Solar Eclipse Search Engine

Besselian Elements - Total Solar Eclipse of -281 August 06

   Instant of          12:20:45 TDT     JD = 1618640.01400 
Greatest Eclipse:    (=8:31:35 UT)

Gamma = 0.3114             Ephemerides  = VSOP87/ELP2000-82 
Eclipse Magnitude = 1.0539             Lunation No. = -28205 
     Eclipse Type = T                  Saros Series = 60 
                                                 ΔT = 13749.7 s

Lunar Radius   k1 = 0.272488 (Penumbra)        Shift in      Δb =  0.00"
 Constants:    k2 = 0.272281 (Umbra)       Lunar Position:   Δl =  0.00"


Polynomial Besselian Elements for:   -281 Aug 06   12.000 TDT  (=t0)

  n        x          y         d          l1         l2          μ

  0  -0.0746320  0.3616520 18.4417900  0.5365440 -0.0095460 359.384340 
  1   0.5365488 -0.2044217 -0.0101200 -0.0000675 -0.0000672  15.001260 
  2  -0.0000313 -0.0001404 -0.0000040 -0.0000125 -0.0000124   0.000000 
  3  -0.0000086  0.0000035  0.0000000  0.0000000  0.0000000   0.000000
  
                tan f1 = 0.0046408        tan f2 = 0.0046177 

At time t1 (decimal hours), each Besselian element is evaluated by:

a = a0 + a1*t + a2*t2 + a3*t3  

where: a = x, y, d, l1, l2, or μ; t = t1 - t0 (decimal hours), and t0 =  12.000 TDT.


Circumstances at Greatest Eclipse:  8:31:35 UT

Latitude:   35.4° N      Sun’s Altitude:    71.7°          Path Width = 187.1 km
Longitude:  60.7° E      Sun’s Azimuth:    204.2°    Central Duration = 04m18s 

Links for Total Solar Eclipse of -281 August 06

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Predictions

The solar eclipse predictions were made using the VSOP87/ELP2000-82 solar and lunar ephemerides. The resulting Besselian elements from these ephemerides were originally generated for the NASA technical publication Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.

The accuracy of the northern and southern edges of the eclipse path are limited to approximately 1-2 kilometers due to the lunar limb profile. For eclipses five centuries or more centuries in the past or future, the largest uncertainty in the predictions is caused by fluctuations in Earth's rotation due primarily to the tidal friction of the Moon. The resultant drift in apparent clock time is expressed as ΔT and is is based on the work of Morrison and Stephenson [2004].

The Gregorian calendar is used for all dates from 1582 Oct 15 onwards. Before that date, the Julian calendar is used (see Calendar Dates).

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to National Space Club summer intern Sumit Dutta for his assistance in preparing the solar eclipse search engine (July 2007). The mySQL database software was designed by Xavier Jubier (see: Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses web tool). Xavier's help was indispensable in developing this version of Solar Eclipse Paths on Google Maps.

Some of the content on this page is based on the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Permission is granted to reproduce data from this page when accompanied by an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, 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.