Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 37

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 37

Solar eclipses of Saros 37 all occur at the Moon’s ascending node and the Moon moves southward with each eclipse. The series began with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on -1794 Jun 25. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on -0496 Aug 12. The total duration of Saros series 37 is 1298.17 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =  -1794 Jun 25   20:54:42 TD
                       Last Eclipse =  -0496 Aug 12   01:14:42 TD

                      Duration of Saros  37  =  1298.17 Years

Saros 37 is composed of 73 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 37
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 73100.0%
PartialP 33 45.2%
AnnularA 40 54.8%
TotalT 0 0.0%
Hybrid[3]H 0 0.0%

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 37 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 37
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 40100.0%
Central (two limits) 40100.0%
Central (one limit) 0 0.0%
Non-Central (one limit) 0 0.0%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 73 eclipses in Saros 37: 24P 40A 9P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 37 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 37
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse -1037 Sep 2209m21s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse -0658 May 0700m50s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse -0640 May 17 - 0.97458
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse -1794 Jun 25 - 0.01444

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 37

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 37. 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 37.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 37

                         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

00508 -36 -1794 Jun 25  20:54:42  41582 -46920   Pb   1.5328  0.0144  64.4N 115.8W   0             
00554 -35 -1776 Jul 06  04:07:49  41168 -46697   P    1.4717  0.1295  65.3N 124.2E   0             
00599 -34 -1758 Jul 17  11:26:42  40756 -46474   P    1.4162  0.2332  66.2N   2.5E   0             
00644 -33 -1740 Jul 27  18:50:24  40346 -46251   P    1.3653  0.3273  67.2N 120.9W   0             
00690 -32 -1722 Aug 08  02:21:22  39938 -46028   P    1.3210  0.4084  68.2N 113.3E   0             
00736 -31 -1704 Aug 18  09:58:25  39532 -45805   P    1.2823  0.4782  69.2N  14.5W   0             
00780 -30 -1686 Aug 29  17:43:54  39128 -45582   P    1.2512  0.5337  70.1N 145.0W   0             
00822 -29 -1668 Sep 09  01:35:56  38727 -45359   P    1.2266  0.5771  70.8N  82.3E   0             
00863 -28 -1650 Sep 20  09:35:05  38327 -45136   P    1.2085  0.6083  71.3N  52.8W   0             
00904 -27 -1632 Sep 30  17:40:36  37929 -44913   P    1.1964  0.6288  71.6N 170.1E   0             

00945 -26 -1614 Oct 12  01:52:40  37534 -44690   P    1.1902  0.6389  71.6N  31.2E   0             
00986 -25 -1596 Oct 22  10:08:45  37140 -44467   P    1.1881  0.6419  71.4N 108.6W   0             
01027 -24 -1578 Nov 02  18:28:07  36749 -44244   P    1.1893  0.6394  70.9N 111.2E   0             
01068 -23 -1560 Nov 13  02:48:31  36360 -44021   P    1.1921  0.6342  70.2N  28.9W   0             
01108 -22 -1542 Nov 24  11:09:45  35972 -43798   P    1.1960  0.6272  69.3N 168.5W   0             
01148 -21 -1524 Dec 04  19:27:19  35587 -43575   P    1.1975  0.6244  68.3N  53.5E   0             
01188 -20 -1506 Dec 16  03:42:20  35204 -43352   P    1.1975  0.6243  67.3N  83.2W   0             
01228 -19 -1488 Dec 26  11:50:17  34823 -43129   P    1.1921  0.6335  66.2N 142.4E   0             
01268 -18 -1469 Jan 06  19:52:36  34444 -42906   P    1.1831  0.6489  65.1N   9.9E   0             
01308 -17 -1451 Jan 17  03:43:57  34067 -42683   P    1.1656  0.6789  64.1N 119.4W   0             

