Home   Sun, Moon & Space   Eclipses   October 1, 1940 Total Solar Eclipse

October 1, 1940 Total Solar Eclipse

This eclipse wasn't visible in Columbus - Which upcoming eclipses can be seen in your location?

What the Eclipse Looked Like Near the Maximum Point

The animation shows what the eclipse approximately looked like near the maximum point. The curvature of the Moon's path is due to the Earth's rotation.

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Where the Eclipse Was Seen

Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.


Path of the Eclipse Shadow

Regions that saw, at least, a partial eclipse: Much of Africa, South/East North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Antarctica.

Expand for a list of selected cities where at least part of the total eclipse was visible
Expand for a list of selected cities where the partial eclipse was visible

This eclipse wasn't visible in Columbus - Which upcoming eclipses can be seen in your location?

Eclipse Shadow Path

Portion of Sun covered by the Moon (Eclipse obscuration)

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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.

When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide — Timeline

The eclipse started at one location and ended at another. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the eclipse occurred. This calculation uses a Delta T value of 24.7 seconds.

Eclipse Stages WorldwideUTC TimeLocal Time in Columbus*
First location to see the partial eclipse beginOct 1 at 10:08:13Oct 1 at 5:08:13 am
First location to see the full eclipse beginOct 1 at 11:03:04Oct 1 at 6:03:04 am
Maximum EclipseOct 1 at 12:43:43Oct 1 at 7:43:43 am
Last location to see the full eclipse endOct 1 at 14:24:12Oct 1 at 9:24:12 am
Last location to see the partial eclipse endOct 1 at 15:19:04Oct 1 at 10:19:04 am

* These local times do not refer to a specific location but indicate the beginning, peak, and end of the eclipse on a global scale, each line referring to a different location. This eclipse isn't visible in Columbus.

