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. Not all New Moons result in a solar eclipse because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees to Earth's about the Sun. Consequently, the Moon's shadows miss Earth at most New Moon's. Nevertheless, there are 2 to 5 solar eclipses every calendar year. There are four types of solar eclipses: partial, annular, total and hybrid[1]. For more information, see Basic Solar Eclipse Geometry.
During the 10 century period -1999 to -1000 ( 2000 BCE to 1001 BCE[2]), Earth experienced 2401 solar eclipses. The following table shows the number of eclipses of each type over this period.
| Solar Eclipses: -1999 - -1000 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 2401 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 843 | 35.1% |
| Annular | A | 782 | 32.6% |
| Total | T | 633 | 26.4% |
| Hybrid | H | 143 | 6.0% |
Annular and total eclipses can be further classified as either: 1) Central (two limits), 2) Central (one limit) or 3) Non-Central (one limit). The statistical distribution of these classes during the 11th century BCE appears in the following three tables (no Hybrids are included since all are central with two limits).
| Annular and Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All | 1415 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 1381 | 97.6% |
| Central (one limit) | 18 | 1.3% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 16 | 1.1% |
| Annular Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Annular Eclipses | 782 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 759 | 97.1% |
| Central (one limit) | 11 | 1.4% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 12 | 1.5% |
| Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Total Eclipses | 633 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 622 | 98.3% |
| Central (one limit) | 7 | 1.1% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 4 | 0.6% |
The longest central[3] solar eclipses of this period are:
Longest Total Solar Eclipse: -1442 Jul 03 Duration = 07m05s
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse: -1655 Dec 12 Duration = 12m07s
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: -1297 Sep 17 Duration = 01m40s
Long Hybrid Solar Eclipses are relatively rare. The following catalog lists concise details and local circumstances for all Hybrid Solar Eclipses with durations exceeding 01m 00s. The Key to Catalog of Solar Eclipses contains a detailed description and explanation of each item listed in the catalog. For eclipses from -1999 to +3000, the Catalog Number in the first column serves as a link to a global map of Earth showing the geographic visibility of each eclipse. The date and time of the eclipse are given at the instant of greatest eclipse[4] in Terrestrial Dynamical Time. The Saros Number in the sixth column links to a table listing all eclipses in the Saros series. The Key to Solar Eclipse Maps explains the features plotted on each map.
The data presented here are based in part on the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.
TD of
Catalog Calendar Greatest Luna Saros Ecl. Ecl. Sun Sun Path Central
Number Date Eclipse ΔT Num Num Type Gamma Mag. Lat. Long. Alt Azm Width Dur.
s ° ° ° ° km
00132 -1944 Jul 03 15:30:05 43691 -48775 15 H 0.2846 1.0139 40.3N 124.5E 73 170 50 01m16s
00138 -1942 Nov 07 01:29:55 43637 -48746 2 H3 0.5284 1.0143 17.4N 8.2W 58 208 57 01m17s
00155 -1935 Dec 18 05:41:01 43472 -48658 1 H2 -0.5070 1.0150 53.2S 86.4W 59 4 60 01m11s
00181 -1924 Nov 17 10:15:36 43219 -48523 2 H 0.5283 1.0116 14.2N 142.8W 58 204 47 01m06s
00270 -1887 Jun 03 10:29:54 42379 -48071 7 H -0.4126 1.0115 3.7S 155.5W 66 341 43 01m13s
00316 -1869 Jun 14 17:29:24 41968 -47848 7 H -0.4875 1.0133 6.6S 97.7E 61 345 52 01m26s
00363 -1851 Jun 25 00:33:02 41558 -47625 7 H2 -0.5598 1.0145 10.4S 10.6W 56 349 60 01m34s
00509 -1794 Nov 19 22:56:01 40268 -46915 4 H2 0.7137 1.0120 26.0N 20.2E 44 205 58 01m05s
00531 -1785 Jun 16 19:34:08 40077 -46809 18 H -0.2030 1.0124 10.4N 51.7E 78 356 44 01m23s
00622 -1748 Jan 01 02:35:12 39268 -46357 23 H 0.6695 1.0117 18.2N 56.5W 48 176 54 01m12s
00628 -1746 May 06 07:54:16 39216 -46328 10 H 0.4033 1.0136 34.2N 144.1W 66 162 51 01m16s
00835 -1662 May 08 09:59:19 37389 -45289 21 H3 0.2795 1.0162 26.7N 176.4E 74 151 58 01m28s
00876 -1644 May 18 16:54:40 37002 -45066 21 H 0.2002 1.0131 26.3N 73.1E 78 155 46 01m13s
00950 -1611 Feb 14 17:55:34 36305 -44661 24 H -0.5506 1.0125 50.2S 76.7E 56 344 52 01m01s
00951 -1611 Aug 09 18:49:44 36295 -44655 29 H 0.4152 1.0115 44.7N 53.7E 65 190 44 01m01s
00964 -1605 Apr 08 05:07:38 36175 -44585 13 H -0.4092 1.0114 19.9S 92.4W 66 329 43 01m02s
00984 -1597 Nov 03 00:31:48 35994 -44479 27 H 0.4466 1.0138 15.1N 32.9W 63 196 53 01m22s
00991 -1593 Feb 26 01:41:29 35924 -44438 24 H -0.5096 1.0128 43.8S 41.2W 59 341 51 01m06s
00992 -1593 Aug 21 02:36:50 35914 -44432 29 H 0.3723 1.0120 39.0N 63.6W 68 193 44 01m05s
