A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, November 30, 1853, with a magnitude of 1.0485. 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 8.5 hours before perigee (on December 1, 1853, at 3:45 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.
The path of totality was visible from parts of modern-day Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. A partial solar eclipse was also visible for parts of northern Oceania, Hawaii, southern North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.
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.
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.
The partial solar eclipse on January 21, 1852 occurs in the previous lunar year eclipse set.
All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.