A total solar eclipse occurred on December 22, 1870. 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. Totality was visible from southern Portugal and Spain, across northern Algeria, then crossing Sicily, Greece, Bulgaria, and ending in the south-west of the Russian Empire.

Solar eclipse of December 22, 1870
Map
Type of eclipse
Nature	Total
Gamma	0.8585
Magnitude	1.0248
Maximum eclipse
Duration	131 s (2 min 11 s)
Coordinates	35°42′N 1°30′W / 35.7°N 1.5°W / 35.7; -1.5
Max. width of band	165 km (103 mi)
Times (UTC)
Greatest eclipse	12:27:33
References
Saros	120 (53 of 71)
Catalog # (SE5000)	9213