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 57 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 -1161 Jun 17. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 0137 Aug 04. The total duration of Saros series 57 is 1298.17 years. In summary:
First Eclipse = -1161 Jun 17 00:39:38 TD Last Eclipse = 0137 Aug 04 17:19:28 TD Duration of Saros 57 = 1298.17 Years
Saros 57 is composed of 73 solar eclipses as follows:
| Solar Eclipses of Saros 57 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 73 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 21 | 28.8% |
| Annular | A | 6 | 8.2% |
| Total | T | 33 | 45.2% |
| Hybrid[3] | H | 13 | 17.8% |
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 57 appears in the following table.
| Umbral Eclipses of Saros 57 | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Umbral Eclipses | 52 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 49 | 94.2% |
| Central (one limit) | 2 | 3.8% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 1 | 1.9% |
The following string illustrates the sequence of the 73 eclipses in Saros 57: 14P 33T 13H 6A 7P
The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 57 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.
| Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 57 | |||
| Extrema Type | Date | Duration | Magnitude |
| Longest Annular Solar Eclipse | 0011 May 21 | 01m36s | - |
| Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse | -0079 Mar 28 | 00m06s | - |
| Longest Total Solar Eclipse | -0530 Jun 30 | 06m25s | - |
| Shortest Total Solar Eclipse | -0891 Nov 26 | 00m59s | - |
| Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | -0314 Nov 07 | 01m30s | - |
| Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | -0097 Mar 17 | 00m00s | - |
| Largest Partial Solar Eclipse | -0927 Nov 04 | - | 0.99905 |
| Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse | -1161 Jun 17 | - | 0.02777 |
The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 57. 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 57.
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
02009 -36 -1161 Jun 17 00:39:38 28282 -39091 Pb 1.5268 0.0278 64.0N 136.6E 0
02055 -35 -1143 Jun 27 07:47:13 27941 -38868 P 1.4501 0.1683 65.0N 18.5E 0
02101 -34 -1125 Jul 08 15:01:08 27601 -38645 P 1.3775 0.3018 65.9N 101.6W 0
02146 -33 -1107 Jul 18 22:22:57 27264 -38422 P 1.3106 0.4253 66.9N 136.0E 0
02189 -32 -1089 Jul 30 05:53:04 26929 -38199 P 1.2493 0.5386 68.0N 10.9E 0
02232 -31 -1071 Aug 09 13:31:44 26596 -37976 P 1.1943 0.6404 69.0N 116.8W 0
02275 -30 -1053 Aug 20 21:20:11 26265 -37753 P 1.1466 0.7286 69.9N 112.5E 0
02318 -29 -1035 Aug 31 05:18:35 25936 -37530 P 1.1064 0.8027 70.7N 21.4W 0
02361 -28 -1017 Sep 11 13:25:49 25609 -37307 P 1.0730 0.8645 71.3N 158.1W 0
02403 -27 -0999 Sep 21 21:43:04 25284 -37084 P 1.0470 0.9123 71.7N 62.3E 0
02444 -26 -0981 Oct 03 06:08:45 24961 -36861 P 1.0273 0.9486 71.8N 79.7W 0
02485 -25 -0963 Oct 13 14:42:55 24640 -36638 P 1.0144 0.9726 71.7N 136.2E 0
02526 -24 -0945 Oct 24 23:21:52 24322 -36415 P 1.0049 0.9903 71.3N 8.9W 0
02567 -23 -0927 Nov 04 08:07:19 24005 -36192 P 1.0005 0.9990 70.6N 155.2W 0
02607 -22 -0909 Nov 15 16:55:23 23691 -35969 T+ 0.9976 1.0050 69.8N 58.5E 0
02646 -21 -0891 Nov 26 01:45:53 23378 -35746 Tn 0.9966 1.0144 67.2N 89.5W 2 - 00m59s
02687 -20 -0873 Dec 07 10:35:08 23068 -35523 Tn 0.9943 1.0174 63.5N 125.3E 4 - 01m13s
02728 -19 -0855 Dec 17 19:23:47 22760 -35300 T 0.9913 1.0208 60.5N 17.2W 6 641 01m30s
02768 -18 -0837 Dec 29 04:08:34 22453 -35077 T 0.9848 1.0249 56.8N 157.0W 9 530 01m50s
02809 -17 -0818 Jan 08 12:48:46 22149 -34854 T 0.9745 1.0296 53.0N 66.0E 12 464 02m13s
02850 -16 -0800 Jan 19 21:23:02 21847 -34631 T 0.9588 1.0346 49.4N 68.2W 16 417 02m37s
02891 -15 -0782 Jan 30 05:50:56 21547 -34408 T 0.9378 1.0400 46.2N 160.3E 20 386 03m01s
02932 -14 -0764 Feb 10 14:10:56 21249 -34185 T 0.9100 1.0456 43.5N 31.8E 24 362 03m25s
02974 -13 -0746 Feb 20 22:23:27 20953 -33962 T 0.8758 1.0511 41.4N 93.9W 29 344 03m47s
03016 -12 -0728 Mar 03 06:28:10 20659 -33739 T 0.8348 1.0566 39.9N 143.1E 33 331 04m07s
03060 -11 -0710 Mar 14 14:25:57 20368 -33516 T 0.7877 1.0617 39.1N 22.4E 38 321 04m26s
03104 -10 -0692 Mar 24 22:15:10 20078 -33293 T 0.7332 1.0664 38.8N 95.3W 43 313 04m42s
03149 -09 -0674 Apr 05 05:58:48 19791 -33070 T 0.6740 1.0706 39.0N 148.9E 47 306 04m58s
03194 -08 -0656 Apr 15 13:35:56 19505 -32847 T 0.6092 1.0741 39.3N 35.4E 52 299 05m12s
03239 -07 -0638 Apr 26 21:09:26 19222 -32624 T 0.5412 1.0768 39.7N 76.6W 57 293 05m26s
03285 -06 -0620 May 07 04:37:21 18940 -32401 T 0.4686 1.0787 39.7N 173.3E 62 286 05m40s
03332 -05 -0602 May 18 12:04:25 18661 -32178 T 0.3953 1.0797 39.3N 63.8E 67 279 05m52s
03379 -04 -0584 May 28 19:28:50 18384 -31955 T 0.3201 1.0798 38.2N 45.0W 71 271 06m04s
03427 -03 -0566 Jun 09 02:53:49 18109 -31732 T 0.2456 1.0790 36.2N 154.2W 76 263 06m15s
03473 -02 -0548 Jun 19 10:18:38 17836 -31509 T 0.1712 1.0772 33.3N 96.2E 80 254 06m22s
03518 -01 -0530 Jun 30 17:46:57 17565 -31286 T 0.1000 1.0748 29.6N 15.0W 84 244 06m25s
03563 00 -0512 Jul 11 01:18:21 17296 -31063 Tm 0.0320 1.0714 25.2N 127.7W 88 232 06m21s
03608 01 -0494 Jul 22 08:53:54 17008 -30840 T -0.0322 1.0674 20.2N 117.6E 88 220 06m11s
03652 02 -0476 Aug 01 16:35:33 16692 -30617 T -0.0907 1.0627 14.7N 0.6E 85 207 05m53s
03696 03 -0458 Aug 13 00:23:29 16384 -30394 T -0.1434 1.0577 9.0N 118.5W 82 192 05m29s
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
03739 04 -0440 Aug 23 08:18:57 16085 -30171 T -0.1895 1.0523 3.1N 120.2E 79 176 04m59s
03783 05 -0422 Sep 03 16:20:38 15794 -29948 T -0.2298 1.0468 3.0S 3.0W 77 160 04m26s
03825 06 -0404 Sep 14 00:30:59 15510 -29725 T -0.2623 1.0412 8.9S 128.3W 75 142 03m52s
03867 07 -0386 Sep 25 08:48:00 15234 -29502 T -0.2886 1.0357 14.7S 104.7E 73 125 03m19s
03909 08 -0368 Oct 05 17:12:24 14964 -29279 T -0.3083 1.0304 20.3S 23.7W 72 108 02m48s
03948 09 -0350 Oct 17 01:42:35 14701 -29056 T -0.3226 1.0254 25.6S 153.1W 71 91 02m19s
03988 10 -0332 Oct 27 10:19:14 14444 -28833 T -0.3312 1.0209 30.4S 76.5E 70 75 01m53s
04029 11 -0314 Nov 07 18:59:06 14192 -28610 H3 -0.3363 1.0168 34.7S 53.9W 70 61 01m30s
04070 12 -0296 Nov 18 03:41:28 13946 -28387 H -0.3389 1.0133 38.3S 176.0E 70 49 01m11s
04110 13 -0278 Nov 29 12:24:41 13706 -28164 H -0.3401 1.0103 41.1S 46.6E 70 38 00m55s
04150 14 -0260 Dec 09 21:08:14 13470 -27941 H -0.3409 1.0079 43.0S 82.2W 70 29 00m42s
04191 15 -0242 Dec 21 05:48:07 13240 -27718 H -0.3441 1.0060 44.0S 150.5E 70 22 00m32s
04232 16 -0224 Dec 31 14:24:47 13014 -27495 H -0.3495 1.0046 43.9S 24.1E 69 17 00m24s
04273 17 -0205 Jan 11 22:55:00 12792 -27272 H -0.3598 1.0036 43.0S 100.8W 69 13 00m19s
04314 18 -0187 Jan 22 07:19:53 12575 -27049 H -0.3741 1.0028 41.4S 135.2E 68 11 00m15s
04357 19 -0169 Feb 02 15:34:27 12362 -26826 H -0.3964 1.0023 39.4S 13.2E 66 9 00m12s
04401 20 -0151 Feb 12 23:42:12 12153 -26603 H -0.4239 1.0019 37.1S 107.6W 65 7 00m10s
04444 21 -0133 Feb 24 07:38:33 11948 -26380 H -0.4601 1.0015 34.9S 134.0E 62 6 00m08s
04487 22 -0115 Mar 06 15:26:42 11746 -26157 H -0.5024 1.0009 32.9S 17.3E 60 4 00m05s
04530 23 -0097 Mar 17 23:02:59 11548 -25934 H -0.5539 1.0001 31.4S 96.6W 56 0 00m00s
04573 24 -0079 Mar 28 06:31:33 11353 -25711 A -0.6108 0.9989 30.7S 151.3E 52 5 00m06s
04618 25 -0061 Apr 08 13:49:15 11161 -25488 A -0.6756 0.9971 31.0S 41.9E 47 14 00m16s
04663 26 -0043 Apr 18 20:59:08 10972 -25265 A -0.7460 0.9947 32.7S 65.6W 42 27 00m29s
04709 27 -0025 Apr 30 04:00:34 10785 -25042 A -0.8220 0.9915 36.3S 170.7W 34 51 00m47s
04755 28 -0007 May 10 10:56:39 10601 -24819 A -0.9012 0.9872 42.4S 86.1E 25 102 01m09s
04800 29 0011 May 21 17:47:07 10420 -24596 A -0.9838 0.9804 55.4S 10.8W 9 411 01m36s
04846 30 0029 Jun 01 00:33:40 10240 -24373 P -1.0684 0.8606 63.7S 111.2W 0
04892 31 0047 Jun 12 07:18:22 10062 -24150 P -1.1530 0.7087 64.6S 137.2E 0
04936 32 0065 Jun 22 14:02:12 9886 -23927 P -1.2369 0.5592 65.5S 25.5E 0
04980 33 0083 Jul 03 20:46:30 9711 -23704 P -1.3191 0.4139 66.5S 86.7W 0
05025 34 0101 Jul 14 03:33:01 9538 -23481 P -1.3982 0.2753 67.5S 160.1E 0
05069 35 0119 Jul 25 10:23:34 9365 -23258 P -1.4729 0.1459 68.5S 45.4E 0
05113 36 0137 Aug 04 17:19:28 9193 -23035 Pe -1.5418 0.0280 69.5S 71.2W 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)"
