A total
solar eclipse occurred on January 1, 1889. 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. It was visible across western
United States, and central
Canada. Partiality was visible across the northern
Pacific ocean including
Hawaii, and all of the
United States.