Solar eclipse of October 12, 1939
# Solar eclipse of October 12, 1939

A total solar eclipse occurred on Thursday, October 12, 1939. 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.

## Related eclipses

### Solar eclipses 1939–1942

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.

Solar eclipse series sets from 1939–1942 :

| Descending node | Descending node | Ascending node | Ascending node |
| - | - | - | - |
| Saros | Map | Saros | Map |
| 118 | April 19, 1939 Annular | 123 | October 12, 1939 Total |
| 128 | April 7, 1940 Annular | 133 | October 1, 1940 Total |
| 138 | March 27, 1941 Annular | 143 | September 21, 1941 Total |
| 148 | March 16, 1942 Partial | 153 | September 10, 1942 Partial |
| The partial solar eclipse on August 12, 1942 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set. |||||

### Metonic series

The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.

22 eclipse events between December 24, 1916 and July 31, 2000 :

| December 24–25 | October 12–13 | July 31-Aug 1 | May 18–20 | March 7–8 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 91 | 93 | 95 | 97 | 99 |
| December 23, 1878 | October 12, 1882 | July 31, 1886 | May 18, 1890 | March 7, 1894 |
| 101 | 103 | 105 | 107 | 109 |
| December 23, 1897 | October 12, 1901 | August 1, 1905 | May 19, 1909 | March 8, 1913 |
| 111 | 113 | 115 | 117 | 119 |
| December 24, 1916 | October 12, 1920 | July 31, 1924 | May 19, 1928 | March 7, 1932 |
| 121 | 123 | 125 | 127 | 129 |
| December 25, 1935 | October 12, 1939 | August 1, 1943 | May 20, 1947 | March 7, 1951 |
| 131 | 133 | 135 | 137 | 139 |
| December 25, 1954 | October 12, 1958 | July 31, 1962 | May 20, 1966 | March 7, 1970 |
| 141 | 143 | 145 | 147 | 149 |
| December 24, 1973 | October 12, 1977 | July 31, 1981 | May 19, 1985 | March 7, 1989 |
| 151 | 153 | 155 | 157 | 159 |
| December 24, 1992 | October 12, 1996 | July 31, 2000 | May 19, 2004 | March 7, 2008 |
| 161 | 163 | 165 | 167 | 169 |
| December 24, 2011 | October 13, 2015 | August 1, 2019 | May 19, 2023 | March 8, 2027 |