01025 -1579 Nov 13 09:16:15 35615 -44256 27 H 0.4492 1.0107 11.6N 166.8W 63 193 41 01m05s
01033 -1575 Mar 08 09:17:47 35546 -44215 24 H -0.4614 1.0130 36.7S 158.0W 62 340 50 01m10s
01034 -1575 Aug 31 10:33:31 35536 -44209 29 H 0.3364 1.0123 33.2N 175.9E 70 196 45 01m08s
01074 -1557 Mar 19 16:43:59 35169 -43992 24 H -0.4056 1.0128 29.2S 86.9E 66 340 48 01m13s
01075 -1557 Sep 11 18:40:22 35159 -43986 29 H 0.3083 1.0124 27.5N 52.2E 72 198 45 01m10s
01107 -1542 May 30 10:30:04 34853 -43804 32 H -0.6579 1.0109 21.9S 171.6E 49 351 50 01m09s
01114 -1539 Mar 30 00:01:51 34794 -43769 24 H -0.3438 1.0122 21.2S 26.6W 70 341 45 01m13s
01115 -1539 Sep 22 02:56:41 34784 -43763 29 H 0.2873 1.0127 21.9N 74.1W 73 199 45 01m13s
01154 -1521 Apr 10 07:11:26 34421 -43546 24 H -0.2758 1.0112 13.1S 138.3W 74 342 40 01m09s
01155 -1521 Oct 03 11:22:04 34411 -43540 29 H 0.2732 1.0131 16.6N 157.1E 74 199 47 01m16s
01194 -1503 Apr 20 14:15:00 34050 -43323 24 H -0.2038 1.0095 4.9S 111.6E 78 343 33 01m01s
01195 -1503 Oct 13 19:53:42 34041 -43317 29 H 0.2637 1.0138 11.6N 26.6E 75 198 49 01m22s
01235 -1485 Oct 25 04:32:54 33672 -43094 29 H 0.2597 1.0149 7.0N 105.6W 75 197 53 01m29s
01275 -1467 Nov 04 13:16:02 33305 -42871 29 H2 0.2581 1.0164 2.9N 121.3E 75 195 58 01m39s
01299 -1456 Oct 04 18:02:52 33084 -42736 30 H3 -0.2502 1.0169 12.2S 38.8E 75 30 60 01m30s
01321 -1446 Mar 21 09:05:39 32893 -42619 16 H 0.5060 1.0117 23.9N 174.1E 59 161 46 01m09s
01340 -1438 Oct 16 02:35:27 32720 -42513 30 H -0.2425 1.0121 16.3S 91.3W 76 30 43 01m04s
01669 -1297 Sep 17 20:33:36 29948 -40770 33 H3 0.0674 1.0168 10.8N 2.6W 86 197 58 01m40s
01713 -1279 Sep 28 04:50:38 29602 -40547 33 H 0.0489 1.0110 5.4N 129.3W 87 198 38 01m07s
02068 -1138 Aug 30 23:28:43 26968 -38804 36 H3 0.0932 1.0168 18.0N 56.9W 85 206 58 01m32s
The Gregorian calendar is used for all dates from 1582 Oct 15 onwards. Before that date, the Julian calendar is used. For more information on this topic, see Calendar Dates. The Julian calendar does not include the year 0. Thus the year 1 BCE is followed by the year 1 CE (See: BCE/CE Dating Conventions ). This is awkward for arithmetic calculations. Years in this catalog are numbered astronomically and include the year 0. Historians should note there is a difference of one year between astronomical dates and BCE dates. Thus, the astronomical year 0 corresponds to 1 BCE, and astronomical year -1 corresponds to 2 BCE, etc..
The coordinates of the Sun used in these predictions are based on the VSOP87 theory [Bretagnon and Francou, 1988]. The Moon's coordinates are based on the ELP-2000/82 theory [Chapront-Touze and Chapront, 1983]. For more information, see: Solar and Lunar Ephemerides. The revised value used for the Moon's secular acceleration is n-dot = -25.858 arc-sec/cy*cy, as deduced from the Apollo lunar laser ranging experiment (Chapront, Chapront-Touze, and Francou, 2002).
The largest uncertainty in the eclipse predictions is caused by fluctuations in Earth's rotation due primarily to tidal friction of the Moon. The resultant drift in apparent clock time is expressed as ΔT and is determined as follows:
A series of polynomial expressions have been derived to simplify the evaluation of ΔT for any time from -1999 to +3000. The uncertainty in ΔT over this period can be estimated from scatter in the measurements.
[1] Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular/total eclipses. Such an eclipse is both total and annular along different sections of its umbral path. (See: Five Millennium Catalog of Hybrid Solar Eclipses)
[2] 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 )
[3] Central solar eclipses are eclipses in which the central axis of the Moon's shadow strikes the Earth's surface. All partial (penumbral) eclipses are non-central eclipses since the shadow axis misses Earth. However, umbral eclipses (total, annular and hybrid) may be either central (usually) or non-central (rarely).
[4] Greatest eclipse is defined as the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to the Earth's center. For total eclipses, the instant of greatest eclipse is virtually identical to the instants of greatest magnitude and greatest duration. However, for annular eclipses, the instant of greatest duration may occur at either the time of greatest eclipse or near the sunrise and sunset points of the eclipse path.
Special thanks to Dan McGlaun for extracting the individual eclipse maps from the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 for use in this catalog.
The Besselian elements used in the predictions were kindly provided by Jean Meeus. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Some of the information presented on this web site is based on data originally published in Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000
Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:
"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)"
