The table below is a concise summary of all total, annular and hybrid solar eclipses from 1981 through 2000 (excluding partial eclipses). The links in the table provide additional information and graphics for each eclipse. In particular, the Eclipse Type (third column) links to dynamic maps showing the central path of eclipses across Earth's surface. These interactive maps utilize NASA eclipse path predictions and the plotting capabilities of Google Maps. The northern and southern limits of each eclipse path are plotted in blue while the central line is red. The yellow lines plotted across the path indicate the position of maximum eclipse at 10-minute intervals. You can zoom into the map and turn the satellite view on or off. When you click on a position, the eclipse times and circumstances at that location are calculated and displayed.
The first column in the table gives the Calendar Date of the instant of greatest eclipse[1]. This links to an orthographic projection map of Earth showing the region of visibility for an eclipse. The path of the Moon's penumbral shadow (cyan and magenta) covers the region of partial eclipse. The track of the umbral/antumbral shadow (blue/red) defines the path of total or annular eclipse. These figures are described in greater detail in the Key to Solar Eclipse Maps. Each figure is stored as a gif of approximately 60 kilobytes.
The second column TD of Greatest Eclipse is the Terrestrial Dynamical Time when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center. Animations of the Moon's penumbral and umbral shadows across Earth are accessed by clicking the this link. Each animated GIF file is from 40 KB to 175 KB in size.
The Eclipse Type (column 3) is either Total, Annular or Hybrid[2]. The link opens a window with the central eclipse path plotted on an interactive Google Map.
The Central Eclipse Class (column 4) indicates whether an eclipse is central or non-central. The parameters N and S identify paths that have no northern or southern limit, respectively. The link opens a table containing the central path coordinates.
Eclipses recur over the Saros cycle, a period of approximately 18 years 11 days. The Saros series that an eclipse belongs to is found in column 5. All eclipses in a particular Saros series can be viewed in a table via the Saros number link.
The parameter Gamma (column 6) is the perpendicular distance of the Moon's shadow axis and Earth's center at greatest eclipse. The link opens a table containing the Besselian elements for the eclipse.
The Eclipse Magnitude[3] (column 7) gives the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured at the instant of greatest eclipse. The Path Width (column 8) gives the width of the central eclipse path (in kilometers) at the instant of greatest eclipse. The Central Duration[4] (column 9) gives the length of the eclipse as seen from the central line at greatest eclipse.
The Key to Solar Eclipse Path Tables contains a more detailed description of each item in the table.
For more data on solar eclipses during this period, see Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1901 to 2000 .
| Solar Eclipse Paths: 1981 - 2000 | ||||||||
| Calendar Date | TD of Greatest Eclipse | Eclipse Type | Central Eclipse Class | Saros Series | Gamma | Eclipse Magnitude | Path Width (km) | Central Duration |
| (Link to Global Map) | (Link to Animation) | (Link to Google Map) | (Link to Path Table) | (Link to Saros) | (Link to Besselian Elements) | |||
| 1981 Feb 04 | 22:09:24 | Annular | central | 140 | -0.4838 | 0.994 | 25.0 | 00m33s |
| 1981 Jul 31 | 03:46:37 | Total | central | 145 | 0.5792 | 1.026 | 107.8 | 02m02s |
| 1983 Jun 11 | 04:43:33 | Total | central | 127 | -0.4947 | 1.052 | 199.1 | 05m11s |
| 1983 Dec 04 | 12:31:15 | Annular | central | 132 | 0.4015 | 0.967 | 131.2 | 04m01s |
| 1984 May 30 | 16:45:41 | Annular | central | 137 | 0.2755 | 0.998 | 7.2 | 00m11s |
| 1984 Nov 22 | 22:54:17 | Total | central | 142 | -0.3132 | 1.024 | 84.8 | 02m00s |
| 1985 Nov 12 | 14:11:27 | Total | central | 152 | -0.9795 | 1.039 | 690.1 | 01m59s |
