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.
Solar eclipses of Saros 55 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 -1255 Jul 06. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 0043 Aug 23. The total duration of Saros series 55 is 1298.17 years. In summary:
First Eclipse = -1255 Jul 06 01:56:11 TD Last Eclipse = 0043 Aug 23 10:28:50 TD Duration of Saros 55 = 1298.17 Years
Saros 55 is composed of 73 solar eclipses as follows:
| Solar Eclipses of Saros 55 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 73 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 32 | 43.8% |
| Annular | A | 41 | 56.2% |
| Total | T | 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 55 appears in the following table.
| Umbral Eclipses of Saros 55 | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Umbral Eclipses | 41 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 39 | 95.1% |
| Central (one limit) | 0 | 0.0% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 2 | 4.9% |
The following string illustrates the sequence of the 73 eclipses in Saros 55: 24P 41A 8P
The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 55 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.
| Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 55 | |||
| Extrema Type | Date | Duration | Magnitude |
| Longest Annular Solar Eclipse | -0426 Nov 15 | 10m23s | - |
| Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse | -0786 Apr 13 | 01m43s | - |
| Largest Partial Solar Eclipse | -0840 Mar 11 | - | 0.88308 |
| Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse | 0043 Aug 23 | - | 0.00907 |
The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 55. 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 55.
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
01772 -37 -1255 Jul 06 01:56:11 30095 -40253 Pb 1.5161 0.0296 65.7N 107.5E 0
01818 -36 -1237 Jul 17 09:29:13 29742 -40030 P 1.4588 0.1408 66.6N 17.7W 0
01863 -35 -1219 Jul 27 17:07:31 29392 -39807 P 1.4063 0.2420 67.6N 144.7W 0
01908 -34 -1201 Aug 08 00:53:11 29044 -39584 P 1.3603 0.3301 68.6N 85.9E 0
01953 -33 -1183 Aug 18 08:44:20 28698 -39361 P 1.3193 0.4077 69.5N 45.4W 0
01999 -32 -1165 Aug 29 16:43:59 28354 -39138 P 1.2862 0.4700 70.3N 179.4W 0
02045 -31 -1147 Sep 09 00:50:01 28012 -38915 P 1.2589 0.5206 71.0N 44.4E 0
02091 -30 -1129 Sep 20 09:04:16 27673 -38692 P 1.2390 0.5572 71.4N 94.3W 0
02136 -29 -1111 Sep 30 17:24:12 27335 -38469 P 1.2245 0.5834 71.6N 125.2E 0
02179 -28 -1093 Oct 12 01:51:37 26999 -38246 P 1.2167 0.5973 71.6N 17.2W 0
02222 -27 -1075 Oct 22 10:23:13 26666 -38023 P 1.2132 0.6032 71.3N 160.5W 0
