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Oceania and Western South America.
The event is mentioned in James Joyce's novel Ulysses.
The National Astronomical Observatory of Chile established an observation station in Taltal, Antofagasta, but the eclipse was clouded out and could not be seen. In the capital city Santiago, a partial eclipse was seen just before sunset.[6]
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.[7]
| First Penumbral External Contact | 1904 September 09 at 18:07:46.2 UTC | |
| First Umbral External Contact | 1904 September 09 at 19:01:33.0 UTC | |
| First Central Line | 1904 September 09 at 19:02:57.8 UTC | |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 1904 September 09 at 19:04:22.7 UTC | |
| First Penumbral Internal Contact | 1904 September 09 at 19:59:18.7 UTC | |
| Greatest Duration | 1904 September 09 at 20:42:32.1 UTC | |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 1904 September 09 at 20:42:41.4 UTC | |
| Greatest Eclipse | 1904 September 09 at 20:44:20.7 UTC | |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 1904 September 09 at 20:49:31.5 UTC | |
| Last Penumbral Internal Contact | 1904 September 09 at 21:29:14.6 UTC | |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 1904 September 09 at 22:24:15.2 UTC | |
| Last Central Line | 1904 September 09 at 22:25:39.9 UTC | |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 1904 September 09 at 22:27:04.6 UTC | |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 1904 September 09 at 23:20:53.1 UTC |
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.07094 | |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.14691 | |
| Gamma | −0.16252 | |
| Sun Right Ascension | 11h11m04.6s | |
| Sun Declination | +05°15'01.3" | |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'53.2" | |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.7" | |
| Moon Right Ascension | 11h10m52.8s | |
| Moon Declination | +05°05'30.9" | |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'43.6" | |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 1°01'23.4" | |
| ΔT | 3.4 s |
See also: Eclipse cycle. 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.