01350 -16 -1433 Jan 28  11:27:55  33692 -42460   P    1.1428  0.7181  63.2N 113.5E   0             
01391 -15 -1415 Feb 07  18:59:49  33320 -42237   P    1.1105  0.7734  62.4N  10.3W   0             
01432 -14 -1397 Feb 19  02:22:00  32949 -42014   P    1.0711  0.8412  61.7N 131.5W   0             
01473 -13 -1379 Mar 01  09:31:59  32580 -41791   P    1.0223  0.9252  61.2N 110.6E   0             
01515 -12 -1361 Mar 12  16:33:12  32214 -41568   A    0.9669  0.9403  54.3N  18.6E  14  864  04m57s
01557 -11 -1343 Mar 22  23:24:02  31849 -41345   A    0.9031  0.9437  49.4N  77.9W  25  470  04m53s
01600 -10 -1325 Apr 03  06:05:37  31487 -41122   A    0.8322  0.9462  46.8N 175.2W  33  347  04m45s
01643 -09 -1307 Apr 13  12:39:37  31127 -40899   A    0.7554  0.9480  45.2N  88.9E  41  284  04m40s
01686 -08 -1289 Apr 24  19:07:29  30769 -40676   A    0.6738  0.9494  44.3N   5.5W  47  246  04m38s
01731 -07 -1271 May 05  01:30:28  30412 -40453   A    0.5883  0.9502  43.6N  98.4W  54  223  04m41s

01776 -06 -1253 May 16  07:49:59  30058 -40230   A    0.4999  0.9505  42.6N 169.7E  60  208  04m49s
01822 -05 -1235 May 26  14:08:26  29706 -40007   A    0.4107  0.9502  41.1N  78.1E  66  199  05m03s
01867 -04 -1217 Jun 06  20:27:30  29356 -39784   A    0.3222  0.9495  39.1N  14.0W  71  196  05m24s
01912 -03 -1199 Jun 17  02:47:15  29008 -39561   A    0.2344  0.9482  36.1N 106.8W  76  196  05m51s
01957 -02 -1181 Jun 28  09:11:15  28663 -39338   A    0.1501  0.9466  32.4N 158.5E  81  199  06m23s
02003 -01 -1163 Jul 08  15:39:35  28319 -39115   A    0.0697  0.9446  27.9N  61.9E  86  205  07m00s
02049  00 -1145 Jul 19  22:15:27  27977 -38892   Am  -0.0047  0.9423  22.9N  37.5W  90  213  07m36s
02095  01 -1127 Jul 30  04:57:21  27638 -38669   A   -0.0740  0.9398  17.4N 139.2W  86  224  08m11s
02140  02 -1109 Aug 10  11:49:26  27300 -38446   A   -0.1346  0.9372  11.6N 115.9E  82  236  08m39s
02183  03 -1091 Aug 20  18:50:03  26965 -38223   A   -0.1883  0.9345   5.6N   8.3E  79  248  09m00s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 37

                         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

02226  04 -1073 Sep 01  02:01:19  26631 -38000   A   -0.2333  0.9321   0.4S 102.3W  77  261  09m13s
02269  05 -1055 Sep 11  09:21:49  26300 -37777   A   -0.2710  0.9297   6.5S 144.7E  74  273  09m20s
02312  06 -1037 Sep 22  16:52:58  25971 -37554   A   -0.3001  0.9278  12.3S  29.0E  72  283  09m21s
02357  07 -1019 Oct 03  00:33:14  25644 -37331   A   -0.3220  0.9261  18.0S  88.8W  71  293  09m18s
02399  08 -1001 Oct 14  08:21:12  25319 -37108   A   -0.3380  0.9250  23.4S 151.8E  70  299  09m10s
02440  09 -0983 Oct 24  16:17:12  24996 -36885   A   -0.3478  0.9245  28.4S  30.9E  69  303  09m01s
02481  10 -0965 Nov 05  00:18:37  24675 -36662   A   -0.3539  0.9246  33.0S  90.6W  69  303  08m48s
02522  11 -0947 Nov 15  08:24:40  24356 -36439   A   -0.3565  0.9253  37.0S 147.5E  69  301  08m32s
02563  12 -0929 Nov 26  16:31:30  24039 -36216   A   -0.3590  0.9268  40.5S  26.3E  69  295  08m12s
02603  13 -0911 Dec 07  00:39:47  23724 -35993   A   -0.3608  0.9289  43.1S  94.3W  69  286  07m48s

