Solar Eclipse Statistics
Fred Espenak
This page is based on information published in the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 and the Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.
1.1 Statistical Distribution of Solar Eclipse Types
Eclipses of the Sun can only occur during the New Moon phase. It is then possible for the Moon's penumbral, umbral or antumbral shadows to sweep across Earth's surface thereby producing an eclipse. There are four types of solar eclipses:
- Partial — Moon's penumbral shadow traverses Earth (umbral and antumbral shadows miss Earth)
- Annular - Moon's antumbral shadow traverses Earth (Moon is too far from Earth to cover the entire Sun)
- Total - Moon's umbral shadow traverses Earth (Moon is close enough to Earth to cover the entire Sun)
- Hybrid - Moon's umbral and antumbral shadows traverse Earth (eclipse appears annular and total along different sections of its path). Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular-total eclipses.
During the 5000-year period from –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE [1]), Earth will experience 11,898 eclipses of the Sun. The statistical distribution of the four basic eclipse types over this interval is show in Table 1.
| Table 1: Distribution of Four Solar Eclipse Types from –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Eclipse Type | Abbreviation | Number of Eclipses |
Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 11898 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 4200 | 35.3% |
| Annular | A | 3956 | 33.2% |
| Total | T | 3173 | 26.7% |
| Hybrid | H | 569 | 4.8% |
All partial eclipses are events in which some portion of the Moon's penumbral shadow passes across Earth's surface. In comparison all annular, total and hybrid eclipses can be characterized as events in which some portion of the Moon's umbral and/or antumbral shadow crosses Earth.
In the case of umbral or antumbral eclipses (annular, total or hybrid), they can be further categorized as:
- Central (two limits) — The central axis of the Moon's umbral or antumbral shadow traverses Earth thereby producing a central line in the eclipse track. The umbra or antumbra falls entirely upon Earth producing a ground track with both a northern and southern limit.
- Central (one limit) — The central axis of the Moon's umbral or antumbral shadow traverses Earth. However, a portion of the umbra or antumbra misses Earth throughout the eclipse thereby producing a ground track with just one limit.
- Non-Central — The central axis of the Moon's umbral or antumbral shadow misses Earth. However, one edge of the umbra or antumbra grazes Earth thereby producing a ground track with one limit and no central line.
Using the above categories, the distribution of the 3956 annular eclipses is shown in Table 2.
| Table 2: Statistics of Annular Eclipses from –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Annular Eclipses | Number of Eclipses |
Percent |
| All Annular Eclipses | 3956 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 3827 | 96.7% |
| Central (one limit) | 61 | 1.5% |
| Non-Central | 68 | 1.7% |
Examples of central annular eclipses with one limit include: 1874 Oct 10, 2003 May 31, 2044 Feb 28, and 2101 Feb 28. Some examples of non-central annular eclipses are: 1950 Mar 18, 1957 Apr 30, 2014 Apr 29, and 2043 Oct 03.
Similarly, the distribution of the 3173 total eclipses is shown in Table 3.
| Table 3: Statistics of Total Eclipses from –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Total Eclipses | Number of Eclipses |
Percent |
| All Total Eclipses | 3173 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 3121 | 98.4% |
| Central (one limit) | 26 | 0.8% |
| Non-Central | 28 | 0.8% |
Examples of central total eclipses with one limit include: 1494 Mar 07, 1523 Aug 11, 2185 Jul 26, and 2195 Aug 05. The most recent examples of non-central total eclipses are: 1957 Oct 23, 1967 Nov 02, 2043 Apr 09, and 2459 Jun 01.
All 569 hybrid eclipses are central with two limits. Hybrid eclipses with a single limit (both central and non-central) are exceedingly rare. An estimate of the mean frequency of non-central hybrid eclipses is one out of every 600 million eclipses or once every 250 million years [Meeus, 2002].
The central path of most hybrid eclipses begins annular, changes to total and finally reverts back to annular. This combination (ATA) occurs in 519 out of the 569 hybrid eclipses in the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000. However, there are two other possibilities. If the vertex of the Moon's umbral shadow passes through Earth's fundamental plane during the eclipse, then the hybrid eclipse can begin as total and end as annular (TA) or it can begin as annular and end as total (AT). Table 4 shows the distribution of the three different classes of hybrid eclipses.
| Table 4: Statistics of Hybrid Eclipses from –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Hybrid Eclipses | Number of Eclipses |
Percent |
| All Hybrid Eclipses | 569 | 100.0% |
| Hybrid (ATA) | 519 | 92.2% |
| Hybrid (TA) | 24 | 4.2% |
Examples of ATA hybrid eclipses include: 1986 Oct 03, 1987 Mar 29, 2005 Apr 08, and 2023 Apr 20. Examples of the relatively rare TA hybrid eclipse are: 1564 Jun 08, 1703 Jan 17, 1825 Dec 09, and 2386 Apr 29. Finally, examples of the rare AT hybrid eclipse include: 1489 Jun 28, 1854 Nov 20, 2013 Nov 03, and 2172 Oct 17.
Footnotes
[1] The terms BCE and CE are abbreviations for "Before Common Era" and "Common Era," respectively. They are the secular equivalents to the BC and AD dating conventions. (See: Year Dating Conventions)
1.2 Distribution of Solar Eclipse Types by Century
Table 5 summarize 5000 years of eclipses by eclipse type in 100-year intervals. The number of central and non-central (in square brackets) events are given for annular and total eclipses. The number of eclipses in any one century ranges from 222 to 255 with an average of 238.0. Over the 1000-year interval 1501-2500 CE (centered on the present era), the average is 238.9 eclipses per century.
Some remarkable patterns are present in this table. There exists a cyclical variation in the number of eclipses per century with a length of a little under six centuries, giving alternating "rich" and "poor" periods [Meeus, 1997]. The 20th and 21st centuries (1901 to 2100) are poor periods, with only 228 and 224 eclipses. This cycle is also present when only central eclipses are considered.
The cycle appears to have a period of approximately 600 years with an amplitude of ~30 eclipses. This is close to a known eclipse period called the tetradia which has a period of 586.02 years. The tetradia governs the recurrence of tetrads or groups of four successive total lunar eclipses each separated by six lunations. The tetradia cycle for lunar eclipses tetrads appears to be 180 degrees out of phase with the cycle for solar eclipses. When there are many tetrads, there are fewer solar eclipses. We are currently in a tetrad rich period with recent tetrads in 2003-2004, 2014-2015 and 2032-2033.
