A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Saturday, May 18, 1901,[1][2][3][4][5] with a magnitude of 1.068.

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.

Occurring about 23 hours after perigee (on May 17, 1901, at 6:50 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

[6] The path of totality crossed French Madagascar (the part now belonging to Madagascar), Réunion, British Mauritius (now Mauritius), Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), and British New Guinea (now belonging to Papua New Guinea).

The Joint Permanent Eclipse Committee of the Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society observed the total eclipse in Padang on the west coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.

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