Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 18

Introduction

The periodicity and recurrence of solar eclipses is governed by the Saros cycle, a period of approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours). When two eclipses are separated by a period of one Saros, they share a very similar geometry. The two eclipses occur at the same node[1] with the Moon at nearly the same distance from Earth and at the same time of year. Thus, the Saros is useful for organizing eclipses into families or series. Each series typically lasts 12 to 13 centuries and contains 70 or more eclipses. Every saros series begins with a number of partial eclipses near one of Earth's polar regions. The series will then produce several dozen central[2] eclipses before ending with a group of partial eclipses near the opposite pole. For more information, see Periodicity of Solar Eclipses.


Statistics for Solar Eclipses of Saros 18

Solar eclipses of Saros 18 all occur at the Moon’s descending node and the Moon moves northward with each eclipse. The series began with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on -2416 Jun 02. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on -1118 Jul 21. The total duration of Saros series 18 is 1298.17 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =  -2416 Jun 02   04:02:44 TD
                       Last Eclipse =  -1118 Jul 21   00:22:48 TD

                      Duration of Saros  18  =  1298.17 Years

Saros 18 is composed of 73 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 18
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 73100.0%
PartialP 29 39.7%
AnnularA 28 38.4%
TotalT 13 17.8%
Hybrid[3]H 3 4.1%

Umbral eclipses (annular, total and hybrid) 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 in Saros series 18 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 18
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 44100.0%
Central (two limits) 43 97.7%
Central (one limit) 1 2.3%
Non-Central (one limit) 0 0.0%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 73 eclipses in Saros 18: 22P 13T 3H 28A 7P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 18 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 18
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse -1442 Jan 0709m20s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse -1731 Jul 1800m32s -
Longest Total Solar Eclipse -1875 Apr 2302m42s -
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse -2019 Jan 2600m58s -
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse -1785 Jun 1601m23s -
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse -1749 Jul 0800m09s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse -2037 Jan 16 - 0.97228
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse -2416 Jun 02 - 0.01911

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 18

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 18. A description or explanation of each parameter listed in the catalog can be found in Key to Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series.

Several fields in the catalog link to web pages or files containing additional information for each eclipse (for the years -1999 through +3000). The following gives a brief explanation of each link.


For an animation showing how the eclipse path changes with each member of the series, see Animation of Saros 18.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 18

                         TD of
 Seq. Rel.   Calendar   Greatest          Luna  Ecl.           Ecl.                Sun Path  Central
 Num. Num.     Date      Eclipse     ΔT   Num.  Type  Gamma    Mag.    Lat   Long  Alt Width   Dur.
                                      s                                 °      °     °    km

----- -38 -2416 Jun 02  04:02:44  57141 -54614   Pb  -1.5177  0.0191  69.1S  25.9E   0             
----- -37 -2398 Jun 13  11:29:09  56656 -54391   P   -1.4480  0.1547  68.3S  99.6W   0             
----- -36 -2380 Jun 23  19:00:19  56172 -54168   P   -1.3820  0.2833  67.3S 134.1E   0             
----- -35 -2362 Jul 05  02:37:04  55691 -53945   P   -1.3201  0.4035  66.3S   7.0E   0             
----- -34 -2344 Jul 15  10:20:50  55211 -53722   P   -1.2639  0.5124  65.3S 121.4W   0             
----- -33 -2326 Jul 26  18:10:54  54734 -53499   P   -1.2127  0.6108  64.3S 109.1E   0             
----- -32 -2308 Aug 06  02:09:47  54258 -53276   P   -1.1687  0.6949  63.4S  22.4W   0             
----- -31 -2290 Aug 17  10:16:30  53785 -53053   P   -1.1311  0.7661  62.6S 155.4W   0             
----- -30 -2272 Aug 27  18:31:43  53314 -52830   P   -1.1009  0.8229  61.9S  69.6E   0             
----- -29 -2254 Sep 08  02:54:28  52845 -52607   P   -1.0770  0.8670  61.3S  67.0W   0             

----- -28 -2236 Sep 18  11:25:10  52378 -52384   P   -1.0600  0.8979  60.9S 154.6E   0             
----- -27 -2218 Sep 29  20:02:40  51913 -52161   P   -1.0489  0.9175  60.6S  14.5E   0             
----- -26 -2200 Oct 10  04:44:55  51450 -51938   P   -1.0421  0.9290  60.5S 126.6W   0             
----- -25 -2182 Oct 21  13:32:34  50989 -51715   P   -1.0401  0.9316  60.6S  90.9E   0             
----- -24 -2164 Oct 31  22:22:48  50531 -51492   P   -1.0411  0.9287  60.8S  52.3W   0             
----- -23 -2146 Nov 12  07:15:01  50074 -51269   P   -1.0438  0.9229  61.3S 163.9E   0             
----- -22 -2128 Nov 22  16:05:25  49619 -51046   P   -1.0457  0.9189  61.8S  20.5E   0             
----- -21 -2110 Dec 04  00:55:08  49167 -50823   P   -1.0474  0.9153  62.5S 122.9W   0             
----- -20 -2092 Dec 14  09:40:26  48716 -50600   P   -1.0462  0.9174  63.4S  94.5E   0             
----- -19 -2074 Dec 25  18:20:52  48268 -50377   P   -1.0416  0.9260  64.3S  47.2W   0             

