Solar eclipse of November 1, 1948

{{Infobox solar eclipse|1948Nov01

| previous = Solar eclipse of May 9, 1948

| next = Solar eclipse of April 28, 1949

}}

A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Monday, November 1, 1948,{{cite web|title=November 1, 1948 Total Solar Eclipse|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/1948-november-1|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=4 August 2024}} with a magnitude of 1.0231. 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 2.4 days after perigee (on October 29, 1948, at 21:20 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.{{cite web|title=Moon Distances for London, United Kingdom, England|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html?year=1948&n=136|publisher=timeanddate|access-date=4 August 2024}}

Totality was visible from Belgian Congo (today's DR Congo), Uganda Protectorate (today's Uganda) including the capital city Kampala, British Kenya (today's Kenya) including the capital city Nairobi, British Seychelles (today's Seychelles), and British Mauritius (today's Mauritius). A partial eclipse was visible for parts of East Africa, Southern Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.

During this eclipse, comet C/1948 V1, also known as the Eclipse Comet of 1948, was discovered shining near the Sun.{{cite web|last=Bortle|first=John E.|title=The Bright-Comet Chronicles|url=http://www.icq.eps.harvard.edu/bortle.html|work=International Comet Quarterly|access-date=20 February 2013}}

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.{{cite web|title=Total Solar Eclipse of 1948 Nov 01|url=https://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/1901-2000/SE1948Nov01Tprime.html|publisher=EclipseWise.com|access-date=4 August 2024}}

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|+November 1, 1948 Solar Eclipse Times

! Event

! Time (UTC)

First Penumbral External Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 03:19:27.1 UTC

First Umbral External Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 04:19:32.4 UTC

First Central Line

| 1948 November 01 at 04:19:46.0 UTC

First Umbral Internal Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 04:19:59.5 UTC

First Penumbral Internal Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 05:28:35.7 UTC

Greatest Eclipse

| 1948 November 01 at 05:59:17.9 UTC

Greatest Duration

| 1948 November 01 at 06:00:10.8 UTC

Ecliptic Conjunction

| 1948 November 01 at 06:03:01.1 UTC

Equatorial Conjunction

| 1948 November 01 at 06:16:14.5 UTC

Last Penumbral Internal Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 06:29:35.7 UTC

Last Umbral Internal Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 07:38:28.6 UTC

Last Central Line

| 1948 November 01 at 07:38:39.8 UTC

Last Umbral External Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 07:38:51.1 UTC

Last Penumbral External Contact

| 1948 November 01 at 08:39:07.0 UTC

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|+November 1, 1948 Solar Eclipse Parameters

! Parameter

! Value

Eclipse Magnitude

| 1.02312

Eclipse Obscuration

| 1.04677

Gamma

| −0.35172

Sun Right Ascension

| 14h25m22.0s

Sun Declination

| -14°24'53.4"

Sun Semi-Diameter

| 16'07.1"

Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax

| 08.9"

Moon Right Ascension

| 14h24m46.3s

Moon Declination

| -14°43'55.8"

Moon Semi-Diameter

| 16'14.2"

Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax

| 0°59'35.3"

ΔT

| 28.6 s

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.

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|+ Eclipse season of October–November 1948

! October 18
Ascending node (full moon) !! November 1
Descending node (new moon)

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| Penumbral lunar eclipse
Lunar Saros 116

Total solar eclipse
Solar Saros 142