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 4001 to 5000 ( 4001 CE to 5000 CE[2]), Earth will experience 2360 solar eclipses. The following table shows the number of eclipses of each type over this period.
| Solar Eclipses: 4001 - 5000 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 2360 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 828 | 35.1% |
| Annular | A | 821 | 34.8% |
| Total | T | 653 | 27.7% |
| Hybrid | H | 58 | 2.5% |
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 50th century CE 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 | 1474 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 1442 | 97.8% |
| Central (one limit) | 19 | 1.3% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 13 | 0.9% |
| Annular Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Annular Eclipses | 821 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 795 | 96.8% |
| Central (one limit) | 15 | 1.8% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 11 | 1.3% |
| Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Total Eclipses | 653 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 647 | 99.1% |
| Central (one limit) | 4 | 0.6% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 2 | 0.3% |
The longest central[3] solar eclipses of this period are:
Longest Total Solar Eclipse: 4009 Aug 04 Duration = 07m12s
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse: 4885 Jan 20 Duration = 11m08s
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 4563 May 07 Duration = 01m38s
Long Annular Solar Eclipses are relatively rare. The following catalog lists concise details and local circumstances for all Annular Solar Eclipses with durations exceeding 09m 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
----- 4009 Feb 08 11:53:05 14781 24849 192 A 0.7908 0.9213 36.5N 53.8E 37 165 483 09m08s
----- 4010 Jan 28 10:58:33 14794 24861 202 A 0.1134 0.9217 11.7S 78.2E 84 171 298 10m56s
----- 4028 Feb 08 19:01:23 15039 25084 202 A 0.1246 0.9224 8.0S 41.7W 83 168 295 10m42s
----- 4046 Feb 19 03:05:36 15286 25307 202 A 0.1349 0.9238 3.7S 162.1W 82 166 290 10m21s
----- 4064 Mar 01 11:07:22 15535 25530 202 A 0.1474 0.9258 1.0N 77.7E 82 164 282 09m53s
----- 4082 Mar 12 19:06:43 15786 25753 202 A 0.1623 0.9283 6.1N 42.0W 81 163 272 09m21s
----- 4273 Nov 23 15:48:14 18577 28124 208 A 0.5057 0.9315 8.9N 25.4E 60 196 294 09m05s
----- 4285 Apr 19 02:25:06 18751 28265 214 A -0.3686 0.9315 9.7S 133.0W 68 346 274 09m07s
----- 4291 Dec 04 23:17:58 18852 28347 208 A 0.5448 0.9295 10.3N 86.7W 57 192 313 09m36s
----- 4300 Dec 25 12:09:35 18990 28459 227 A 0.9615 0.9136 50.9N 65.1E 15 170 1229 09m05s
----- 4303 May 01 09:56:24 19026 28488 214 A -0.3308 0.9332 4.1S 113.7E 71 348 264 09m10s
----- 4309 Dec 16 06:55:45 19128 28570 208 A 0.5770 0.9279 12.0N 158.8E 55 188 331 10m00s
----- 4319 Jan 05 19:58:21 19267 28682 227 A 0.9386 0.9132 46.4N 55.0W 20 164 965 09m26s
----- 4321 May 11 17:20:15 19304 28711 214 A -0.2873 0.9350 1.5N 2.6E 73 351 252 09m06s
----- 4327 Dec 27 14:42:11 19406 28793 208 A 0.6027 0.9266 14.0N 41.9E 53 184 346 10m12s
----- 4337 Jan 16 03:52:39 19547 28905 227 A 0.9197 0.9131 43.8N 176.1W 23 159 839 09m30s
----- 4346 Jan 06 22:33:54 19686 29016 208 A 0.6244 0.9258 16.5N 76.6W 51 179 358 10m13s
----- 4355 Jan 27 11:52:01 19828 29128 227 A 0.9048 0.9133 42.6N 61.8E 25 154 764 09m21s
----- 4364 Jan 18 06:33:10 19969 29239 208 A 0.6399 0.9256 19.2N 162.8E 50 175 364 10m01s
----- 4373 Feb 06 19:53:01 20111 29351 227 A 0.8907 0.9140 42.3N 60.4W 27 149 703 09m02s