The number of hybrid solar eclipses per century also varies cyclically with a period of approximately 17 centuries.
| Table 5: Solar Eclipse Types by Century: –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Century Interval | Number of Eclipses |
Number of Partial Eclipses |
Number of Annular Eclipses* |
Number of Total Eclipses* |
Number of Hybrid Eclipses |
| –1999 to –1900 | 239 | 84 | 70 [1] | 62 [0] | 22 |
| –1899 to –1800 | 253 | 93 | 80 [0] | 62 [1] | 17 |
| –1799 to –1700 | 254 | 95 | 73 [1] | 63 [1] | 21 |
| –1699 to –1600 | 230 | 75 | 70 [1] | 60 [0] | 24 |
| –1599 to –1500 | 225 | 78 | 65 [2] | 59 [0] | 21 |
| –1499 to –1400 | 226 | 77 | 65 [4] | 61 [1] | 18 |
| –1399 to –1300 | 234 | 76 | 83 [1] | 68 [0] | 6 |
| –1299 to –1200 | 250 | 93 | 86 [0] | 64 [0] | 7 |
| –1199 to –1100 | 252 | 93 | 89 [0] | 63 [0] | 7 |
| –1099 to –1000 | 238 | 79 | 89 [2] | 67 [1] | 0 |
| –0999 to –0900 | 226 | 84 | 74 [1] | 58 [3] | 6 |
| –0899 to –0800 | 225 | 80 | 73 [2] | 64 [2] | 4 |
| –0799 to –0700 | 234 | 79 | 88 [0] | 64 [0] | 3 |
| –0699 to –0600 | 253 | 96 | 86 [1] | 63 [0] | 7 |
| –0599 to –0500 | 255 | 96 | 85 [1] | 65 [0] | 8 |
| –0499 to –0400 | 241 | 84 | 76 [2] | 62 [0] | 17 |
| –0399 to –0300 | 225 | 83 | 62 [1] | 56 [0] | 23 |
| –0299 to –0200 | 226 | 83 | 61 [1] | 55 [2] | 24 |
| –0199 to –0100 | 237 | 80 | 71 [2] | 62 [1] | 21 |
| –0099 to 0000 | 251 | 92 | 77 [0] | 64 [1] | 17 |
| 0001 to 0100 | 248 | 90 | 74 [1] | 58 [0] | 25 |
| 0101 to 0200 | 237 | 80 | 75 [2] | 63 [1] | 16 |
| 0201 to 0300 | 227 | 79 | 70 [4] | 69 [0] | 5 |
| 0301 to 0400 | 222 | 73 | 74 [2] | 65 [1] | 7 |
| 0401 to 0500 | 233 | 80 | 83 [1] | 67 [0] | 2 |
| 0501 to 0600 | 251 | 93 | 86 [1] | 65 [0] | 6 |
| 0601 to 0700 | 251 | 90 | 89 [1] | 67 [0] | 4 |
| 0701 to 0800 | 233 | 77 | 86 [2] | 66 [0] | 2 |
| 0801 to 0900 | 222 | 78 | 72 [2] | 62 [2] | 6 |
| 0901 to 1000 | 227 | 76 | 83 [1] | 65 [1] | 1 |
| 1001 to 1100 | 241 | 84 | 90 [0] | 61 [0] | 6 |
| 1101 to 1200 | 250 | 92 | 82 [0] | 61 [0] | 15 |
| 1201 to 1300 | 246 | 87 | 80 [1] | 60 [0] | 18 |
| 1301 to 1400 | 229 | 76 | 72 [3] | 54 [0] | 24 |
| 1401 to 1500 | 222 | 77 | 62 [3] | 60 [1] | 19 |
| 1501 to 1600 | 228 | 75 | 69 [3] | 62 [0] | 19 |
| 1601 to 1700 | 248 | 89 | 74 [0] | 60 [1] | 24 |
| 1701 to 1800 | 251 | 92 | 78 [0] | 62 [0] | 19 |
| 1801 to 1900 | 242 | 87 | 77 [0] | 63 [0] | 15 |
| 1901 to 2000 | 228 | 78 | 71 [2] | 68 [3] | 6 |
| 2001 to 2100 | 224 | 77 | 70 [2] | 67 [1] | 7 |
| 2101 to 2200 | 235 | 79 | 82 [5] | 65 [0] | 4 |
| 2201 to 2300 | 248 | 92 | 86 [0] | 67 [0] | 3 |
| 2301 to 2400 | 248 | 88 | 86 [0] | 66 [0] | 8 |
| 2401 to 2500 | 237 | 81 | 87 [2] | 65 [1] | 1 |
| 2501 to 2600 | 225 | 83 | 71 [1] | 63 [1] | 6 |
| 2601 to 2700 | 227 | 77 | 78 [3] | 64 [0] | 5 |
| 2701 to 2800 | 242 | 84 | 92 [0] | 63 [0] | 3 |
| 2801 to 2900 | 254 | 95 | 86 [1] | 63 [0] | 9 |
| 2901 to 3000 | 248 | 91 | 80 [2] | 64 [0] | 11 |
* The first quantity is the number of central eclipses, while the second quantity [in square brackets] is the number of non-central eclipses.
1.3 Distribution of Solar Eclipse Types by Month
Table 6 summarizes 5000 years of eclipses by eclipse type in each month of the year. The first value in each column is the number of eclipses of a given type for the corresponding month. The second number in square brackets [] is the number of eclipses divided by the number of days in that month. This normalization allows direct comparison of eclipse frequencies in different months.
A brief examination of the values in the column Number of All Eclipses shows that eclipses are equally distributed around the year. The same holds true for partial eclipses. However, the columns for annular and total eclipses reveal something interesting. Annular eclipses are 4/3 times more likely during the period November-December-January compared to the months May-June-July. This effect is attributed to Earth's elliptical orbit. Earth currently reaches perihelion in early January and aphelion in early July. Consequently the Sun's apparent diameter varies from 1952 to 1887 arc-seconds between perihelion and aphelion. The Sun's larger apparent diameter at perihelion makes annular eclipses more frequent at that time.
The opposite argument holds true for total eclipses which are nearly 3/2 times more likely during the period May-June-July compared to the months November-December-January. In this case the Sun's smaller apparent size around aphelion increases the frequency of total eclipses at that time. Total eclipses actually outnumber annular eclipses during the season May-June-July [Meeus, 2002].
| Table 6: Solar Eclipse Types by Month: –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Month | Number of Eclipses* |
Number of Partial Eclipses* |
Number of Annular Eclipses* |
Number of Total Eclipses* |
Number of Hybrid Eclipses* |
| January | 1010 [32.6] | 357 [11.5] | 380 [12.3] | 222 [ 7.2] | 51 [ 1.6] |
| February | 919 [32.8] | 317 [11.3] | 334 [11.9] | 225 [ 8.0] | 43 [ 1.5] |
| March | 1009 [32.5] | 359 [11.6] | 319 [10.3] | 280 [ 9.0] | 51 [ 1.6] |
| April | 981 [32.7] | 345 [11.5] | 294 [ 9.8] | 299 [10.0] | 43 [ 1.4] |
| May | 1009 [32.5] | 353 [11.4] | 294 [ 9.5] | 313 [10.1] | 49 [ 1.6] |
| June | 973 [32.4] | 348 [11.6] | 279 [ 9.3] | 310 [10.3] | 36 [ 1.2] |
| July | 1008 [32.5] | 354 [11.4] | 299 [ 9.6] | 312 [10.1] | 43 [ 1.4] |
| August | 1008 [32.5] | 358 [11.5] | 308 [ 9.9] | 303 [ 9.8] | 39 [ 1.3] |
| September | 982 [32.7] | 354 [11.8] | 333 [11.1] | 248 [ 8.3] | 47 [ 1.6] |
| October | 1008 [32.5] | 355 [11.5] | 362 [11.7] | 230 [ 7.4] | 61 [ 2.0] |
| November | 977 [32.6] | 344 [11.5] | 367 [12.2] | 210 [ 7.0] | 56 [ 1.9] |
| December | 1014 [32.7] | 356 [11.5] | 387 [12.5] | 221 [ 7.1] | 50 [ 1.6] |
* The first quantity is the number of central eclipses, while the second quantity [in square brackets] is the number of non-central eclipses.
