Total solar eclipses in The Netherlands
The last total solar eclipse visible from the Netherlands - only from the northern islands Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling and part of Ameland - was on 3 May 1715. The map shows the central line and upper and lower boundaries of the totality zone.
There are no known records that someone in the Netherlands actually witnessed totality. Henk Nieuwenhuis of the Eise Eisinga Planetarium discovered that a school teacher, Hoyte Roucoma (1661-1719), in the village of Dronrijp, just below the line of totality had made a remark in his diary about the almost total darkness during a short period. During that time it was impossible for him to continue his classes.
An article (in Dutch) about this event can be found on the Zenit website.
Note: After a period of 420 years without one there will be 3(!) total solar eclipses visible from The Netherlands in a period of 16 years: 7 October 2135, 25 May 2142 and 14 June 2151.
For the full path of the total solar eclipse of 3 May 1715 in Google Earth .kml format click here.
Eclipse paths on this page by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
and Edmund Halley
Halley's Eclipse
The eclipse of 3 May 1715 is also known as Halley's eclipse, as Edmund Halley (1656-1742) had predicted this eclipse to within 4 minutes accuracy. He was probably one of the first to draw the path of totality on a map of England, seen on the left. As the map was about 30 km off the observed eclipse path, Halley later corrected the map. As Great Britain adapted the Gregorian calender only in 1752, the date on the map is shown as 22 April 1715 (the Julian calendar having a 11 days difference).
In 1720 Halley succeeded John Flamsteed, and became the second Astronomer Royal. He stayed in Greenwich until his death in 1742.
Halley, who also discovered the proper motion of stars, will be remembered mostly for the prediction of the 1758 return of the comet that now bears his name, and visits the inner parts of the solar system every 76 years.
Total and Annular eclipses in The Netherlands since the year 1000
TOTAL:
3 May 1715 - see above
17 June 1433 - most of the Netherlands
16 June 1406 - South East Netherlands
16 July 1330 - narrow path over provinces Friesland - Overijssel
6 October 1241 - Groningen
20 March 1140 - touched only the northern parts of the Netherlands
2 August 1133 - most of the Netherlands
ANNULAR:
17 April 1912 - see below
7 September 1820 - North East part of the country
1 April 1764 - most of the country
12 November 1547 - whole country
15 April 1409 - North of the river Rhine
31 January 1310 - most of the country
5 September 1290 - most of the country
23 June 1191 - Northern parts of the country
26 October 1147 - most of the country
