Aug. 31, 1932, Total Solar Eclipse Belongs to Saros Series 124

Summary: The Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1932, total solar eclipse belongs to Saros series 124, a family of 73 similar solar eclipses.

A partial eclipse on March 6, 1049, opened Saros series 124's lineup of 73 similar solar eclipses: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC), via NASA Eclipse Web Site

The Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1932, total solar eclipse belongs to Saros series 124, which comprises 73 solar eclipses with similar geometries.

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

All 73 of the Saros series 124 solar eclipses take place at the moon's descending node. Consequently, each succeeding Saros series 124 solar eclipse exhibits northward movement away from the descending node.

A Saros cycle equates to approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours). Specifically, Saros series 124 encompasses 1,298.17 years, according to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Eclipse Web Site's eclipse predictions by NASA astrophysicist, now retired, Fred Espenak. Saros series 124 spans 14 centuries, from the 11th century to the 24th century.

Saros series 124 comprises twenty-nine partial solar eclipses, 43 total solar eclipses and one hybrid solar eclipse. The cycle's 73 solar eclipses sequence as four sets. The first set offers nine of Saros series 124's 29 partial solar eclipses. The second set contains the cycle's 43 total solar eclipses. The third set features the cycle's solitary hybrid solar eclipse. The fourth and last set comprises the last 20 of the cycle's 29 partial solar eclipses.

Saros series 124 opened with a partial solar eclipse on March 6, 1049. Saros series 124 will close with a partial solar eclipse on Sunday, May 11, 2347. The opening eclipse's Southern Hemisphere setting and the closing eclipse's Northern Hemisphere focus are revelatory of the cycle membership's progressively northward movement away from the descending node.

The Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1932, total solar eclipse numbered as 50th in the Saros series 124 lineup of 73 solar eclipses. The August 1932 event occurred as 41st in the Saros series 124's set of 43 total solar eclipses.

The August 1932 total solar eclipse's predecessor was the Friday, Aug. 21, 1914, total solar eclipse. The August 1914 total solar eclipse occurred as 40th in the Saros series 124's set of 43 total solar eclipses and as 49th in the Saros series 124 lineup of 73 solar eclipses.

The August 1932 total solar eclipse's successor was the Tuesday, Sept. 12, 1950, total solar eclipse. The September 1950 total solar eclipse took place as 42nd in the Saros series 124's set of 43 total solar eclipses and as 51st in the Saros series 124 lineup of 73 solar eclipses.

Saros series 124's set of 43 total solar eclipses spans eight centuries, beginning in the 13th century and finishing in the 20th century. The set's opening total solar eclipse of June 12, 1211, appeared as 10th in the Saros series 124 lineup of 73 solar eclipses. The set's closing total solar eclipse will take place Sunday, Sept. 22, 1968, as the set's 43rd and last total solar eclipse and as 43rd in the Saros series 124 lineup of 73 solar eclipses.

The NASA Eclipse Web Site's extreme durations predicted by Fred Espenak the total solar eclipse of Monday, May 3, 1734, as the longest total solar eclipse in the Saros series 124 set of 43 total solar eclipses. The May 1734 total solar eclipse's totality lasted for 5 minutes 46 seconds. The May 1734 total solar eclipse numbered as 30th in the Saros series 124's set of 43 total solar eclipses and as 39th in the Saros series 124 lineup of 73 solar eclipses. The total solar eclipse set's closing eclipse of Sunday, Sept. 22, 1968, qualified as Saros series 124's shortest total solar eclipse. The September 1968 solar eclipse's totality had a duration of only 40 seconds.

The takeaways for the Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1932, total solar eclipse belonging to Saros series 124 are that the event took place as 41st in Saros series 124's set of 43 total solar eclipses and as 50th in the Saros series 124 lineup of 73 eclipses; that the Saros series 124 set of total solar eclipses covered eight centuries, from the 13th century to the 20th century; that the May 1734 total solar eclipse's duration of 5 minutes 46 seconds qualified it as the total solar eclipse set's longest total solar eclipses; and that the total solar eclipse set's closing eclipse, in September 1968, rated as the shortest, with a duration of only 40 seconds.

The Northern Hemisphere's partial solar eclipse on Sunday, May 11, 2347, will close Saros series 124's lineup of 73 similar solar eclipses: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC), 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:

The Southern Hemisphere's partial solar eclipse on March 6, 1049, opened Saros series 124's lineup of 73 similar solar eclipses: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC), via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1001-1100/1049-03-06.gif

The Northern Hemisphere's partial solar eclipse on Sunday, May 11, 2347, will close Saros series 124's lineup of 73 similar solar eclipses: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC), via NASA Eclipse Web Site @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2301-2400/2347-05-11.gif

For further information:

Espenak, Fred. "Partial 1049 Mar 06." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125 > Saros Series 124.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1001-1100/1049-03-06.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Partial 2347 May 11." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125 > Saros Series 124.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/2301-2400/2347-05-11.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Saros 124." EclipseWise > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Links > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros 117 to 146.
Available @ http://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEsaros/SEsaros124.html

Espenak, Fred. "Saros Series 124." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros124.html

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1734 May 03." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125 > Saros Series 124.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1701-1800/1734-05-03.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1914 Aug 21." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125 > Saros Series 124.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1914-08-21.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1932 Aug 31." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125 > Saros Series 124.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1932-08-31.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1950 Sep 12." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125 > Saros Series 124.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1950-09-12.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total 1968 Sep 22." NASA Eclipse Web Site > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Catalogs > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros Series 100 to 125 > Saros Series 124.
Available @ https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/1901-2000/1968-09-22.gif

Espenak, Fred. "Total Solar Eclipse of 1932 Aug 31." EclipseWise > Solar Eclipses > Solar Eclipse Links > Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series > Summary of Saros 117 to 146 > Saros 124.
Available @ http://www.eclipsewise.com/solar/SEprime/1901-2000/SE1932Aug31Tprime.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Aug. 31, 1932, Total Solar Eclipse Was Second of Two Solar Eclipses." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/08/aug-31-1932-total-solar-eclipse-was.html