1.4 Solar Eclipse Frequency and the Calendar Year
There are 2 to 5 solar eclipses in every calendar year. Table 7 shows the distribution in the number of eclipses per year for the 5000 years covered in the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.
| Table 7: Number of Solar Eclipses per Year –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Number of Eclipses per Year |
Number Years |
Percent |
| 2 | 3625 | 72.5% |
| 3 | 877 | 17.5% |
| 4 | 473 | 9.5% |
| 5 | 25 | 0.5% |
When two eclipses occur in one calendar year, they can be any combination of P, A, T or H (partial, annular, total or hybrid) with the one exception that they cannot both be T. Table 8 lists the frequency of each eclipse combination along with the five most recent years when the combination occurs. The table makes no distinction in the order of any two eclipses. For example, the eclipse combination PA includes all years where the order is either PA or AP.
| Table 8: Two Solar Eclipses in One Year –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Eclipse Combinations a |
Number Years |
Percent | Examples (Years) b |
| PP | 177 | 4.9% | …, 2004, 2007, 2022, 2025, 2040, … |
| PA | 97 | 2.7% | …, 2014, 2032, 2101, 2102, 2119, … |
| PH | 19 | 0.5% | …, 0227, 0245, 1909, 1986, 2050] |
| PT | 236 | 6.5% | …, 2015, 2033, 2037, 2055, 2068, … |
| AA | 292 | 8.1% | …, 1951, 1969, 2056, 2074, 2085, … |
| AH | 239 | 6.6% | …, 2005, 2013, 2023, 2031, 2049, … |
| AT | 2402 | 66.3% | …, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, … |
| HH | 84 | 2.3% | …, 1753, 1771, 1789, 1807, 1825] |
| HT | 79 | 2.2% | …, 1843, 1894, 1912, 1930, 2910, … |
a - P = Partial, A = Annular, T = Total and H = Hybrid.
b - When years end with a square bracket ], there are no other examples beyond the last year.
When three eclipses occur in one calendar year, there are fourteen possible combinations of P, A, T or H. Table 9 lists the frequency of each eclipse combination along with the five most recent years when each combination occurs. The table makes no distinction in the order of eclipses in any combination. For example, the eclipse combination PAT includes all years where the order is PAT, PTA, APT, ATP, TAP and TPA. The rarest combinations PHT and AAH (actually HTP and AHA, respectively) each occurred only twice in the five millennium span of this survey.
| Table 9: Three Solar Eclipses in One Year –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Eclipse Combinations a |
Number Years |
Percent | Recent Examples (Years) b |
| PPP | 396 | 45.2% | …, 1971, 2018, 2036, 2054, 2058, … |
| PPA | 71 | 8.1% | …, 1722, 1740, 1899, 2224, 2242, … |
| PPH | 7 | 0.8% | –1906,–1888,–1794,–0224, 1544, 1609, 1703 |
| PPT | 74 | 8.4% | …, 1834, 1852, 1928, 2130, 2271, … |
| PAA | 18 | 2.1% | …, 0650, 0791, 1704, 2419, 2437, … |
| PAH | 5 | 0.6% | [–1907,–0457,–0316,–0101,–0055] |
| PAT | 145 | 16.5% | …, 1992, 2019, 2084, 2149, 2225, … |
| PHH | 5 | 0.6% | [–1683,–0037,–0019,–0001, 1768] |
| PHT | 2 | 0.2% | [–1488, 1786] |
| AAH | 2 | 0.2% | [–1944, 1489] |
| AAT | 102 | 11.6% | …, 1954, 1973, 2038, 2103, 2122, … |
| AHH | 8 | 0.9% | [–484,–0400,–0139, 1144, 1228, 1339, 1405, 1666] |
| AHT | 13 | 1.5% | [–1833,–1702,–1507,–0660,–0465,–0419,–0074, 0121, 1163, 1386, 1731, 1908, 2950] |
| ATT | 29 | 3.3% | …, 1554, 1712, 1889, 2057, 2252, … |
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a - P = Partial, A = Annular, T = Total and H = Hybrid.
b - When years are enclosed in square brackets [], they include all examples in 5,000 years.
When four eclipses occur in one calendar year, there are seven possible combinations of eclipse types P, A, T and H. Table 10 lists the frequency of each eclipse combination along with the five most recent years when each combination occurs. The table makes no distinction in the order of eclipses in the seven combinations. The rarest combination PPAH (actually HAPP) occurred only once in the year –1748 (1749 BCE).
| Table 10: Four Solar Eclipses in One Year –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Eclipse Combinations a |
Number Years |
Percent | Recent Examples (Years) b |
| PPPP | 327 | 69.1% | …, 2000, 2011, 2029, 2047, 2065, … |
| PPPA | 79 | 16.7% | …, 1758, 1917, 2141, 2159, 2177, … |
| PPPH | 7 | 1.5% | [–1925,–1870,–0120, 1573, 1591, 1685, 1750] |
| PPPT | 41 | 8.7% | …, 1693, 1870, 2076, 2094, 2112, … |
| PPAA | 3 | 0.6% | [–1209,–1032, 0596] |
| PPAH | 1 | 0.2% | [–1748] |
| PPAT | 15 | 3.2% | [–1795,–1162,–0688,–0641,–0576,–0511,–0446, 0010, 0075, 0661, 1182, 1880, 2195, 2782, 2912] |
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a - P = Partial, A = Annular, T = Total and H = Hybrid.
b - When years are enclosed in square brackets [], they include all examples in 5,000 years.
The maximum number of five solar eclipses in one calendar year is quite rare. Over the 5000-year span of the Five Millennium Canon there are only 25 years containing five solar eclipses. They occur in three possible combinations of eclipse types where four out of the five eclipses are always of type P. The first eclipse of such a quintet always occurs in the first half of January while the last eclipse falls in the latter half of December. Table 11 lists all 25 years containing five eclipses along with their eclipse combinations and frequencies. The rarest combination PPPPH occurred only once in year –1852 (1853 BCE). Once again, the table makes no distinction in the order of eclipses in any combination.
| Table 11: Five Solar Eclipses in One Year –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Eclipse Combinations a |
Number Years |
Percent | Recent Examples (Years) b |
| PPPPA | 18 | 72.0% | –1805,–1787,–1675,–1089,–0568,–0503,–0373, 0018, 0148, 0604, 0734, 1255, 1805, 1935, 2206, 2709, 2839, 2904 |
| PPPPH | 1 | 4.0% | –1852 |
| PPPPT | 6 | 24.0% | –1740,–1154,–0438, 0083, 0669, 2774 |
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a - P = Partial, A = Annular, T = Total and H = Hybrid.
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1.5 Extremes in Eclipse Magnitude – Partial Eclipses
Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter covered by the Moon. It reaches a maximum at greatest eclipse. The Five Millennium Canon reveals some interesting cases involving extreme values of the eclipse magnitude.