| 1986 Oct 03 | 19:06:15 | Hybrid | central | 124 | 0.9931 | 1.000 | 0.7 | 00m00s |
| 1987 Mar 29 | 12:49:47 | Hybrid | central | 129 | -0.3053 | 1.001 | 4.8 | 00m08s |
| 1987 Sep 23 | 03:12:22 | Annular | central | 134 | 0.2787 | 0.963 | 137.2 | 03m49s |
| 1988 Mar 18 | 01:58:56 | Total | central | 139 | 0.4188 | 1.046 | 168.6 | 03m46s |
| 1988 Sep 11 | 04:44:29 | Annular | central | 144 | -0.4681 | 0.938 | 257.7 | 06m57s |
| 1990 Jan 26 | 19:31:24 | Annular | central | 121 | -0.9457 | 0.967 | 372.8 | 02m03s |
| 1990 Jul 22 | 03:03:07 | Total | central | 126 | 0.7597 | 1.039 | 201.4 | 02m33s |
| 1991 Jan 15 | 23:53:51 | Annular | central | 131 | -0.2727 | 0.9290 | 276.6 | 07m53s |
| 1991 Jul 11 | 19:07:01 | Total | central | 136 | -0.0041 | 1.0800 | 258.0 | 06m53s |
| 1992 Jan 04 | 23:05:37 | Annular | central | 141 | 0.4091 | 0.9179 | 340.4 | 11m41s |
| 1992 Jun 30 | 12:11:22 | Total | central | 146 | -0.7512 | 1.0592 | 294.0 | 05m21s |
| 1994 May 10 | 17:12:27 | Annular | central | 128 | 0.4077 | 0.9431 | 230.1 | 06m13s |
| 1994 Nov 03 | 13:40:06 | Total | central | 133 | -0.3522 | 1.0535 | 189.0 | 04m23s |
| 1995 Apr 29 | 17:33:21 | Annular | central | 138 | -0.3382 | 0.9497 | 195.5 | 06m37s |
| 1995 Oct 24 | 04:33:30 | Total | central | 143 | 0.3518 | 1.0213 | 77.6 | 02m10s |
| 1997 Mar 09 | 01:24:51 | Total | central | 120 | 0.9183 | 1.0420 | 356.1 | 02m50s |
| 1998 Feb 26 | 17:29:27 | Total | central | 130 | 0.2391 | 1.0441 | 151.3 | 04m09s |
| 1998 Aug 22 | 02:07:11 | Annular | central | 135 | -0.2644 | 0.9734 | 98.7 | 03m14s |
| 1999 Feb 16 | 06:34:38 | Annular | central | 140 | -0.4726 | 0.9928 | 28.8 | 00m40s |
| 1999 Aug 11 | 11:04:09 | Total | central | 145 | 0.5062 | 1.0286 | 112.3 | 02m23s |
Central Eclipse Class abbreviations (used above):
N = no northern limit, S = no southern limit, AT = annular-total hybrid, TA = total-annular hybrid
[1] Greatest Eclipse is the instant when the distance between the Moon's shadow axis and Earth's center reaches a minimum.
[2] Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular/total eclipses. Such an eclipse is both total and annular along different sections of its umbral path.
[3] Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured by the Moon. For annular eclipses, the eclipse magnitude is always less than 1. For total eclipses, the eclipse magnitude is always greater than or equal to 1. For both annular and total eclipses, the value listed is actually the ratio of diameters between the Moon and the Sun.
[4] Central Duration is the duration of a total or annular eclipse at greatest eclipse. This is the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center.
Each of the following links displays a table containing 20 years of total, annular and hybrid eclipses. Each eclipse offers links to a global map, shadow animation, interactive Google map, path coordinates table, and saros table.
| Twenty Year Solar Eclipse Path Tables (w/Google Maps) | |||||
| Years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-1920 | 1921-1940 | 1941-1960 | 1961-1980 | 1981-2000 | |
| 2001-2020 | 2021-2040 | 2041-2060 | 2061-2080 | 2081-2100 | |
Each link in the following table displays a page containing 10 years of eclipses. Every eclipse has links of global maps, interactive Google maps, animations, path coordinate tables, and saros tables.
| Decade Tables of Solar Eclipses | |||||
| Decades | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-1910 | 1911-1920 | 1921-1930 | 1931-1940 | 1941-1950 | |
| 1951-1960 | 1961-1970 | 1971-1980 | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 | |
| 2001-2010 | 2011-2020 | 2021-2030 | 2031-2040 | 2041-2050 | |
| 2051-2060 | 2061-2070 | 2071-2080 | 2081-2090 | 2091-2100 | |
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:
Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986 - 2035
and
Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE)
Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:
"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC"
For more information, see: NASA Copyright Information
