Saturday, June 8, 1918, Total Solar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Cycle 126

Summary: The Saturday, June 8, 1918, total solar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 126, a family of 72 similar solar eclipses.

A partial eclipse on March 10, 1179, opened solar Saros series 126's lineup of 72 similar eclipses; credit: "Eclipse map/figure/table/predictions courtesy of Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, from eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov," via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The Saturday, June 8, 1918, total solar eclipse belongs to Saros cycle 126, which comprises 72 solar eclipses exhibiting similar geometries.

The solar Saros cycle groups solar eclipses with similar geometries into families, known as series. For example, all solar eclipses in a particular Saros series occur at the same lunar node. The two lunar nodes, known as ascending and descending, indicates the two intersections of the lunar orbit with Earth's orbit. The ascending node signals lunar passage to the north of Earth's orbit. The descending node marks passage to the south of Earth's orbit.

All solar Saros series 126 eclipses occur at the descending node. Consequently, each succeeding eclipse in the series attests to the moon's northward movement away from the node.

A Saros cycle's duration approximates 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours). Specifically, Saros series 126 lasts for 1,280.14 years, according to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Eclipse Web Site's eclipse predictions by NASA astrophysicist, now retired, Fred Espenak. Saros series 126 spans 14 centuries, from the 12th to the 25th centuries.

Saros series 126 comprises 31 partial solar eclipses, 28 annular solar eclipses, three hybrid solar eclipses and 10 total solar eclipses. The cycle's 72 eclipses sequence as five sets. The first set comprises eight partial solar eclipses. The second set contains 28 annular solar eclipses. The third set is composed of three hybrid solar eclipses. The fourth set features 10 total solar eclipses. The cycle's fifth and last set contains the last 23 of the cycle's 31 partial solar eclipses.

Saros series 126 opened March 10, 1179, with a partial solar eclipse. The series will close with a partial solar eclipse on Saturday, May 3, 2459. As exemplars of Saros series 126's northward movement from the descending lunar node, the opening eclipse was a Southern Hemisphere phenomenon, while the closing eclipse will favor Earth's Northern Hemisphere.

The Saturday, June 8, 1918, total solar eclipse appeared as 42nd in the Saros series 126 lineup of 72 eclipses. The June 1918 event numbered as third in the cycle's set of 10 total solar eclipses.

The June 1918 total solar eclipse's predecessor was the total solar eclipse of Monday, May 28, 1900. The May 1900 total solar eclipse occurred as second in the cycle's set of 10 total solar eclipses and as 41st in Saros series 126's overall lineup of 72 eclipses.

The June 1918 total solar eclipse's successor was the total solar eclipse of Friday, June 19, 1936. The June 1936 total solar eclipse appeared as fourth in the cycle's 10-member set of total solar eclipses and as 43rd in the cycle's overall 72-member lineup.

The Saros series 126's set of 10 total solar eclipses covers two centuries, spanning the 19th through 21st centuries. The set's opening total solar eclipse, which took place Wednesday, May 17, 1882, numbered as 40th in Saros series 126's overall lineup of 72 eclipses. The total solar eclipse of Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2044, will conclude the set as Saros series 126's 10th and last total solar eclipse. The August 2044 total solar eclipse will appear as 49th in Saros series 126's overall lineup of 72 eclipses.

The extreme durations predicted by Fred Espenak on the NASA Eclipse Web Site recognize the Monday, July 10, 1972, total solar eclipse's duration of 2 minutes 36 seconds as Saros series 126's longest total solar eclipse. The July 1972 total solar eclipse numbered as the set's sixth member and as 45th in Saros series 126's overall lineup of 72 eclipses. With a duration of only 1 minute 50 seconds, the total solar eclipse set's opening eclipse, Wednesday, May 17, 1882, qualifies as the shortest total solar eclipse.

The takeaways for the Saturday, June 8, 1918, total solar eclipse belonging to Saros series 126 are that the event occurred as third in Saros series 126's set of 10 total solar eclipses; that the June 1918 total solar eclipse numbered as 42nd in the Saros series 126 lineup of 72 eclipses; that the June 1918 total solar eclipse's predecessor was the Monday, May 28, 1900, total solar eclipse; and that the June 1918 total solar eclipse's successor was the Friday, June 19, 1936, total solar eclipse.

A partial eclipse on Saturday, May 3, 2459, will close solar Saros series 126's lineup of 72 similar eclipses: "Eclipse map/figure/table/predictions courtesy of Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, from eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov,", via NASA Eclipse Web Site

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

A partial eclipse on March 10, 1179, opened solar Saros series 126's lineup of 72 similar eclipses; credit: "Eclipse map/figure/table/predictions courtesy of Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, from eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov," via NASA Eclipse Web Site (https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpubs/copyright.html) @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1101-1200/1179-03-10.gif

A partial eclipse on Saturday, May 3, 2459, will close solar Saros series 126's lineup of 72 similar eclipses: "Eclipse map/figure/table/predictions courtesy of Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, from eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov," via NASA Eclipse Web Site (https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpubs/copyright.html) @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2401-2500/2459-05-03.gif

For further information:

Espenak, Fred. "Partial 1179 Mar 10." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1101-1200/1179-03-10.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Partial 2459 May 03." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2401-2500/2459-05-03.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Saros Series 126." EclipseWise > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Links > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Saros -33 to 190 > Summary of Saros 117 to 146.
Available @ http://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEsaros/SEsaros126.html

Espenak, Fred. "Saros Series 126." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros126.html

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1882 May 17." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1801-1900/1882-05-17.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1900 May 28." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1801-1900/1900-05-28.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1936 Jun 19." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1936-06-19.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1972 Jul 10." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1972-07-10.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 2044 Aug 23." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Saros Catalog of Solar Eclipses: Saros 0 to 180 > Summary of Saros Series 125 to 150.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2001-2100/2044-08-23.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total Solar Eclipse of 1918 Jun 08." EclipseWise > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Links > Decade Pages of Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipses: 1911-1920.
Available @ http://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/1901-2000/SE1918Jun08Tprime.html

Espenak, Fred. "Total Solar Eclipse of 1918 Jun 08." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Decade Tables of Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipses: 1911-1920.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot1901/SE1918Jun08T.GIF

Marriner, Derdriu. "Total Solar Eclipse June 8, 1918, Was First of Two 1918 Solar Eclipses." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 16, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/total-solar-eclipse-june-8-1918-was.html