02265 -26 -1057 Nov 02 18:59:05 26334 -37800 P 1.2138 0.6016 70.7N 55.5E 0
02308 -25 -1039 Nov 13 03:36:49 26005 -37577 P 1.2166 0.5962 70.0N 88.4W 0
02352 -24 -1021 Nov 24 12:16:23 25677 -37354 P 1.2213 0.5876 69.1N 127.9E 0
02394 -23 -1003 Dec 04 20:53:48 25352 -37131 P 1.2251 0.5807 68.0N 14.6W 0
02435 -22 -0985 Dec 16 05:28:52 25029 -36908 P 1.2277 0.5761 67.0N 155.9W 0
02476 -21 -0967 Dec 26 13:58:52 24708 -36685 P 1.2267 0.5777 65.9N 64.5E 0
02517 -20 -0948 Jan 06 22:24:11 24389 -36462 P 1.2226 0.5850 64.9N 73.3W 0
02558 -19 -0930 Jan 17 06:39:57 24072 -36239 P 1.2115 0.6049 63.9N 151.6E 0
02598 -18 -0912 Jan 28 14:48:33 23757 -36016 P 1.1954 0.6336 63.1N 18.7E 0
02638 -17 -0894 Feb 07 22:46:04 23444 -35793 P 1.1711 0.6769 62.3N 111.2W 0
02679 -16 -0876 Feb 19 06:35:08 23133 -35570 P 1.1408 0.7308 61.7N 121.2E 0
02720 -15 -0858 Mar 01 14:11:36 22824 -35347 P 1.1009 0.8017 61.2N 3.1W 0
02760 -14 -0840 Mar 11 21:39:48 22518 -35124 P 1.0552 0.8831 60.9N 125.2W 0
02800 -13 -0822 Mar 23 04:56:24 22213 -34901 A+ 1.0009 0.9795 60.7N 115.6E 0
02841 -12 -0804 Apr 02 12:04:22 21911 -34678 A 0.9403 0.9759 56.4N 35.5E 19 250 01m44s
02882 -11 -0786 Apr 13 19:02:34 21610 -34455 A 0.8723 0.9772 54.5N 61.4W 29 163 01m43s
02923 -10 -0768 Apr 24 01:54:31 21312 -34232 A 0.8001 0.9776 53.7N 158.8W 37 131 01m44s
02964 -09 -0750 May 05 08:39:48 21015 -34009 A 0.7229 0.9772 53.2N 105.1E 43 116 01m49s
03006 -08 -0732 May 15 15:19:45 20721 -33786 A 0.6419 0.9761 52.4N 10.5E 50 110 01m59s
03050 -07 -0714 May 26 21:56:48 20429 -33563 A 0.5594 0.9743 51.1N 83.4W 56 110 02m14s
03095 -06 -0696 Jun 06 04:32:00 20139 -33340 A 0.4761 0.9720 49.0N 177.3W 61 114 02m35s
03140 -05 -0678 Jun 17 11:07:03 19851 -33117 A 0.3932 0.9691 46.0N 87.9E 67 121 03m02s
03185 -04 -0660 Jun 27 17:42:34 19565 -32894 A 0.3114 0.9656 42.0N 8.0W 72 131 03m35s
03230 -03 -0642 Jul 09 00:21:38 19281 -32671 A 0.2331 0.9618 37.2N 106.1W 76 143 04m14s
03276 -02 -0624 Jul 19 07:04:44 18999 -32448 A 0.1591 0.9575 31.8N 153.6E 81 157 04m59s
03322 -01 -0606 Jul 30 13:52:42 18720 -32225 Am 0.0900 0.9530 25.9N 51.0E 85 172 05m46s
03369 00 -0588 Aug 09 20:47:36 18442 -32002 A 0.0271 0.9484 19.7N 54.0W 88 190 06m34s
03417 01 -0570 Aug 21 03:50:19 18167 -31779 A -0.0286 0.9437 13.3N 161.7W 88 208 07m18s
03463 02 -0552 Aug 31 11:01:31 17893 -31556 A -0.0767 0.9391 7.0N 88.2E 86 227 07m59s
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
03508 03 -0534 Sep 11 18:20:12 17622 -31333 A -0.1181 0.9346 0.6N 24.0W 83 245 08m34s
03553 04 -0516 Sep 22 01:47:59 17352 -31110 A -0.1513 0.9305 5.5S 138.5W 81 263 09m04s
03598 05 -0498 Oct 03 09:23:57 17076 -30887 A -0.1775 0.9266 11.4S 105.1E 80 280 09m29s
03643 06 -0480 Oct 13 17:07:20 16758 -30664 A -0.1973 0.9234 17.0S 13.0W 79 295 09m49s
03687 07 -0462 Oct 25 00:57:28 16448 -30441 A -0.2114 0.9206 22.1S 132.3W 78 307 10m05s
03731 08 -0444 Nov 04 08:52:49 16147 -30218 A -0.2212 0.9185 26.7S 107.7E 77 317 10m16s
03775 09 -0426 Nov 15 16:52:47 15855 -29995 A -0.2269 0.9170 30.6S 12.7W 77 324 10m23s
03817 10 -0408 Nov 26 00:53:19 15569 -29772 A -0.2323 0.9163 33.8S 132.5W 76 327 10m22s
03859 11 -0390 Dec 07 08:55:37 15292 -29549 A -0.2361 0.9162 36.2S 107.9E 76 328 10m16s
03901 12 -0372 Dec 17 16:55:17 15020 -29326 A -0.2424 0.9169 37.7S 10.5W 76 326 10m02s
03940 13 -0354 Dec 29 00:52:27 14756 -29103 A -0.2505 0.9182 38.3S 127.9W 75 321 09m42s
03979 14 -0335 Jan 08 08:42:56 14497 -28880 A -0.2643 0.9200 38.1S 116.4E 74 314 09m16s
04020 15 -0317 Jan 19 16:28:44 14245 -28657 A -0.2819 0.9225 37.1S 1.6E 73 305 08m47s
04061 16 -0299 Jan 30 00:06:10 13998 -28434 A -0.3069 0.9254 35.7S 111.3W 72 295 08m15s
04102 17 -0281 Feb 10 07:35:25 13756 -28211 A -0.3386 0.9286 33.9S 137.4E 70 283 07m43s
04142 18 -0263 Feb 20 14:55:12 13520 -27988 A -0.3782 0.9321 32.1S 28.2E 68 272 07m12s
04183 19 -0245 Mar 03 22:06:59 13288 -27765 A -0.4246 0.9358 30.3S 79.3W 65 261 06m44s
04224 20 -0227 Mar 14 05:09:43 13061 -27542 A -0.4788 0.9395 28.9S 175.3E 61 252 06m18s
04265 21 -0209 Mar 25 12:04:25 12839 -27319 A -0.5401 0.9431 28.1S 71.8E 57 245 05m55s
04306 22 -0191 Apr 04 18:52:02 12621 -27096 A -0.6076 0.9464 28.2S 30.0W 52 242 05m35s
04348 23 -0173 Apr 16 01:33:51 12407 -26873 A -0.6800 0.9494 29.3S 130.5W 47 246 05m18s
04392 24 -0155 Apr 26 08:09:37 12197 -26650 A -0.7577 0.9520 32.0S 130.6E 41 261 05m02s
04434 25 -0137 May 07 14:42:41 11991 -26427 A -0.8381 0.9538 36.5S 32.4E 33 301 04m46s
04477 26 -0119 May 17 21:13:08 11788 -26204 A -0.9208 0.9546 44.2S 64.3W 23 419 04m28s
04520 27 -0101 May 29 03:44:34 11589 -25981 A- -1.0032 0.9654 63.3S 149.6W 0
04563 28 -0083 Jun 08 10:14:58 11394 -25758 P -1.0867 0.8208 64.2S 102.4E 0
04608 29 -0065 Jun 19 16:50:19 11201 -25535 P -1.1662 0.6822 65.1S 7.1W 0
04653 30 -0047 Jun 29 23:28:06 11011 -25312 P -1.2440 0.5461 66.1S 117.6W 0
04698 31 -0029 Jul 11 06:13:03 10824 -25089 P -1.3164 0.4190 67.1S 129.7E 0
04745 32 -0011 Jul 21 13:02:52 10640 -24866 P -1.3853 0.2978 68.1S 15.3E 0
04790 33 0007 Aug 01 20:02:56 10458 -24643 P -1.4464 0.1902 69.1S 102.2W 0
04836 34 0025 Aug 12 03:10:44 10278 -24420 P -1.5017 0.0928 69.9S 137.9E 0
04882 35 0043 Aug 23 10:28:50 10100 -24197 Pe -1.5493 0.0091 70.6S 14.7E 0
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] 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.
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)"