----- 4382 Jan 28 14:36:09 20253 29462 208 A 0.6526 0.9258 22.4N 41.0E 49 171 367 09m39s
----- 4400 Feb 08 22:42:46 20539 29685 208 A 0.6627 0.9268 25.9N 81.7W 48 167 365 09m07s
----- 4495 Jan 10 06:32:26 22079 30859 220 A 0.0195 0.9307 20.7S 174.6E 89 177 260 09m13s
----- 4513 Jan 21 14:31:37 22378 31082 220 A 0.0361 0.9279 17.7S 56.7E 88 173 271 09m43s
----- 4531 Feb 01 22:35:06 22679 31305 220 A 0.0492 0.9257 14.2S 62.6W 87 170 280 10m04s
----- 4549 Feb 12 06:38:16 22982 31528 220 A 0.0620 0.9241 10.2S 177.7E 87 167 287 10m17s
----- 4567 Feb 23 14:43:00 23287 31751 220 A 0.0732 0.9232 5.7S 57.4E 86 165 291 10m22s
----- 4585 Mar 05 22:45:04 23594 31974 220 A 0.0860 0.9227 0.9S 62.5W 85 163 293 10m21s
----- 4603 Mar 18 06:44:25 23903 32197 220 A 0.1007 0.9229 4.3N 178.1E 84 163 292 10m15s
----- 4618 Nov 22 17:18:59 24173 32391 233 A 0.5381 0.9322 12.5N 20.7E 57 186 300 09m27s
----- 4621 Mar 28 14:38:27 24214 32420 220 A 0.1195 0.9236 9.7N 59.9E 83 163 290 10m04s
----- 4636 Dec 03 00:41:43 24486 32614 233 A 0.4927 0.9308 7.7N 90.4W 60 182 297 09m52s
----- 4639 Apr 08 22:27:27 24526 32643 220 A 0.1426 0.9248 15.3N 56.9W 82 164 286 09m48s
----- 4654 Dec 14 08:13:31 24800 32837 233 A 0.4543 0.9296 4.2N 156.8E 63 178 296 10m06s
----- 4657 Apr 19 06:09:05 24841 32866 220 A 0.1714 0.9264 21.0N 171.7W 80 165 281 09m27s
----- 4672 Dec 24 15:54:13 25117 33060 233 A 0.4224 0.9286 1.8N 42.1E 65 173 295 10m09s
----- 4675 Apr 30 13:43:06 25158 33089 220 A 0.2065 0.9283 26.7N 75.8E 78 167 275 09m00s
----- 4691 Jan 04 23:41:53 25436 33283 233 A 0.3960 0.9279 0.5N 74.0W 67 169 294 10m01s
----- 4709 Jan 16 07:36:35 25756 33506 233 A 0.3748 0.9275 0.4N 168.3E 68 165 292 09m45s
----- 4727 Jan 27 15:36:28 26079 33729 233 A 0.3573 0.9277 1.3N 49.4E 69 161 289 09m22s
----- 4780 Mar 11 16:33:51 27041 34386 223 A -0.3684 0.9195 22.4S 56.7E 68 329 325 09m00s
----- 4798 Mar 23 00:30:45 27372 34609 223 A -0.3859 0.9201 19.0S 61.3W 67 329 324 09m05s
----- 4812 Dec 08 11:23:56 27643 34791 226 A 0.4707 0.9334 5.2N 126.9E 62 190 281 09m11s
----- 4816 Apr 02 08:23:41 27705 34832 223 A -0.4064 0.9212 16.0S 178.6W 66 331 322 09m10s
----- 4830 Dec 19 18:59:06 27977 35014 226 A 0.5074 0.9295 7.3N 13.7E 59 186 306 09m57s
----- 4834 Apr 13 16:09:51 28039 35055 223 A -0.4322 0.9227 13.6S 65.9E 64 333 319 09m15s
----- 4848 Dec 30 02:40:42 28314 35237 226 A 0.5383 0.9259 9.8N 101.5W 57 182 331 10m34s
----- 4852 Apr 23 23:50:17 28376 35278 223 A -0.4626 0.9246 12.0S 48.3W 62 335 316 09m18s
----- 4867 Jan 10 10:28:04 28652 35460 226 A 0.5639 0.9228 12.8N 141.6E 56 178 353 10m58s
----- 4870 May 05 07:21:26 28714 35501 223 A -0.5007 0.9267 11.6S 160.1W 60 338 314 09m20s
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
----- 4885 Jan 20 18:21:06 28992 35683 226 A 0.5845 0.9202 16.0N 23.0E 54 174 372 11m08s
----- 4888 May 15 14:46:07 29055 35724 223 A -0.5439 0.9290 12.2S 89.6E 57 342 313 09m18s
----- 4903 Feb 02 02:18:24 29334 35906 226 A 0.6010 0.9181 19.6N 96.8W 53 170 387 11m05s
----- 4906 May 27 22:01:50 29398 35947 223 A -0.5941 0.9313 14.2S 18.6W 53 346 316 09m11s
----- 4921 Feb 12 10:18:29 29679 36129 226 A 0.6152 0.9168 23.6N 142.5E 52 166 398 10m51s
----- 4939 Feb 23 18:19:21 30025 36352 226 A 0.6287 0.9159 28.0N 21.6E 51 163 407 10m29s
----- 4957 Mar 06 02:20:41 30373 36575 226 A 0.6415 0.9158 32.7N 99.5W 50 160 413 10m01s
----- 4975 Mar 17 10:20:20 30724 36798 226 A 0.6555 0.9161 37.7N 139.9E 49 158 418 09m29s
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)"