Thirteen partial eclipses have a maximum magnitude less than 0.005 (Table 12). These events are all the first or last members in a Saros series. The smallest magnitude was the partial of –1838 Apr 04 with a magnitude of just 0.00002.
| Table 12: Partial Eclipses with Magnitude 0.005 or Less –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
| –1838 Apr 04 | –10 | 1.5615 | 0.00002 |
| –1512 Apr 29 | 43 | 1.5386 | 0.0041 |
| –0756 Mar 12 | 66 | –1.5417 | 0.0047 |
| 0662 Jun 21 | 115 | 1.5377 | 0.0030 |
| 0929 Jul 09 | 80 | 1.5267 | 0.0049 |
| 1175 Oct 16 | 91 | –1.5690 | 0.0019 |
| 1512 Apr 16 | 140 | –1.5289 | 0.0003 |
| 1639 Jan 04 | 145 | 1.5650 | 0.0009 |
| 1935 Jan 05 | 111 | –1.5381 | 0.0013 |
| 2883 Aug 23 | 188 | –1.5524 | 0.0010 |
| 2893 Dec 29 | 146 | 1.5706 | 0.0028 |
| 2904 Jun 05 | 142 | 1.5428 | 0.0040 |
| 2995 Aug 17 | 190 | –1.5542 | 0.0036 |
Table 13 lists the eight partial eclipses having a maximum magnitude greater than 0.995. The greatest partial eclipse occurred on –1577 Mar 30 with a maximum magnitude of 0.9998.
| Table 13: Partial Eclipses with Magnitude 0.995 or More –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
| –1585 Mar 28 | 33 | 1.0137 | 0.9960 |
| –1577 Mar 30 | 4 | 1.0109 | 0.9998 |
| –0944 Sep 14 | 29 | –1.0056 | 0.9987 |
| –0927 Nov 04 | 57 | 1.0005 | 0.9990 |
| –0018 Jun 10 | 56 | 1.0154 | 0.9954 |
| 0257 Aug 26 | 68 | 1.0060 | 0.9969 |
| 0654 May 22 | 106 | –1.0131 | 0.9990 |
| 1750 Jul 03 | 142 | –0.9985 | 0.9956 |
1.6 Extremes in Eclipse Magnitude – Annular Eclipses
Sixteen annular eclipses have a maximum magnitude (at greatest eclipse) less than or equal to 0.910 (Table 14). Eleven of these events are central, three are central with one limit and two are non-central (with one limit). The annular eclipses with the smallest magnitude (at greatest eclipse) occurred on –1682 Nov 12 and 1601 Dec 24 and had a magnitude of just 0.9078.
| Table 14: Annular Eclipses with Magnitude 0.910 or Less –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Duration |
| –1718 Oct 21 | 6 | 0.9195 | 0.9091 | 08m 18s |
| –1700 Oct 31 | 6 | 0.9254 | 0.9081 | 08m 44s |
| –1682 Nov 12 | 6 | 0.9295 | 0.9078 | 09m 08s |
| –1664 Nov 22 | 6 | 0.9323 | 0.9083 | 09m 26s |
| –1646 Dec 03 | 6 | 0.9353 | 0.9095 | 09m 36s |
| –0984 Nov 04 a | 27 | –1.0234 | 0.9099 | – |
| 0123 Nov 06 b | 64 | 0.9783 | 0.9098 | 08m 20s |
| 0141 Nov 16 b | 64 | 0.9854 | 0.9089 | 08m 31s |
| 0159 Nov 27 b | 64 | 0.9908 | 0.9087 | 08m 34s |
| 0177 Dec 08 | 64 | 0.9944 | 0.9093 | 08m 28s |
| 1565 Nov 22 | 135 | 0.9564 | 0.9092 | 09m 37s |
| 1583 Dec 14 | 135 | 0.9471 | 0.9083 | 10m 03s |
| 1601 Dec 24 | 135 | 0.9402 | 0.9078 | 10m 14s |
| 1620 Jan 04 | 135 | 0.9321 | 0.9081 | 10m 13s |
| 1638 Jan 15 | 135 | 0.9242 | 0.9090 | 10m 00s |
| 2485 Dec 07 a | 140 | 1.0242 | 0.9100 | - |
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a - Non-central annular eclipse (with one limit).
b - Central annular eclipse with one limit.
Seventeen annular eclipses have a maximum magnitude (at greatest eclipse) greater than or equal to 0.9995 (Table 15). All of these events have central durations lasting 3 seconds or less. The annular eclipse with the largest magnitude (at greatest eclipse) occurs on 2931 Dec 30 with a magnitude of 0.99998.
| Table 15: Annular Eclipses with Magnitude 0.9995 or More –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Duration |
| –1800 Apr 03 | 10 | 0.1778 | 0.9997 | 00m 02s |
| –1734 Sep 18 | 26 | –0.5105 | 0.9995 | 00m 03s |
| –1725 Mar 17 | 2 | 0.8105 | 0.9997 | 00m 01s |
| –1624 Oct 02 | 8 | 0.9377 | 0.9995 | 00m 02s |
| –1590 Jun 20 | 21 | –0.0376 | 0.9997 | 00m 02s |
| –1482 Feb 27 | 16 | 0.3992 | 0.9997 | 00m 02s |
| –1326 Apr 14 | 27 | 0.0409 | 0.9996 | 00m 02s |
| –0124 Sep 07 | 81 | 0.7642 | 0.9999 | 00m 00s |
| 1087 Aug 01 | 111 | 0.1644 | 0.9996 | 00m 02s |
| 1384 Aug 17 | 125 | 0.5354 | 0.9999 | 00m 01s |
| 1704 Nov 27 | 118 | 0.6716 | 0.9999 | 00m 01s |
| 1822 Feb 21 | 137 | 0.6914 | 0.9996 | 00m 02s |
| 1858 Mar 15 | 137 | 0.6461 | 0.9996 | 00m 02s |
| 1876 Mar 25 | 137 | 0.6142 | 0.9999 | 00m 01s |
| 1948 May 09 | 137 | 0.4133 | 0.9999 | 00m 00s |
| 2862 Sep 15 | 158 | 0.5956 | 0.9999 | 00m 01s |
| 2931 Dec 30 | 166 | 0.1511 | 0.99998 | 00m 00s |
1.7 Extremes in Eclipse Magnitude – Total Eclipses
Nineteen total eclipses have a maximum magnitude less than or equal to 1.0075 (Table 16). Six of these eclipses are central while the remaining thirteen are non-central. The smallest magnitude was the total eclipse of –0839 Jul 26 with a magnitude of just 1.0002.
| Table 16: Total Eclipses with Magnitude 1.0075 or Less –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Duration |
| –1038 Apr 09 a | 22 | 1.0023 | 1.0034 | – |
| –0915 Feb 28 b | 25 | –1.0012 | 1.0004 | – |
| –0909 Nov 15 a | 57 | 0.9976 | 1.0050 | – |
| –0905 Mar 10 b | 54 | –1.0053 | 1.0072 | – |
| –0839 Jul 26 a | 32 | 1.0095 | 1.0002 | – |
| –0829 Aug 05 a | 61 | 0.9972 | 1.0064 | – |
| –0159 Jul 08 b | 53 | –1.0096 | 1.0051 | – |
| 0854 Feb 01 | 83 | –0.9582 | 1.0065 | 00m 22s |
| 0861 Sep 08 b | 87 | –1.0032 | 1.0053 | – |
| 0865 Jan 01 | 84 | 0.9518 | 1.0073 | 00m 36s |
| 0883 Jan 12 | 84 | 0.9609 | 1.0057 | 00m 27s |
| 0890 Feb 23 b | 83 | –1.0005 | 1.0005 | – |
| 0901 Jan 23 | 84 | 0.9731 | 1.0042 | 00m 19s |
| 0919 Feb 03 | 84 | 0.9909 | 1.0020 | 00m 09s |
| 0994 Aug 09 a | 119 | 0.9985 | 1.0017 | – |
| 1957 Oct 23 b | 123 | –1.0022 | 1.0013 | – |
| 2459 Jun 01 b | 164 | –1.0097 | 1.0038 | – |
| 2518 Mar 12 | 138 | 0.9200 | 1.0071 | 00m 31s |
| 2542 Dec 08 b | 170 | –0.9975 | 1.0072 | – |
-
a - Non-central total eclipse at high northern latitudes.
b - Non-central total eclipse at high southern latitudes.
