A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Wednesday, June 30, 1954,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0357. 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 3.1 days after perigee (on June 27, 1954, at 11:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.[2]
Totality began at sunrise over the United States over Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and crossed into Canada, across southern Greenland, Iceland and Faroe Islands, then into Europe, across Norway, Sweden, and eastern Europe.[3] It ended before sunset over Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and ending in northwestern India. The southwestern part of Vilnius, northeastern part of Kyiv, and southwestern part of Baku were covered by the path of totality.
The northeastern part of Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, also lay in the path of totality.
The eclipse was mostly seen on June 30, 1954, except for northeastern Soviet Union, where a partial eclipse started on June 30, passing midnight and ended on July 1 due to the midnight sun.
A partial eclipse was visible for parts of eastern North America, Europe, North Africa, West Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia.
Within the United Kingdom, the path of totality only covered Shetland Islands in northern Scotland. However, the area was mostly clouded out during the eclipse, and there was even light rain in some places, so observation was not successful. About 400 scientists from around the world traveled to Sweden to observe the total eclipse.[4] The Astronomy Department of Kiev State University, Soviet Union made observation in Kyiv and took ideal images of solar corona. The Sternberg Astronomical Institute made observation in Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Krai.[5]
In Wakefield, Massachusetts, U.S., the eclipse was blocked by heavy cloud cover from 6 to 8 a.m. local time, The Wakefield Daily Item reported.[6]
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.[7]
| First Penumbral External Contact | 1954 June 30 at 10:01:27.0 UTC | |
| First Umbral External Contact | 1954 June 30 at 11:07:26.5 UTC | |
| First Central Line | 1954 June 30 at 11:08:15.4 UTC | |
| First Umbral Internal Contact | 1954 June 30 at 11:09:04.5 UTC | |
| Equatorial Conjunction | 1954 June 30 at 12:22:04.8 UTC | |
| Ecliptic Conjunction | 1954 June 30 at 12:26:11.3 UTC | |
| Greatest Duration | 1954 June 30 at 12:29:47.2 UTC | |
| Greatest Eclipse | 1954 June 30 at 12:32:37.5 UTC | |
| Last Umbral Internal Contact | 1954 June 30 at 13:56:20.5 UTC | |
| Last Central Line | 1954 June 30 at 13:57:07.0 UTC | |
| Last Umbral External Contact | 1954 June 30 at 13:57:53.4 UTC | |
| Last Penumbral External Contact | 1954 June 30 at 15:03:57.8 UTC |
| Eclipse Magnitude | 1.03574 | |
| Eclipse Obscuration | 1.07276 | |
| Gamma | 0.61345 | |
| Sun Right Ascension | 06h35m35.5s | |
| Sun Declination | +23°11'36.6" | |
| Sun Semi-Diameter | 15'43.9" | |
| Sun Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 08.6" | |
| Moon Right Ascension | 06h36m00.6s | |
| Moon Declination | +23°47'16.6" | |
| Moon Semi-Diameter | 16'05.1" | |
| Moon Equatorial Horizontal Parallax | 0°59'02.1" | |
| ΔT | 30.9 s |
See also: Eclipse cycle. 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.
| July 16 Ascending node (full moon) | ||
| Total solar eclipse Solar Saros 126 | Partial lunar eclipse Lunar Saros 138 |