02642  14 -0893 Dec 18  08:46:03  23412 -35770   A   -0.3651  0.9318  44.9S 146.3E  68  275  07m20s
02683  15 -0875 Dec 28  16:49:08  23101 -35547   A   -0.3725  0.9352  45.8S  28.2E  68  260  06m49s
02724  16 -0856 Jan 09  00:47:00  22793 -35324   A   -0.3849  0.9392  45.8S  88.5W  67  244  06m14s
02764  17 -0838 Jan 19  08:39:19  22486 -35101   A   -0.4025  0.9437  45.0S 155.9E  66  227  05m38s
02805  18 -0820 Jan 30  16:24:32  22182 -34878   A   -0.4265  0.9487  43.6S  41.8E  65  208  05m00s
02846  19 -0802 Feb 10  00:02:01  21879 -34655   A   -0.4578  0.9539  41.9S  71.0W  63  188  04m23s
02887  20 -0784 Feb 21  07:32:00  21579 -34432   A   -0.4961  0.9594  40.1S 177.6E  60  168  03m47s
02928  21 -0766 Mar 03  14:54:43  21281 -34209   A   -0.5412  0.9648  38.3S  67.6E  57  149  03m14s
02970  22 -0748 Mar 13  22:09:18  20985 -33986   A   -0.5938  0.9702  37.0S  40.7W  53  131  02m42s
03012  23 -0730 Mar 25  05:17:53  20691 -33763   A   -0.6522  0.9753  36.2S 147.6W  49  114  02m13s

03056  24 -0712 Apr 04  12:20:27  20399 -33540   A   -0.7163  0.9801  36.4S 106.8E  44   98  01m47s
03100  25 -0694 Apr 15  19:19:40  20109 -33317   A   -0.7843  0.9844  37.9S   2.1E  38   87  01m23s
03145  26 -0676 Apr 26  02:13:09  19821 -33094   A   -0.8577  0.9878  41.2S 100.6W  31   81  01m04s
03190  27 -0658 May 07  09:06:41  19536 -32871   A   -0.9318  0.9900  47.2S 158.0E  21   95  00m50s
03235  28 -0640 May 17  15:57:53  19252 -32648   P   -1.0082  0.9746  62.3S  71.5E   0             
03281  29 -0622 May 28  22:51:36  18971 -32425   P   -1.0834  0.8397  63.0S  42.4W   0             
03327  30 -0604 Jun 08  05:45:23  18691 -32202   P   -1.1592  0.7026  63.8S 156.5W   0             
03374  31 -0586 Jun 19  12:45:10  18414 -31979   P   -1.2308  0.5723  64.7S  87.6E   0             
03422  32 -0568 Jun 29  19:48:30  18138 -31756   P   -1.2998  0.4458  65.7S  29.5W   0             
03468  33 -0550 Jul 11  02:58:25  17865 -31533   P   -1.3642  0.3277  66.7S 148.7W   0             

03513  34 -0532 Jul 21  10:14:50  17594 -31310   P   -1.4240  0.2175  67.7S  90.1E   0             
03558  35 -0514 Aug 01  17:40:32  17325 -31087   P   -1.4768  0.1200  68.6S  34.0W   0             
03603  36 -0496 Aug 12  01:14:42  17043 -30864   Pe  -1.5237  0.0335  69.5S 160.8W   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