Sixteen total eclipses have a maximum magnitude greater than or equal to 1.080. Their central durations all exceed six minutes with nearly half exceeding seven minutes. All take place during the period of the year when Earth is near aphelion (May-July), resulting in a smaller than normal diameter of the solar disk. The total eclipse with the largest magnitude (1.0813) occurred on 0504 May 29. The total eclipse with the longest duration of totality occurs on 2186 Jul 16 with a magnitude of 1.0805. The sixteen eclipses in Table 17 belong to just five Saros series.
| Table 17: Total Eclipses with Magnitude 1.080 or More –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Duration |
| –1337 May 14 | 26 | 0.1487 | 1.0801 | 06m 51s |
| –1319 May 25 | 26 | 0.2236 | 1.0807 | 06m 41s |
| –1301 Jun 05 | 26 | 0.2982 | 1.0805 | 06m 25s |
| –1160 May 07 | 29 | –0.2990 | 1.0806 | 06m 45s |
| –1142 May 18 | 29 | –0.3742 | 1.0809 | 06m 56s |
| –1124 May 28 | 29 | –0.4490 | 1.0804 | 07m 03s |
| 0327 Jun 06 | 81 | –0.0413 | 1.0810 | 07m 03s |
| 0345 Jun 16 | 81 | –0.1162 | 1.0811 | 07m 17s |
| 0363 Jun 27 | 81 | –0.1899 | 1.0804 | 07m 24s |
| 0486 May 19 | 84 | 0.1193 | 1.0806 | 06m 54s |
| 0504 May 29 | 84 | 0.1927 | 1.0813 | 06m 44s |
| 0522 Jun 10 | 84 | 0.2675 | 1.0812 | 06m 28s |
| 0540 Jun 20 | 84 | 0.3414 | 1.0801 | 06m 07s |
| 2150 Jun 25 | 139 | –0.0910 | 1.0802 | 07m 14s |
| 2168 Jul 05 | 139 | –0.1660 | 1.0807 | 07m 26s |
| 2186 Jul 16 | 139 | –0.2396 | 1.0805 | 07m 29s |
1.8 Extremes in Eclipse Magnitude – Hybrid Eclipses
Fourteen hybrid eclipses have a maximum magnitude (at greatest eclipse) less than or equal to 1.00025. All of these events are central with a central duration of totality of 1 second or less.
| Table 18: Hybrid Eclipses with Magnitude 1.00025 or Less –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Duration |
| –1747 Nov 10 | 5 | –0.7406 | 1.0001 | 00m 00s |
| –1716 Sep 28 | 26 | –0.4927 | 1.0002 | 00m 01s |
| –1641 Mar 17 | 13 | –0.2772 | 1.0002 | 00m 01s |
| –0819 Jan 18 | 47 | 0.3047 | 1.0001 | 00m 00s |
| –0097 Mar 17 | 57 | –0.5539 | 1.0001 | 00m 00s |
| 0121 Dec 27 | 82 | –0.6196 | 1.0002 | 00m 01s |
| 0403 Nov 01 | 88 | –0.1968 | 1.0001 | 00m 01s |
| 1339 Jul 07 | 106 | 0.6451 | 1.0002 | 00m 01s |
| 1612 Nov 22 | 136 | –0.7691 | 1.0002 | 00m 01s |
| 1627 Aug 11 | 139 | 0.9401 | 1.0001 | 00m 00s |
| 1702 Jul 24 | 131 | 0.3160 | 1.0001 | 00m 01s |
| 1804 Feb 11 | 137 | 0.7053 | 1.0000 | 00m 00s |
| 1894 Apr 06 | 137 | 0.5740 | 1.0001 | 00m 01s |
| 1986 Oct 03 | 124 | 0.9931 | 1.0000 | 00m 00s |
Seven hybrid eclipses have a maximum magnitude (at greatest eclipse) equal to 1.0170 or more. All of these events are central with a duration of totality of 1 minute 34 seconds or more.
| Table 19: Hybrid Eclipses with Magnitude 1.0170 or More –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Duration |
| –0437 Dec 17 | 54 | 0.1286 | 1.0173 | 01m 45s |
| –0100 May 17 | 65 | –0.1912 | 1.0170 | 01m 44s |
| 0508 Sep 11 | 91 | 0.0826 | 1.0173 | 01m 45s |
| 1199 Jan 28 | 108 | 0.0033 | 1.0174 | 01m 45s |
| 1228 Jan 08 | 109 | –0.0068 | 1.0176 | 01m 40s |
| 1564 Jun 08 | 120 | 0.1253 | 1.0174 | 01m 44s |
| 2172 Oct 17 | 146 | –0.1484 | 1.0174 | 01m 34s |
1.9 Greatest Central Duration – Annular Eclipses
Ten annular eclipses have a central duration (i.e., central line duration at greatest eclipse) of twelve minutes or more. There are no cases between the years 1974 and 3000.
| Table 20: Annular Eclipses with Central Duration of 12 Minutes or More –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Line Duration |
| –1655 Dec 12 | 25 | 0.6207 | 0.9147 | 12m 07s |
| –0195 Dec 11 | 58 | 0.4971 | 0.9153 | 12m 04s |
| –0177 Dec 22 | 58 | 0.5030 | 0.9165 | 12m 08s |
| 0132 Nov 25 | 83 | 0.5691 | 0.9144 | 12m 16s |
| 0150 Dec 07 | 83 | 0.5630 | 0.9147 | 12m 23s |
| 0168 Dec 17 | 83 | 0.5579 | 0.9156 | 12m 14s |
| 1628 Dec 25 | 116 | 0.6265 | 0.9153 | 12m 02s |
| 1937 Dec 02 | 141 | 0.4389 | 0.9184 | 12m 00s |
| 1955 Dec 14 | 141 | 0.4266 | 0.9176 | 12m 09s |
| 1973 Dec 24 | 141 | 0.4171 | 0.9174 | 12m 02s |
1.10 Greatest Central Duration – Total Eclipses
Forty-four total eclipses have a central duration (i.e., central line duration at greatest eclipse) of 7 minutes or more. These eclipses all take place during the period of the year when Earth is near the aphelion of its orbit (June-July), resulting in a smaller than normal diameter of the solar disk. The total eclipse with the longest duration of totality occurs on 2186 Jul 16. Its central duration of 7 minutes 29 seconds is very close to the theoretical maximum of 7 minutes 32.1 seconds during that epoch. All 44 eclipses belong to just 12 Saros series. The eclipses of 1937, 1955 and 1973 all belong to Saros 136. This is the same Saros producing the 6+ minute eclipses in 1991, 2009 and 2027.
