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 176 all occur at the Moon’s descending node and the Moon moves northward with each eclipse. The series will begin with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 2608 Jun 04. The series will end with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 3870 Jul 12. The total duration of Saros series 176 is 1262.11 years. In summary:
First Eclipse = 2608 Jun 04 23:55:35 TD Last Eclipse = 3870 Jul 12 06:29:59 TD Duration of Saros 176 = 1262.11 Years
Saros 176 is composed of 71 solar eclipses as follows:
| Solar Eclipses of Saros 176 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 71 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 16 | 22.5% |
| Annular | A | 10 | 14.1% |
| Total | T | 43 | 60.6% |
| Hybrid[3] | H | 2 | 2.8% |
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 176 appears in the following table.
| Umbral Eclipses of Saros 176 | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Umbral Eclipses | 55 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 53 | 96.4% |
| Central (one limit) | 1 | 1.8% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 1 | 1.8% |
The following string illustrates the sequence of the 71 eclipses in Saros 176: 7P 43T 2H 10A 9P
The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 176 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.
| Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 176 | |||
| Extrema Type | Date | Duration | Magnitude |
| Longest Annular Solar Eclipse | 3690 Mar 24 | 01m51s | - |
| Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse | 3545 Dec 27 | 00m21s | - |
| Longest Total Solar Eclipse | 3221 Jun 12 | 06m40s | - |
| Shortest Total Solar Eclipse | 3491 Nov 24 | 01m11s | - |
| Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | 3509 Dec 05 | 00m39s | - |
| Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | 3527 Dec 16 | 00m07s | - |
| Largest Partial Solar Eclipse | 3726 Apr 15 | - | 0.91529 |
| Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse | 2608 Jun 04 | - | 0.02939 |
The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 176. 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 176.
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
10945 -36 2608 Jun 04 23:55:35 1964 7525 Pb -1.5249 0.0294 67.5S 168.1W 0
10986 -35 2626 Jun 16 07:13:26 2055 7748 P -1.4523 0.1621 66.5S 72.1E 0
11026 -34 2644 Jun 26 14:29:01 2149 7971 P -1.3767 0.3016 65.5S 46.7W 0
11066 -33 2662 Jul 07 21:43:23 2245 8194 P -1.2992 0.4460 64.6S 164.8W 0
11107 -32 2680 Jul 18 04:58:41 2343 8417 P -1.2212 0.5923 63.7S 77.3E 0
11149 -31 2698 Jul 29 12:15:55 2443 8640 P -1.1437 0.7385 63.0S 40.9W 0
11191 -30 2716 Aug 09 19:35:30 2545 8863 P -1.0674 0.8829 62.3S 159.5W 0
11233 -29 2734 Aug 21 02:59:13 2649 9086 Ts -0.9937 1.0332 59.4S 89.8E 5 - 02m08s
11276 -28 2752 Aug 31 10:28:18 2755 9309 T -0.9236 1.0394 49.4S 6.1W 22 339 02m46s
11321 -27 2770 Sep 11 18:04:10 2864 9532 T -0.8583 1.0422 45.8S 115.7W 31 269 03m00s
11366 -26 2788 Sep 22 01:45:51 2974 9755 T -0.7971 1.0439 44.4S 131.7E 37 238 03m08s
11411 -25 2806 Oct 03 09:36:12 3086 9978 T -0.7426 1.0447 44.5S 16.3E 42 219 03m10s
11456 -24 2824 Oct 13 17:34:17 3201 10201 T -0.6942 1.0449 45.7S 101.0W 46 205 03m10s
11501 -23 2842 Oct 25 01:41:24 3317 10424 T -0.6527 1.0447 47.5S 139.8E 49 195 03m09s
11547 -22 2860 Nov 04 09:55:28 3436 10647 T -0.6168 1.0441 49.6S 19.3E 52 186 03m07s
11593 -21 2878 Nov 15 18:18:28 3557 10870 T -0.5879 1.0435 51.7S 102.6W 54 179 03m04s
11640 -20 2896 Nov 26 02:48:19 3680 11093 T -0.5647 1.0427 53.6S 134.7E 55 173 03m02s
11687 -19 2914 Dec 08 11:24:42 3805 11316 T -0.5469 1.0422 55.0S 11.2E 57 169 03m02s
11732 -18 2932 Dec 18 20:06:44 3931 11539 T -0.5336 1.0418 55.4S 113.0W 57 166 03m01s
11776 -17 2950 Dec 30 04:53:21 4060 11762 T -0.5243 1.0417 54.9S 121.7E 58 164 03m03s
11820 -16 2969 Jan 09 13:43:10 4192 11985 T -0.5176 1.0420 53.3S 4.9W 59 164 03m06s