----- -18 -2055 Jan 05  02:54:03  47822 -50154   P   -1.0318  0.9442  65.3S 172.6E   0             
----- -17 -2037 Jan 16  11:20:20  47377 -49931   P   -1.0168  0.9723  66.4S  33.8E   0             
----- -16 -2019 Jan 26  19:37:20  46935 -49708   Ts  -0.9950  1.0195  71.1S 104.8W   4   -   00m58s
----- -15 -2001 Feb 07  03:45:17  46495 -49485   T   -0.9665  1.0234  80.7S  91.6E  14  327  01m15s
00038 -14 -1983 Feb 17  11:43:36  46057 -49262   T   -0.9309  1.0259  79.1S  89.1W  21  246  01m30s
00081 -13 -1965 Feb 28  19:33:01  45621 -49039   T   -0.8890  1.0279  71.9S 125.0E  27  208  01m44s
00124 -12 -1947 Mar 11  03:11:51  45187 -48816   T   -0.8390  1.0294  63.3S   4.3W  33  183  01m59s
00167 -11 -1929 Mar 22  10:43:01  44756 -48593   T   -0.7834  1.0303  54.5S 127.0W  38  164  02m13s
00210 -10 -1911 Apr 01  18:05:15  44326 -48370   T   -0.7212  1.0307  45.5S 114.4E  44  149  02m26s
00254 -09 -1893 Apr 13  01:21:49  43898 -48147   T   -0.6552  1.0302  36.7S   1.7W  49  134  02m36s

00299 -08 -1875 Apr 23  08:29:55  43473 -47924   T   -0.5830  1.0291  27.8S 115.1W  54  120  02m42s
00346 -07 -1857 May 04  15:35:26  43049 -47701   T   -0.5094  1.0272  19.3S 132.9E  59  107  02m41s
00392 -06 -1839 May 14  22:35:50  42628 -47478   T   -0.4321  1.0246  11.0S  22.7E  64   92  02m34s
00438 -05 -1821 May 26  05:35:56  42208 -47255   T   -0.3555  1.0212   3.3S  86.7W  69   77  02m18s
00484 -04 -1803 Jun 05  12:33:29  41791 -47032   T   -0.2775  1.0171   4.0N 165.2E  74   61  01m54s
00531 -03 -1785 Jun 16  19:34:08  41376 -46809   H   -0.2030  1.0124  10.4N  57.1E  78   44  01m23s
00576 -02 -1767 Jun 27  02:35:28  40963 -46586   Hm  -0.1298  1.0070  16.0N  50.3W  83   25  00m47s
00621 -01 -1749 Jul 08  09:40:54  40552 -46363   H   -0.0609  1.0013  20.5N 158.0W  87    5  00m09s
00666  00 -1731 Jul 18  16:50:06  40143 -46140   A    0.0039  0.9951  23.9N  94.2E  90   17  00m32s
00713  01 -1713 Jul 30  00:06:08  39736 -45917   A    0.0620  0.9888  26.0N  14.9W  86   40  01m11s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 18

                         TD of
 Seq. Rel.   Calendar   Greatest          Luna  Ecl.           Ecl.                Sun Path  Central
 Num. Num.     Date      Eclipse     ΔT   Num.  Type  Gamma    Mag.    Lat   Long  Alt Width   Dur.
                                      s                                 °      °     °    km

00757  02 -1695 Aug 09  07:28:10  39331 -45694   A    0.1143  0.9822  26.8N 125.3W  83   63  01m50s
00801  03 -1677 Aug 20  14:57:08  38928 -45471   A    0.1598  0.9757  26.3N 122.6E  81   88  02m28s
00842  04 -1659 Aug 30  22:33:53  38527 -45248   A    0.1980  0.9694  24.8N   8.1E  78  112  03m06s
00883  05 -1641 Sep 11  06:18:17  38129 -45025   A    0.2290  0.9633  22.4N 108.8W  77  136  03m43s
00924  06 -1623 Sep 21  14:09:41  37732 -44802   A    0.2531  0.9575  19.3N 132.1E  75  159  04m20s
00965  07 -1605 Oct 02  22:07:42  37338 -44579   A    0.2711  0.9523  15.7N  10.9E  74  180  04m58s
01007  08 -1587 Oct 13  06:11:49  36945 -44356   A    0.2834  0.9476  11.9N 112.2W  73  200  05m35s
01048  09 -1569 Oct 24  14:20:38  36555 -44133   A    0.2910  0.9435   8.0N 123.3E  73  217  06m13s
01089  10 -1551 Nov 03  22:31:46  36167 -43910   A    0.2961  0.9401   4.3N   1.8W  73  231  06m50s
01129  11 -1533 Nov 15  06:45:08  35780 -43687   A    0.2987  0.9374   0.9N 127.4W  73  243  07m26s