| Table 21: Total Eclipses with Central Duration of 7 Minutes or More –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Line Duration |
| –1460 Jun 22 | 23 | –0.226 | 1.078 | 07m 04s |
| –1442 Jul 03 | 23 | –0.293 | 1.076 | 07m 05s |
| –1124 May 28 | 29 | –0.449 | 1.080 | 07m 03s |
| –1106 Jun 09 | 29 | –0.524 | 1.079 | 07m 04s |
| –0779 May 24 | 54 | –0.548 | 1.079 | 07m 12s |
| –0761 Jun 05 | 54 | –0.474 | 1.080 | 07m 25s |
| –0743 Jun 15 | 54 | –0.400 | 1.079 | 07m 28s |
| –0725 Jun 26 | 54 | –0.329 | 1.078 | 07m 18s |
| –0707 Jul 07 | 54 | –0.261 | 1.075 | 07m 00s |
| –0443 Apr 30 | 60 | –0.319 | 1.077 | 07m 01s |
| –0425 May 12 | 60 | –0.247 | 1.078 | 07m 12s |
| –0407 May 22 | 60 | –0.173 | 1.078 | 07m 13s |
| –0389 Jun 02 | 60 | –0.098 | 1.077 | 07m 04s |
| 0114 May 22 | 78 | –0.268 | 1.075 | 07m 06s |
| 0132 Jun 01 | 78 | –0.193 | 1.077 | 07m 14s |
| 0150 Jun 12 | 78 | –0.119 | 1.079 | 07m 13s |
| 0168 Jun 23 | 78 | –0.044 | 1.079 | 07m 03s |
| 0327 Jun 06 | 81 | –0.041 | 1.081 | 07m 03s |
| 0345 Jun 16 | 81 | –0.116 | 1.081 | 07m 17s |
| 0363 Jun 27 | 81 | –0.190 | 1.080 | 07m 24s |
| 0381 Jul 08 | 81 | –0.261 | 1.079 | 07m 22s |
| 0399 Jul 19 | 81 | –0.329 | 1.076 | 07m 11s |
| 0681 May 23 | 87 | –0.354 | 1.080 | 07m 10s |
| 0699 Jun 03 | 87 | –0.429 | 1.079 | 07m 17s |
| 0717 Jun 13 | 87 | –0.503 | 1.078 | 07m 15s |
| 0735 Jun 25 | 87 | –0.578 | 1.076 | 07m 02s |
| 1044 May 29 | 112 | –0.553 | 1.077 | 07m 12s |
| 1062 Jun 09 | 112 | –0.479 | 1.078 | 07m 20s |
| 1080 Jun 20 | 112 | –0.405 | 1.078 | 07m 18s |
| 1098 Jul 01 | 112 | –0.332 | 1.077 | 07m 05s |
| 1937 Jun 08 | 136 | –0.225 | 1.075 | 07m 04s |
| 1955 Jun 20 | 136 | –0.153 | 1.078 | 07m 08s |
| 1973 Jun 30 | 136 | –0.079 | 1.079 | 07m 04s |
| 2150 Jun 25 | 139 | –0.091 | 1.080 | 07m 14s |
| 2168 Jul 05 | 139 | –0.166 | 1.081 | 07m 26s |
| 2186 Jul 16 | 139 | –0.240 | 1.080 | 07m 29s |
| 2204 Jul 27 | 139 | –0.313 | 1.079 | 07m 22s |
| 2222 Aug 08 | 139 | –0.384 | 1.077 | 07m 06s |
| 2504 Jun 14 | 145 | –0.428 | 1.077 | 07m 10s |
| 2522 Jun 25 | 145 | –0.499 | 1.077 | 07m 12s |
| 2540 Jul 05 | 145 | –0.572 | 1.076 | 07m 04s |
| 2867 Jun 23 | 170 | –0.462 | 1.077 | 07m 10s |
| 2885 Jul 03 | 170 | –0.391 | 1.078 | 07m 11s |
| 2903 Jul 16 | 170 | –0.318 | 1.078 | 07m 04s |
1.11 Greatest Central Duration – Hybrid Eclipses
Ten hybrid eclipses have a central duration (i.e., central line duration at greatest eclipse) equal to 1 minute 40 seconds or more.
| Table 22: Hybrid Eclipses with Central Duration 1m 40s or More –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Line Duration |
| –1297 Sep 17 | 33 | 0.0674 | 1.0168 | 01m 40s |
| –0979 Aug 13 | 39 | –0.2387 | 1.0168 | 01m 48s |
| –0437 Dec 17 | 54 | 0.1286 | 1.0173 | 01m 45s |
| –0100 May 17 | 65 | –0.1912 | 1.0170 | 01m 44s |
| 0508 Sep 11 | 91 | 0.0826 | 1.0173 | 01m 45s |
| 1199 Jan 28 | 108 | 0.0033 | 1.0174 | 01m 45s |
| 1228 Jan 08 | 109 | –0.0068 | 1.0176 | 01m 40s |
| 1350 Nov 30 | 112 | 0.2227 | 1.0166 | 01m 42s |
| 1423 Jul 08 | 117 | –0.1158 | 1.0161 | 01m 45s |
| 1564 Jun 08 | 120 | 0.1253 | 1.0174 | 01m 44s |
1.12 Theoretical Maximum Duration of Annularity
The theoretical maximum duration of an annular solar eclipse slowly varies due to long term secular changes in the eccentricity of Earth's orbit and the longitude of its perihelion. Although the maximum theoretical duration differs between the ascending and descending nodes, the durations are equal in the year +1246 because the Sun's perihelion then coincides with longitude 270°.
Table 23 lists the maximum duration theoretically possible over the period –2000 to +7000 [Meeus, 2007]. The values here are 0.2 seconds smaller than those in Meeus due to the use of a slightly larger value for the Moon's radius k (Mean Lunar Radius).
| Table 23: Theoretical Maximum Duration of Annularity –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||
| Year | Duration at Ascending Node |
Duration at Descending Node |
| –2000 | 12m 16.8s | 11m 40.9s |
| –1000 | 12m 30.2s | 12m 04.8s |
| 0000 | 12m 35.5s | 12m 21.3s |
| +1000 | 12m 32.3s | 12m 29.5s |
| +2000 | 12m 20.7s | 12m 29.2s |
| +3000 | 12m 01.4s | 12m 20.6s |
| +4000 | 11m 35.6s | 12m 04.6s |
| +5000 | 11m 04.9s | 11m 42.4s |
| +6000 | 10m 31.0s | 11m 15.9s |
| +7000 | 10m 33.1s | 11m 15.7s |
The absolute maximum of 12 minutes 35.6 seconds occurred at the Moon's ascending node about the year +125. An inflexion point occurs between years +6000 and +7000, when the maximum possible durations increase once again.
All calculations in the Five Millennium Canon use the same mean lunar radius "k" for both annular and total eclipses (Mean Lunar Radius). Consequently, the annular durations are extended several seconds since they include the appearance of Baily's beads at the start and end of the antumbral phase.
1.13 Theoretical Maximum Duration of Totality
The theoretical maximum duration of a total solar eclipse for a point on Earth’s surface slowly varies with time. This effect is due to long term secular changes in the eccentricity of Earth's orbit and the longitude of its perihelion. That eccentricity is now 0.01671, but at some epochs in the distant past or future the orbit was (will be) almost exactly circular, and at other times the eccentricity can be as large as 0.06.
Table 24 lists the maximum duration theoretically possible from –2000 to +7000 [Meeus 2003]. The values here are 0.1 to 0.2 seconds larger than those in Meeus due to the use of a slightly larger value for the Moon's radius k (Mean Lunar Radius).
| Table 24: Theoretical Maximum Duration of Totality –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||
| Year | Duration at Ascending Node |
Duration at Descending Node |
| –2000 | 7m 07.4s | 7m 29.8s |
| –1000 | 7m 19.1s | 7m 34.6s |
| 0000 | 7m 27.4s | 7m 36.0s |
| +1000 | 7m 31.9s | 7m 33.6s |
| +2000 | 7m 32.3s | 7m 27.1s |
| +3000 | 7m 28.8s | 7m 17.1s |
| +4000 | 7m 22.1s | 7m 04.0s |
| +5000 | 7m 12.9s | 6m 48.7s |
| +6000 | 7m 03.3s | 6m 32.5s |
| +7000 | 7m 01.9s | 6m 32.8s |
The absolute maximum of 7 minutes 36.1 seconds occurred at the Moon's descending node about the year –120. Prior to –2000 there must have been epochs when the maximum possible duration was even larger due to an even greater value of the eccentricity of Earth's orbit.
