Home   Sun, Moon & Space   Eclipses   May 8–9, 1948 Total Solar Eclipse

May 8–9, 1948 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: East in Europe, Asia, North/West North America, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Arctic.

Expand for a list of selected cities where the annular 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 28.4 seconds.

Eclipse Stages WorldwideUTC TimeLocal Time in Columbus*
First location to see the partial eclipse beginMay 8 at 23:39:56May 8 at 7:39:56 pm
First location to see the full eclipse beginMay 9 at 00:44:08May 8 at 8:44:08 pm
Maximum EclipseMay 9 at 02:25:35May 8 at 10:25:35 pm
Last location to see the full eclipse endMay 9 at 04:06:45May 9 at 12:06:45 am
Last location to see the partial eclipse endMay 9 at 05:11:01May 9 at 1:11:01 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 Nov 1, 1948

Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds

Countries Where the Eclipse Is Visible

CountryTypeStart of EclipseEnd of Eclipse
China
Annular Solar Eclipse
9:02 am 2:08 pm VLAT
India
Annular Solar Eclipse
5:16 am IST11:34 am
Laos
Annular Solar Eclipse
6:55 am ICT9:32 am ICT
Myanmar
Annular Solar Eclipse
6:19 am MMT9:05 am MMT
Russia
Annular Solar Eclipse
11:05 am VLAT4:46 pm PETT
South Korea
Total Solar Eclipse
9:41 am KST1:53 pm
Thailand
Annular Solar Eclipse
6:45 am ICT9:27 am ICT
United States
Annular Solar Eclipse
3:19 pm NST6:59 pm HST
Vietnam
Annular Solar Eclipse
7:48 am IDT10:39 am IDT
Afghanistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:09 am IST6:48 am AFT
Armenia
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:48 am 5:06 am
Azerbaijan
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:30 am 5:06 am
Bahrain
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:56 am GST6:00 am GST
Bangladesh
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:36 am 8:52 am
Bhutan
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:48 am IST11:25 am
British Indian Ocean Territory
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:11 am IOT6:37 am IOT
Brunei
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:49 am 10:08 am BNT
Cambodia
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:50 am ICT10:24 am IDT
Canada
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:40 pm EST8:45 pm PST
Christmas Island
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:44 am CXT8:25 am CXT
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:11 am CCT7:53 am CCT
East Timor
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:17 am TLT10:11 am TLT
Georgia
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:43 am 6:06 am KUYT
Greenland
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:39 pm WGT11:41 pm AST
Guam
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:06 am 12:54 pm
Hong Kong
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:10 am 11:51 am
Indonesia
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:40 am WIB10:15 am
Iran
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:25 am IRST5:38 am IRST
Iraq
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:57 am AST5:05 am EEST
Japan
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:21 am 2:24 pm
Kazakhstan
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:57 am ALMT8:47 am OMST
Kuwait
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:12 am 5:02 am AST
Kyrgyzstan
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:54 am 8:29 am ALMT
Macau
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:10 am 11:49 am
Malaysia
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:12 am 10:16 am
Maldives
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:45 am MMT6:42 am MMT
Micronesia
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:39 am CHUT12:33 pm CHUT
Mongolia
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:49 am ULAT10:41 am ULAT
Nepal
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:48 am IST8:21 am
North Korea
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:50 am KST12:57 pm KST
Northern Mariana Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:03 am 12:31 pm
Oman
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:25 am GST6:00 am GST
Pakistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:00 am IST7:49 am IST
Palau
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:18 am 11:26 am
Philippines
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:54 am 11:00 am
Qatar
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:53 am GST6:00 am GST
Saudi Arabia
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:43 am AST5:02 am AST
Singapore
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:12 am 9:23 am
Sri Lanka
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:46 am IST7:23 am IST
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Partial Solar Eclipse
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Taiwan
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:15 am 12:10 pm
Tajikistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:18 am AFT8:19 am
Turkey
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:55 am 5:06 am EEST
Turkmenistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:22 am AFT7:12 am
US Minor Outlying Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:05 pm 5:55 pm
Ukraine
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:48 am MSK5:05 am MSK
United Arab Emirates
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:34 am GST6:00 am GST
Uzbekistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:23 am AFT8:20 am

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 eclipse721,000,00047.32%
At least 10% partial687,000,00045.08%
At least 20% partial657,000,00043.14%
At least 30% partial606,000,00039.75%
At least 40% partial547,000,00035.94%
At least 50% partial474,000,00031.12%
At least 60% partial382,000,00025.10%
At least 70% partial321,000,00021.07%
At least 80% partial197,000,00012.94%
At least 90% partial106,000,0006.99%
Totality or annularity4,020,0000.26%

* 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 second eclipse this season.

First eclipse this season: April 23, 1948 — Partial Lunar Eclipse