Upcoming eclipses visible in Columbus

Next Total Solar Eclipse will be on Sep 21, 1941

Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds

Countries Where the Eclipse Is Visible

CountryTypeStart of EclipseEnd of Eclipse
Brazil
Total Solar Eclipse
6:23 am 11:48 am FNT
Colombia
Total Solar Eclipse
5:14 am COT7:11 am PET
South Africa
Total Solar Eclipse
2:46 pm SAST5:18 pm SAST
Venezuela
Total Solar Eclipse
5:38 am VET7:43 am VET
Angola
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:35 pm WAT5:09 pm SAST
Anguilla
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:13 am AST7:54 am AST
Antarctica
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:27 pm 2:15 pm
Antigua and Barbuda
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:12 am EST6:57 am EST
Argentina
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:44 am BOT9:44 am
Aruba
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:58 am 7:28 am
Barbados
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:09 am AST8:04 am AST
Belize
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:43 am CST5:50 am CST
Benin
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:42 pm GMT1:18 pm GMT
Bermuda
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:53 am AST7:13 am AST
Bolivia
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:21 am BOT8:35 am AMT
Botswana
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:53 pm SAST5:16 pm CAT
British Virgin Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:13 am AST7:53 am AST
Burkina Faso
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:18 pm GMT12:55 pm GMT
Burundi
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:41 pm CAT5:40 pm EAT
Cabo Verde
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:55 am CVT10:34 am CVT
Cameroon
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:08 pm GMT2:49 pm WAT
Caribbean Netherlands
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:42 am 7:29 am
Cayman Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:10 am EST6:47 am EST
Chile
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:35 am PET8:20 am CLT
Comoros
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:39 pm EAT6:02 pm EAT
Congo
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:47 pm WAT3:34 pm WAT
Congo Democratic Republic
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:47 pm WAT5:06 pm CAT
Costa Rica
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:19 am EST5:57 am CST
Cote d'Ivoire
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:55 am 1:34 pm GMT
Cuba
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:47 am CST6:47 am CST
Curaçao
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:53 am 7:29 am
Dominica
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:11 am AST8:00 am AST
Dominican Republic
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:23 am EST6:52 am EST
Ecuador
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:47 am ECT7:05 am ECT
El Salvador
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:41 am CST5:52 am CST
Equatorial Guinea
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:29 pm GMT2:12 pm GMT
Eswatini
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:10 pm SAST5:18 pm SAST
French Guiana
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:10 am GFT8:26 am GFT
French Southern Territories
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:20 pm 6:17 pm
Gabon
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:45 pm WAT3:27 pm WAT
Gambia
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:20 am WAT11:45 am WAT
Ghana
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:03 pm GMT1:55 pm
Grenada
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:09 am AST8:04 am AST
Guadeloupe
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:11 am AST7:59 am AST
Guatemala
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:44 am CST5:52 am CST
Guinea
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:21 am WAT12:34 pm
Guinea-Bissau
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:16 am WAT11:57 am WAT
Guyana
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:38 am VET8:21 am AMT
Haiti
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:37 am EST6:50 am EST
Honduras
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:23 am CST5:53 am CST
Jamaica
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:55 am EST6:49 am EST
Kenya
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:54 pm EAT5:30 pm
Lesotho
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:04 pm SAST5:17 pm SAST
Liberia
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:43 am 12:50 pm
Madagascar
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:25 pm EAT6:05 pm EAT
Malawi
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:23 pm CAT5:13 pm CAT
Mali
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:44 am WAT12:59 pm GMT
Martinique
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:10 am AST8:01 am AST
Mauritania
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:33 am WAT11:25 am WAT
Mauritius
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:35 pm MUT6:08 pm MUT
Mayotte
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:39 pm EAT5:55 pm EAT
Mexico
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:39 am CST5:48 am CST
Montserrat
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:12 am AST7:57 am AST
Mozambique
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:12 pm SAST5:18 pm CAT
Namibia
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:35 pm WAT5:13 pm SAST
Nicaragua
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:21 am CST5:55 am CST
Nigeria
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:00 pm WAT2:30 pm WAT
Panama
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:56 am COT6:59 am EST
Paraguay
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:39 am PYT9:43 am BRT
Peru
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:23 am PET7:17 am PET
Puerto Rico
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:13 am AST7:53 am AST
Reunion
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:34 pm RET6:17 pm RET
Rwanda
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:48 pm CAT4:31 pm CAT
Saint Helena
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:50 am 2:13 pm
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:12 am AST7:56 am AST
Saint Lucia
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:10 am AST8:02 am AST
Saint Martin
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:43 am 7:24 am
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:09 am AST8:03 am AST
Sao Tome and Principe
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:38 pm GMT2:05 pm GMT
Senegal
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:18 am WAT11:49 am WAT
Seychelles
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:45 pm SCT6:50 pm SCT
Sierra Leone
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:22 am WAT12:35 pm
Sint Maarten
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:43 am 7:24 am
South Georgia/Sandwich Is.
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:58 am GST11:12 am GST
St. Barts
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:13 am AST7:55 am AST
Suriname
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:28 am 8:24 am GFT
Tanzania
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:31 pm CAT6:05 pm EAT
The Bahamas
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:42 am EST6:46 am EST
Togo
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:56 pm 1:41 pm
Trinidad and Tobago
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:08 am AST8:07 am AST
Turks and Caicos Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:35 am EST6:46 am EST
US Minor Outlying Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:50 am 6:49 am CST
US Virgin Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:12 am AST7:54 am AST
Uganda
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:03 pm CAT4:16 pm CAT
United States
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:10 am EST6:40 am EST
Uruguay
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:09 am BRT9:45 am BRT
Zambia
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:01 pm WAT5:11 pm CAT
Zimbabwe
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:07 pm CAT5:16 pm SAST

All times shown in this table are local time. (Note: more than one time zone is listed.)

How Many People Can See This Eclipse?

Number of People Seeing...Number of People*Fraction of World Population
Any part of the eclipse158,000,0009.32%
At least 10% partial115,000,0006.75%
At least 20% partial101,000,0005.98%
At least 30% partial91,900,0005.39%
At least 40% partial70,100,0004.11%
At least 50% partial54,900,0003.22%
At least 60% partial46,900,0002.75%
At least 70% partial39,200,0002.30%
At least 80% partial28,500,0001.68%
At least 90% partial20,200,0001.19%
Totality or annularity5,000,0000.29%

* The number of people refers to the resident population (as a round number) in areas where the eclipse is visible. timeanddate has calculated these numbers using raw population data provided by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The raw data is based on population estimates from the year 2000 to 2020.

An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!

A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.

Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.

All eclipses 1900 — 2199

This is the first eclipse this season.

Second eclipse this season: October 16, 1940 — Penumbral Lunar Eclipse