01168  12 -1515 Nov 25  14:58:10  35396 -43464   A    0.3005  0.9353   2.0S 107.3E  73  251  08m00s
01208  13 -1497 Dec 06  23:08:53  35014 -43241   A    0.3041  0.9340   4.1S  17.3W  72  258  08m30s
01248  14 -1479 Dec 17  07:14:46  34634 -43018   A    0.3109  0.9332   5.2S 140.5W  72  262  08m55s
01288  15 -1461 Dec 28  15:15:29  34256 -42795   A    0.3213  0.9331   5.2S  97.6E  71  263  09m12s
01329  16 -1442 Jan 07  23:08:57  33880 -42572   A    0.3369  0.9334   4.1S  22.6W  70  264  09m20s
01370  17 -1424 Jan 19  06:52:57  33507 -42349   A    0.3595  0.9342   1.8S 140.6W  69  263  09m17s
01412  18 -1406 Jan 29  14:27:44  33135 -42126   A    0.3890  0.9352   1.8N 103.3E  67  262  09m06s
01453  19 -1388 Feb 09  21:51:55  32765 -41903   A    0.4267  0.9365   6.5N  10.7W  65  261  08m44s
01495  20 -1370 Feb 20  05:06:20  32398 -41680   A    0.4717  0.9378  12.2N 122.9W  62  261  08m17s
01537  21 -1352 Mar 02  12:09:04  32032 -41457   A    0.5256  0.9391  19.1N 127.3E  58  264  07m44s

01579  22 -1334 Mar 13  19:03:14  31669 -41234   A    0.5859  0.9402  26.7N  18.9E  54  271  07m09s
01622  23 -1316 Mar 24  01:47:24  31307 -41011   A    0.6539  0.9410  35.3N  87.9W  49  285  06m32s
01666  24 -1298 Apr 04  08:23:37  30948 -40788   A    0.7279  0.9415  44.7N 166.1E  43  312  05m56s
01710  25 -1280 Apr 14  14:52:43  30591 -40565   A    0.8073  0.9413  55.1N  59.4E  36  365  05m22s
01754  26 -1262 Apr 25  21:16:42  30236 -40342   A    0.8905  0.9403  66.4N  53.0W  27  487  04m49s
01800  27 -1244 May 06  03:36:52  29883 -40119   A    0.9763  0.9374  75.7N 156.2E  12 1145  04m16s
01845  28 -1226 May 17  09:53:35  29532 -39896   P    1.0644  0.8521  69.9N  10.4E   0             
01890  29 -1208 May 27  16:10:37  29183 -39673   P    1.1519  0.7025  69.0N  97.5W   0             
01935  30 -1190 Jun 07  22:28:14  28836 -39450   P    1.2388  0.5539  68.1N 155.0E   0             
01980  31 -1172 Jun 18  04:49:01  28491 -39227   P    1.3224  0.4108  67.1N  47.3E   0             

02027  32 -1154 Jun 29  11:13:28  28149 -39004   P    1.4029  0.2735  66.0N  60.8W   0             
02073  33 -1136 Jul 09  17:44:45  27808 -38781   P    1.4776  0.1463  65.1N 170.2W   0             
02118  34 -1118 Jul 21  00:22:48  27469 -38558   Pe   1.5469  0.0288  64.1N  79.0E   0             


Calendar

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..


Predictions

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:

  1. pre-1950's: ΔT calculated from empirical fits to historical records derived by Morrison and Stephenson (2004)
  2. 1955-present: ΔT obtained from published observations
  3. future: ΔT is extrapolated from current values weighted by the long term trend from tidal effects

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.


Footnotes

[1] The Moon's orbit is inclined about 5 degrees to Earth's orbit around the Sun. The points where the lunar orbit intersects the plane of Earth's orbit are known as the nodes. The Moon moves from south to north of Earth's orbit at the ascending node, and from north to south at the descending node.

[2]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).

[3]Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular/total eclipses. Such an eclipse is both total and annular along different sections of its umbral path. For more information, see Five Millennium Catalog of Hybrid Solar Eclipses .

[4]Greatest eclipse is defined as the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center. For total eclipses, the instant of greatest eclipse is nearly equal 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.


Acknowledgments

The information presented on this web page is based on data published in Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 and Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000. The individual global maps appearing in links (both GIF an animation) were extracted from full page plates appearing in Five Millennium Canon by Dan McGlaun. The Besselian elements were provided by Jean Meeus. Fred Espenak assumes full responsibility for the accuracy of all eclipse calculations.

Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC)"


Return to:

Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Periodicity of Solar Eclipses

Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses

2009 Sep 26