A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Friday, August 21, 1914,[1] with a magnitude of 1.0328.

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.

Several astronomers were setting up to observe the eclipse, in part as an attempt to confirm Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.

[3]) However, World War I broke out and Freundlich and his equipment were interned in Russia, unable to carry out the necessary measurements.

C. D. Perrine and W. W. Campbell, from neutral countries, Argentina and the United States, were permitted to continue with their plans, but clouds obscured the eclipse.

[3][4] Perrine was able to obtain one photograph of the eclipse but the thin cloud cover was enough to obscure star locations necessary to test Einstein's theory.

Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee).