Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 161

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 161

Solar eclipses of Saros 161 all occur at the Moon’s ascending node and the Moon moves southward with each eclipse. The series will begin with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 2174 Apr 01. The series will end with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 3454 May 20. The total duration of Saros series 161 is 1280.14 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =   2174 Apr 01   22:39:09 TD
                       Last Eclipse =   3454 May 20   04:17:52 TD

                      Duration of Saros 161  =  1280.14 Years

Saros 161 is composed of 72 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 161
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 72100.0%
PartialP 29 40.3%
AnnularA 5 6.9%
TotalT 35 48.6%
Hybrid[3]H 3 4.2%

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 161 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 161
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 43100.0%
Central (two limits) 43100.0%
Central (one limit) 0 0.0%
Non-Central (one limit) 0 0.0%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 72 eclipses in Saros 161: 9P 35T 3H 5A 20P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 161 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 161
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse 3093 Oct 1202m06s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse 3021 Aug 3000m11s -
Longest Total Solar Eclipse 2462 Sep 2405m28s -
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse 2949 Jul 1702m06s -
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 2967 Jul 2801m37s -
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 3003 Aug 2000m26s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse 2318 Jun 29 - 0.95827
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse 3454 May 20 - 0.00508

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 161

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 161. 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 161.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 161

                         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

09904 -37  2174 Apr 01  22:39:09    381   2155   Pb   1.5107  0.0470  61.2N 103.8E   0             
09948 -36  2192 Apr 12  06:41:56    423   2378   P    1.4678  0.1260  61.5N  25.4W   0             
09993 -35  2210 Apr 24  14:39:19    467   2601   P    1.4202  0.2148  61.9N 153.4W   0             
10036 -34  2228 May 04  22:28:44    513   2824   P    1.3659  0.3173  62.4N  80.4E   0             
10080 -33  2246 May 16  06:14:10    561   3047   P    1.3077  0.4284  63.1N  44.9W   0             
10125 -32  2264 May 26  13:52:07    611   3270   P    1.2430  0.5526  63.9N 168.5W   0             
10170 -31  2282 Jun 06  21:28:19    663   3493   P    1.1764  0.6815  64.8N  68.1E   0             
10216 -30  2300 Jun 18  04:59:29    717   3716   P    1.1056  0.8189  65.7N  54.5W   0             
10261 -29  2318 Jun 29  12:30:22    773   3939   P    1.0340  0.9583  66.7N 177.3W   0             
10306 -28  2336 Jul 09  19:58:22    832   4162   T    0.9598  1.0657  83.2N  49.4E  16  800  03m17s

10352 -27  2354 Jul 21  03:28:22    892   4385   T    0.8870  1.0697  81.4N 171.7E  27  499  03m51s
10397 -26  2372 Jul 31  10:58:30    955   4608   T    0.8144  1.0717  71.0N  45.5E  35  404  04m18s
10440 -25  2390 Aug 11  18:31:27   1019   4831   T    0.7441  1.0724  61.3N  72.5W  42  353  04m41s
10484 -24  2408 Aug 22  02:07:39   1086   5054   T    0.6766  1.0720  52.3N 170.0E  47  317  05m00s
10527 -23  2426 Sep 02  09:48:47   1155   5277   T    0.6133  1.0709  43.8N  51.6E  52  291  05m14s
10570 -22  2444 Sep 12  17:35:35   1226   5500   T    0.5548  1.0688  35.7N  67.9W  56  268  05m23s
10613 -21  2462 Sep 24  01:28:08   1299   5723   T    0.5014  1.0662  28.1N 171.4E  60  249  05m28s
10655 -20  2480 Oct 04  09:27:58   1374   5946   T    0.4543  1.0631  21.1N  49.2E  63  231  05m26s
10697 -19  2498 Oct 15  17:34:44   1451   6169   T    0.4131  1.0597  14.6N  74.5W  66  215  05m21s
10739 -18  2516 Oct 27  01:48:46   1530   6392   T    0.3782  1.0560   8.8N 160.5E  68  199  05m11s

10780 -17  2534 Nov 07  10:10:07   1611   6615   T    0.3495  1.0522   3.9N  34.0E  70  184  04m58s
10820 -16  2552 Nov 17  18:38:45   1694   6838   T    0.3269  1.0485   0.3S  93.9W  71  170  04m42s
10860 -15  2570 Nov 29  03:13:44   1779   7061   T    0.3100  1.0449   3.4S 137.1E  72  158  04m25s
10900 -14  2588 Dec 09  11:53:28   1867   7284   T    0.2973  1.0416   5.6S   7.2E  73  146  04m07s
10941 -13  2606 Dec 21  20:37:56   1956   7507   T    0.2888  1.0387   6.7S 123.7W  73  135  03m50s
10982 -12  2625 Jan 01  05:25:27   2048   7730   T    0.2829  1.0361   6.8S 104.8E  74  126  03m32s
11022 -11  2643 Jan 12  14:14:06   2142   7953   T    0.2784  1.0341   6.0S  27.0W  74  119  03m18s
11062 -10  2661 Jan 22  23:02:23   2237   8176   T    0.2740  1.0324   4.4S 158.8W  74  113  03m04s
11103 -09  2679 Feb 03  07:49:00   2335   8399   T    0.2685  1.0312   2.1S  69.7E  74  109  02m54s
11145 -08  2697 Feb 13  16:33:04   2435   8622   T    0.2612  1.0305   0.7N  61.3W  75  106  02m46s

11187 -07  2715 Feb 26  01:11:19   2537   8845   T    0.2495  1.0302   3.7N 169.2E  76  105  02m42s
11230 -06  2733 Mar 08  09:44:50   2641   9068   T    0.2343  1.0301   7.0N  40.8E  76  104  02m39s
11273 -05  2751 Mar 19  18:10:35   2747   9291   T    0.2131  1.0303  10.2N  85.4W  78  105  02m38s
11318 -04  2769 Mar 30  02:29:32   2855   9514   T    0.1866  1.0307  13.2N 150.3E  79  105  02m40s
11363 -03  2787 Apr 10  10:38:57   2965   9737   T    0.1525  1.0310  15.7N  28.7E  81  106  02m43s
11408 -02  2805 Apr 20  18:41:09   3077   9960   T    0.1129  1.0313  17.7N  90.7W  83  106  02m46s
11453 -01  2823 May 02  02:34:05   3192  10183   Tm   0.0662  1.0314  18.9N 152.6E  86  106  02m51s
11498  00  2841 May 12  10:18:35   3308  10406   T    0.0129  1.0312  19.1N  38.2E  89  105  02m55s
11544  01  2859 May 23  17:54:35   3426  10629   T   -0.0467  1.0305  18.2N  74.0W  87  103  02m58s
11590  02  2877 Jun 03  01:23:34   3547  10852   T   -0.1114  1.0294  16.2N 175.3E  84  100  02m58s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 161

                         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

11637  03  2895 Jun 14  08:45:51   3670  11075   T   -0.1811  1.0278  12.9N  65.9E  80   96  02m55s
11684  04  2913 Jun 25  16:01:38   3794  11298   T   -0.2551  1.0255   8.5N  42.4W  75   90  02m45s
11729  05  2931 Jul 06  23:13:24   3921  11521   T   -0.3316  1.0226   3.1N 150.5W  71   81  02m30s
11773  06  2949 Jul 17  06:21:27   4050  11744   T   -0.4099  1.0189   3.2S 101.6E  66   71  02m06s
11817  07  2967 Jul 28  13:27:22   4181  11967   H3  -0.4892  1.0147  10.4S   6.5W  61   58  01m37s
11861  08  2985 Aug 07  20:31:50   4314  12190   H   -0.5686  1.0097  18.3S 115.0W  55   41  01m02s
-----  09  3003 Aug 20  03:37:08   4449  12413   H   -0.6463  1.0042  26.8S 135.4E  50   19  00m26s
-----  10  3021 Aug 30  10:44:28   4586  12636   A   -0.7210  0.9980  35.7S  24.4E  44   10  00m11s
-----  11  3039 Sep 10  17:53:36   4725  12859   A   -0.7932  0.9914  45.2S  88.5W  37   49  00m46s
-----  12  3057 Sep 21  01:07:57   4867  13082   A   -0.8600  0.9842  55.0S 155.0E  30  109  01m17s

-----  13  3075 Oct 02  08:26:38   5010  13305   A   -0.9225  0.9765  65.0S  31.2E  22  219  01m44s
-----  14  3093 Oct 12  15:52:48   5155  13528   A   -0.9778  0.9678  73.6S 116.7W  11  592  02m06s
-----  15  3111 Oct 24  23:23:27   5303  13751   P   -1.0286  0.9241  71.4S  79.6E   0             
-----  16  3129 Nov 04  07:02:38   5452  13974   P   -1.0714  0.8469  70.6S  47.7W   0             
-----  17  3147 Nov 15  14:47:14   5604  14197   P   -1.1090  0.7797  69.7S 175.6W   0             
-----  18  3165 Nov 25  22:39:30   5758  14420   P   -1.1396  0.7254  68.7S  55.1E   0             
-----  19  3183 Dec 07  06:36:48   5913  14643   P   -1.1654  0.6801  67.6S  74.8W   0             
-----  20  3201 Dec 17  14:40:49   6071  14866   P   -1.1852  0.6456  66.5S 154.2E   0             
-----  21  3219 Dec 28  22:48:15   6231  15089   P   -1.2013  0.6176  65.4S  22.8E   0             
-----  22  3238 Jan 08  06:58:53   6393  15312   P   -1.2143  0.5952  64.4S 109.0W   0             

-----  23  3256 Jan 19  15:10:37   6557  15535   P   -1.2257  0.5757  63.5S 119.3E   0             
-----  24  3274 Jan 29  23:23:20   6723  15758   P   -1.2361  0.5580  62.8S  12.3W   0             
-----  25  3292 Feb 10  07:33:12   6892  15981   P   -1.2482  0.5377  62.1S 143.0W   0             
-----  26  3310 Feb 21  15:40:24   7062  16204   P   -1.2618  0.5147  61.6S  87.2E   0             
-----  27  3328 Mar 03  23:42:09   7234  16427   P   -1.2795  0.4849  61.3S  41.2W   0             
-----  28  3346 Mar 15  07:39:13   7409  16650   P   -1.3006  0.4495  61.1S 168.3W   0             
-----  29  3364 Mar 25  15:26:47   7585  16873   P   -1.3287  0.4019  61.1S  66.9E   0             
-----  30  3382 Apr 05  23:07:52   7764  17096   P   -1.3616  0.3464  61.3S  56.2W   0             
-----  31  3400 Apr 17  06:38:31   7944  17319   P   -1.4020  0.2777  61.7S 176.8W   0             
-----  32  3418 Apr 28  14:01:32   8127  17542   P   -1.4481  0.1994  62.2S  64.4E   0             

-----  33  3436 May 08  21:13:13   8312  17765   P   -1.5026  0.1065  62.8S  51.7W   0             
-----  34  3454 May 20  04:17:52   8499  17988   Pe  -1.5619  0.0051  63.5S 166.3W   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)"


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Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Periodicity of Solar Eclipses

Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses

2009 Sep 26