1.14 Solar Eclipse Duos
A duo is a pair of eclipses separated by one lunation (synodic month). Of the 11,898 eclipses in the Five Millennium Canon, 1361 eclipses (11.4%) belong to a duo. In most cases, both eclipses in a duo are partial eclipses. However there are 14 instances where one eclipse is partial and the other is total. The dates and combinations are listed in Table 25.
| Table 25: Solar Eclipse Duos –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
|
| Dates (Dynamical Time) |
Eclipse Combinations |
| –1859 May-Jun | TP |
| –1718 Apr-May | TP |
| –1310 May-Jun | PT |
| –1169 Apr-May | PT |
| –1028 Mar-Apr | PT |
| –0575 May-Jun | TP |
| –0434 Apr-May | TP |
| –0159 Jul-Aug | TP |
| –0026 May-Jun | PT |
| 1248 May-Jun | TP |
| 1928 May-Jun | TP |
| 2195 Jul-Aug | PT |
| 2459 May-Jun | PT |
| 2912 Jul-Aug | TP |
1.15 Solar Eclipse Duos in One Calendar Month
There are 43 instances where both members of an eclipse duo occur in one calendar month. In all cases, both eclipses in the duos are partial. The year and month of each occurrence appears in Table 26.
| Table 26: Solar Eclipse Duos in One Calendar Month –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| –1957 Mar | –1035 Aug | –0416 May | 0629 Mar | 2206 Dec |
| –1805 Jan | –1024 Jul | 0007 Aug | 1063 May | 2261 Jan |
| –1610 Jul | –1013 Jun | 0018 Jul | 1150 Mar | 2282 Nov |
| –1534 Jun | –0688 Dec | 0097 Apr | 1215 Mar | 2304 Sep |
| –1523 May | –0677 Nov | 0463 Aug | 1631 May | 2380 Aug |
| –1447 Apr | –0601 Oct | 0528 Aug | 1696 May | 2684 Oct |
| –1209 Dec | –0590 Sep | 0539 Jul | 1805 Jan | 2785 May |
| –1122 Oct | –0514 Aug | 0542 May | 1880 Dec | |
| –1111 Sep | –0503 Jul | 0618 Apr | 2000 Jul | |
1.16 January–March Solar Eclipse Duos
The mean length of one synodic month is 29.5306 days (2000). Since this is longer than the month of February, it is possible to have one member of an eclipse duo in January followed by the second in March. There are four instances of such a rare January/March duo in the Five Millennium Canon: –1881, –1295, 1291 and 1794. In all cases, both eclipses in the duos are partial.
1.17 Solar Eclipses on February 29
There are nine instances of a solar eclipse occurring on February 29. Five eclipses are partial, two are annular and two are total. A list of eclipses on February 29 with physical parameters appears in Table 27.
| Table 27: Solar Eclipses on February 29 –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
|||||
| Date (Dynamical Time) |
Type | Saros | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude |
Central Line Duration |
| –1436 Feb 29 | P | 7 | –1.0586 | 0.9059 | – |
| –0896 Feb 29 | T | 35 | –0.3068 | 1.0652 | 05m 04s |
| –0356 Feb 29 | T | 63 | 0.4386 | 1.0628 | 05m 11s |
| 0108 Feb 29 | P | 51 | –1.5625 | 0.0082 | – |
| 0184 Feb 29 | P | 91 | 1.1684 | 0.6947 | – |
| 0648 Feb 29 | A | 79 | –0.7722 | 0.9257 | 06m 44s |
| 1188 Feb 29 | A | 107 | 0.0292 | 0.9294 | 08m 14s |
| 2416 Feb 29 | P | 127 | –1.4865 | 0.1279 | – |
| 2872 Feb 29 | P | 144 | 1.3315 | 0.3864 | – |
1.18 Eclipse Seasons
The 5.1° inclination of the lunar orbit around Earth means that the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic at two points or nodes. If Full Moon takes place within about 16° of a node [2], then a lunar eclipse will be visible from a portion of Earth.
The Sun makes one complete circuit of the ecliptic in 365.24 days, so its average angular velocity is 0.99° per day. At this rate, it takes 34.5 days for the Sun to cross the 34° wide eclipse zone centered on each node. Because the Moon’s orbit with respect to the Sun has a mean duration of 29.53 days, there will always be one, and possibly two, lunar eclipses during each 34.5-day interval when the Sun (and Earth’s shadows) pass through the nodal eclipse zones. These time periods are called eclipse seasons.
The mid-point of each eclipse season is separated by 173.3 days because this is the mean time for the Sun to travel from one node to the next. The period is a little less than half a calendar year because the lunar nodes slowly regress westward by 19.3° per year.
Footnotes
[2] The actual value ranges from 15.2° to 16.8° because of the eccentricity of the Moon's and Earth's orbits. If an eclipse occurs within °9.5° to 10.9° of a node, the eclipse will be central (annular, hybrid, or total).
1.19 Quincena
The mean time interval between New Moon and Full Moon is 14.77 days. This is less than half the duration of an eclipse season. As a consequence, the same Sun–node alignment geometry responsible for producing a solar eclipse always results in a complementary lunar eclipse within a fortnight. The lunar eclipse may either preceed or succeed the solar eclipse. In either case, the pair of eclipses are referred to here as a quincena.
The QLE (Quincena Lunar Eclipse parameter) identifies the type of the lunar eclipse and whether it preceeds or succeeds a particular solar eclipse. There are three types of lunar eclipses:
- n = penumbral lunar eclipse (Moon partly or completely within Earth’s penumbral shadow)
- p = partial lunar eclipse (Moon partly within Earth’s umbral shadow)
- t = total lunar eclipse (Moon completely within Earth’s umbral shadow)
The QLE is a two character string consisting of one or more of the above lunar eclipse types. The first character in the QLE identifies a lunar eclipse preceding a solar eclipse while the second character identifies a lunar eclipse succeeding a solar eclipse. In most instances, one of the two characters is “-” indicating a single lunar eclipse either precedes or succeeds the solar eclipse. On rare occassions, a double quincena occurs in which a solar eclipse is both preceded and succeeded by lunar eclipses.
1.20 Quincena Combinations with Total Solar Eclipses
A total solar eclipse can be preceded or succeeded by a total lunar eclipse (8.8%), a partial lunar eclipse (49.8%), or a penumbral lunar eclipse (28.2%). Double quincenas (a solar eclipse is both preceded and succeeded by a lunar eclipse) occur with a frequency of 13.1% and always consist of two penumbral lunar eclipses. A detailed list of total solar eclipse and quincena lunar eclipse combinations appears in Table 28.
| Table 28: Quincena Combinations with Total Solar Eclipses –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Quincena Lunar Eclipse |
QLE | Number | Percent | Recent Examples (Years) |
| – total | –t | 147 | 4.6% | …, 1957, 1968, 2015, 2033, 2044,… |
| total – | t– | 133 | 4.2% | …, 1985, 2003, 2043, 2061, 2072,… |
| – partial | –p | 801 | 25.2% | …, 2001, 2008, 2019, 2026, 2037,… |
| partial – | p– | 782 | 24.6% | …, 1992, 1999, 2010, 2017, 2021,… |
| – penumbral | –n | 432 | 13.6% | …, 1994, 1998, 2012, 2016, 2030,… |
| penumbral – | n– | 462 | 14.6% | …, 2002, 2006, 2020, 2024, 2038,… |
| penumbral – penumbral | nn | 416 | 13.1% | …, 1973, 1991, 2009, 2027, 2096,… |
1.21 Quincena Combinations with Annular Solar Eclipses
An annular solar eclipse can be preceded or succeeded by a total lunar eclipse (9.0%), a partial lunar eclipse (57.4%), or a penumbral lunar eclipse (8.5%). Double quincenas consisting of two penumbral lunar eclipses (23.8%) are common, but penumbral-partial combinations are rare (1.3%). A list of annular solar eclipse and quincena lunar eclipse combinations is found in Table 29.
| Table 29: Quincena Combinations with Annular Solar Eclipses –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Quincena Lunar Eclipse |
QLE | Number | Percent | Recent Examples (Years) |
| – total | –t | 178 | 4.5% | …, 1990, 2008, 2026, 2044, 2102,… |
| total – | t– | 178 | 4.5% | …, 1891, 2003, 2014, 2021, 2032,… |
| – partial | –p | 1147 | 29.0% | …, 1994, 2005, 2012, 2023, 2030,… |
| partial – | p– | 1122 | 28.4% | …, 1995, 2006, 2010, 2024, 2028,… |
| – penumbral | –n | 160 | 4.0% | …, 1991, 2001, 2009, 2016, 2019,… |
| penumbral – | n– | 179 | 4.5% | …, 1981, 1999, 2017, 2035, 2042,… |
| partial - penumbral | pn | 27 | 0.7% | …, 1608, 1749, 2013, 2147, 2288,… |
| penumbral - partial | np | 24 | 0.6% | …, 1694, 1835, 1958, 2819, 2960] |
| penumbral - penumbral | nn | 941 | 23.8% | …, 1998, 2002, 2020, 2031, 2038,… |
1.22 Quincena Combinations with Hybrid Solar Eclipses
A hybrid solar eclipse can be preceded or succeeded by a total lunar eclipse (3.0%), a partial lunar eclipse (51.1%), or a penumbral lunar eclipse (24.9%). Double quincenas consisting of two penumbral lunar eclipses (20.9%) are also fairly common. A complete list of hybrid solar eclipse and quincena lunar eclipse combinations appears in Table 30.
| Table 30: Quincena Combinations with Hybrid Solar Eclipses –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
||||
| Quincena Lunar Eclipse |
QLE | Number | Percent | Recent Examples (Years) |
| – total | –t | 5 | 0.9% | …,-1989, -1848, -1642, 163, 1986] |
| total – | t– | 12 | 2.1% | …, 1627, 1645, 1768, 1909, 2050] |
| – partial | –p | 124 | 21.8% | …, 1827, 1845, 2164, 2182, 2323,… |
| partial – | p– | 167 | 29.3% | …, 1912, 1930, 2209, 2350, 2368,… |
| – penumbral | –n | 85 | 14.9% | …, 1987, 2005, 2023, 2385, 2508,… |
| penumbral – | n– | 57 | 10.0% | …, 1702, 1908, 2013, 2031, 2049,… |
| penumbral - penumbral | nn | 119 | 20.9% | …, 1843, 1846, 2172, 2190, 2208,… |
1.23 Quincena Combinations with Partial Solar Eclipse
A partial solar eclipse is almost always preceded or succeeded by a total lunar eclipse (99.6%). On very rare occasions (0.3%), a partial lunar eclipse occurs before a partial solar eclipse. However, there are no instances of a partial lunar eclipse following a partial solar eclipse. No double quincenas occur with partial solar eclipses. A list of partial solar eclipse and quincena lunar eclipse combinations is found in Table 31.
| Table 31: Quincena Combinations with Partial Solar Eclipses –1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) |
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| Quincena Lunar Eclipse |
QLE | Number | Percent | Recent Examples (Years) |
| – total | –t | 2102 | 50.0% | …, 2000, 2004, 2011, 2015, 2018,… |
| total – | t– | 2085 | 49.6% | …, 2000, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2018,… |
| partial – | p– | 13 | 0.3% | …, -753, -196, 2086, 2607, 2625] |
Acknowledgments
The information presented on this web page is based on material originally published in Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 and Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:
"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus, www.EclipseWise.com"
The use of diagrams and maps is permitted provided that they are NOT altered (except for re-sizing) and the embedded credit line is NOT removed or covered.
References
Espenak, F., and Meeus, J., Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000, Astropixels Publishing, Portal, AZ (2022).
Espenak, F., and Meeus, J., Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000, Astropixels Publishing, Portal, AZ (2022).
Gingerich, O., (Translator), Canon of Eclipses, Dover Publications, New York (1962) (from the original T.R. von Oppolzer, book, Canon der Finsternisse, Wien, [1887]).
Meeus, J., Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Willmann-Bell, pp. 56–62 (1997).
Meeus, J., Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Willmann-Bell, pp. 120–126 (2002a).
Meeus, J., Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Willmann-Bell, pp. 70–72 (2002b).
Meeus, J., “The maximum possible duration of a total solar eclipse,” J. Br. Astron. Assoc., 113(6) (2003).
Meeus, J., Mathematical Astronomy Morsels III, Willmann-Bell, pp. 109-111, (2004).
Meeus, J., Mathematical Astronomy Morsels IV, Willmann-Bell, pp. 44–45, (2007).
Meeus, J., Grosjean, C.C., and Vanderleen, W., Canon of Solar Eclipses, Pergamon Press, Oxford, United Kingdom (1966).
van den Bergh, G., Periodicity and Variation of Solar (and Lunar) Eclipses, Tjeenk Willink, and Haarlem, Netherlands (1955).
von Oppolzer, T.R., Canon der Finsternisse, Wien, (1887).
Relevant Links:
Six Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses
Solar Eclipse Statistics
Periodicity of Solar Eclipses
Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series
Eclipses and the Moon's Orbit
Eclipses and the Saros
Six Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses
Lunar Eclipse Statistics
Periodicity of Lunar Eclipses
Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series
Links to Additional Solar Eclipse Predictions
- Home - home page of EclipseWise with predictions for both solar and lunar eclipses
- Solar Eclipses - primary page for solar eclipse predictions
- Solar Eclipse Links - detailed directory of links
- Six Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses - covers the years -2999 to +3000 (3000 BCE to 3000 CE)
- World Atlas of Solar Eclipse Maps - index page for world eclipse maps covering 5 millennia
- Javascript Solar Eclipse Explorer - calculate all solar eclipses visible from a city
- Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 - link to the publication
- Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 - link to the publication
- Thousand Year Canon of Solar Eclipses 1501 to 2500 - link to the publication
- MrEclipse.com - eclipse resources and tips on photography
- Solar Eclipses for Beginners - a primer on solar eclipse basics
- How to Photograph a Total Solar Eclipse - instructions for imaging a total eclipse of the Sun
- How to Photograph an Annular Solar Eclipse - instructions for imaging an annular eclipse of the Sun
- MrEclipse Photo Index - an index of solar eclipse photographs
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