A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit on Wednesday, August 30, 1905, with a magnitude of 1.0477. 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. Occurring about 1.9 days before perigee (on September 1, 1905, at 11:10 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter was larger.

Totality was visible from Canada, Newfoundland Colony (now belonging to Canada), Spain, French Algeria (now Algeria), French Tunisia (now Tunisia), Ottoman Tripolitania (now Libya) include the capital Tripoli, Egypt, Ottoman Empire (the parts now belonging to Saudi Arabia) including Mecca, Emirate of Jabal Shammar (now belonging to Saudi Arabia), Aden Protectorate (now belonging to Yemen), and Muscat and Oman (now Oman). A partial eclipse was visible for parts of Eastern North America, Europe, Northern Africa, Central Africa, and West Asia.

This eclipse was observed from Alcalà de Xivert in Spain. It was also observed by members of the British Astronomical Association from various locations.

Teams of the United States Naval Observatory observed the eclipse from three different locations. Two were near the centerline of the path of totality: Daroca, Spain, at an altitude of 2,500 feet (760 m), and Guelma, French Algeria, at an altitude of 1,500 feet (460 m). The third was near the southern edge of the path of totality, at Porta Coeli Charterhouse, Valencia, Spain, at an altitude of 1,000 feet (300 m). The leader and some team members departed from New York City by ship on July 3 and arrived at Grado, Asturias, a Spanish port on the northern coast, on July 20, while other team members had already arrived there in advance. The weather was clear at all three locations, and the observations were successful. The team took images of the corona and observed the spectrum.

Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the Moon's penumbra or umbra attains the specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse.

This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight.

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.

The partial solar eclipses on May 7, 1902 and October 31, 1902 occur in the previous lunar year eclipse set, and the partial solar eclipse on July 21, 1906 occurs in the next lunar year eclipse set.