11864 -15 2987 Jan 20 22:33:24 4325 12208 T -0.5111 1.0427 50.6S 132.7W 59 166 03m13s
----- -14 3005 Feb 01 07:24:50 4460 12431 T -0.5057 1.0439 47.1S 97.9E 59 170 03m21s
----- -13 3023 Feb 12 16:14:22 4597 12654 T -0.4990 1.0455 42.9S 32.4W 60 175 03m32s
----- -12 3041 Feb 23 01:01:12 4737 12877 T -0.4898 1.0475 38.2S 163.1W 60 181 03m47s
----- -11 3059 Mar 06 09:43:13 4878 13100 T -0.4765 1.0499 33.0S 66.5E 61 188 04m04s
----- -10 3077 Mar 16 18:20:47 5022 13323 T -0.4596 1.0526 27.6S 63.4W 62 195 04m24s
----- -09 3095 Mar 28 02:51:53 5167 13546 T -0.4371 1.0555 21.9S 167.8E 64 203 04m47s
----- -08 3113 Apr 08 11:15:45 5315 13769 T -0.4088 1.0585 16.1S 40.6E 66 210 05m11s
----- -07 3131 Apr 19 19:32:35 5465 13992 T -0.3744 1.0616 10.2S 84.9W 68 217 05m35s
----- -06 3149 Apr 30 03:41:55 5616 14215 T -0.3337 1.0645 4.3S 151.6E 70 223 05m58s
----- -05 3167 May 11 11:43:44 5770 14438 T -0.2868 1.0672 1.4N 30.3E 73 229 06m18s
----- -04 3185 May 21 19:38:05 5926 14661 T -0.2338 1.0694 6.9N 88.8W 77 232 06m32s
----- -03 3203 Jun 02 03:26:13 6084 14884 T -0.1756 1.0713 12.1N 154.2E 80 235 06m40s
----- -02 3221 Jun 12 11:08:26 6244 15107 T -0.1125 1.0724 16.7N 39.3E 84 237 06m40s
----- -01 3239 Jun 23 18:44:34 6406 15330 Tm -0.0445 1.0730 20.8N 73.5W 88 237 06m34s
----- 00 3257 Jul 04 02:17:24 6571 15553 T 0.0260 1.0728 24.2N 175.2E 88 237 06m22s
----- 01 3275 Jul 15 09:46:23 6737 15776 T 0.0997 1.0719 26.8N 65.5E 84 235 06m05s
----- 02 3293 Jul 25 17:14:44 6905 15999 T 0.1736 1.0701 28.5N 43.8W 80 232 05m46s
----- 03 3311 Aug 07 00:40:32 7076 16222 T 0.2492 1.0676 29.6N 152.2W 75 228 05m26s
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
----- 04 3329 Aug 17 08:08:47 7248 16445 T 0.3225 1.0643 29.9N 98.8E 71 222 05m04s
----- 05 3347 Aug 28 15:37:09 7423 16668 T 0.3954 1.0602 29.8N 10.5W 67 214 04m43s
----- 06 3365 Sep 07 23:09:08 7600 16891 T 0.4647 1.0556 29.4N 121.0W 62 205 04m21s
----- 07 3383 Sep 19 06:43:36 7778 17114 T 0.5314 1.0503 29.0N 127.4E 58 194 03m58s
----- 08 3401 Sep 30 14:24:12 7959 17337 T 0.5924 1.0445 28.6N 13.8E 54 181 03m35s
----- 09 3419 Oct 11 22:09:26 8142 17560 T 0.6490 1.0384 28.5N 101.4W 49 166 03m09s
----- 10 3437 Oct 22 06:00:44 8327 17783 T 0.6999 1.0320 28.8N 141.4E 45 148 02m42s
----- 11 3455 Nov 02 13:58:22 8514 18006 T 0.7449 1.0256 29.5N 22.0E 42 128 02m13s
----- 12 3473 Nov 12 22:03:21 8703 18229 T 0.7827 1.0192 30.6N 99.8W 38 104 01m43s
----- 13 3491 Nov 24 06:14:27 8894 18452 T 0.8153 1.0129 32.2N 136.2E 35 76 01m11s
----- 14 3509 Dec 05 14:31:38 9087 18675 H 0.8419 1.0069 34.1N 10.2E 32 44 00m39s
----- 15 3527 Dec 16 22:54:31 9283 18898 H 0.8634 1.0013 36.3N 117.8W 30 9 00m07s
----- 16 3545 Dec 27 07:22:46 9480 19121 A 0.8797 0.9962 38.7N 112.3E 28 28 00m21s
----- 17 3564 Jan 07 15:53:54 9680 19344 A 0.8930 0.9917 41.3N 18.8W 26 65 00m46s
----- 18 3582 Jan 18 00:28:30 9881 19567 A 0.9029 0.9877 44.1N 151.1W 25 102 01m07s
----- 19 3600 Jan 29 09:03:39 10085 19790 A 0.9118 0.9842 47.2N 76.0E 24 137 01m24s
----- 20 3618 Feb 08 17:39:17 10290 20013 A 0.9198 0.9813 50.6N 57.4W 23 170 01m35s
----- 21 3636 Feb 20 02:11:09 10498 20236 A 0.9304 0.9788 54.8N 169.3E 21 207 01m44s
----- 22 3654 Mar 02 10:41:11 10708 20459 A 0.9419 0.9767 59.3N 35.1E 19 250 01m48s
----- 23 3672 Mar 12 19:05:03 10920 20682 A 0.9577 0.9747 64.6N 100.6W 16 321 01m50s
----- 24 3690 Mar 24 03:23:13 11134 20905 A 0.9777 0.9726 70.2N 116.6E 11 497 01m51s
----- 25 3708 Apr 04 11:32:40 11350 21128 A+ 1.0042 0.9715 72.2N 54.0W 0
----- 26 3726 Apr 15 19:35:03 11568 21351 P 1.0359 0.9153 71.7N 172.3E 0
----- 27 3744 Apr 26 03:27:43 11788 21574 P 1.0746 0.8466 71.0N 41.7E 0
----- 28 3762 May 07 11:10:54 12010 21797 P 1.1202 0.7657 70.2N 85.9W 0
----- 29 3780 May 17 18:44:41 12235 22020 P 1.1727 0.6728 69.2N 149.6E 0
----- 30 3798 May 29 02:09:38 12461 22243 P 1.2317 0.5683 68.2N 27.8E 0
----- 31 3816 Jun 09 09:25:38 12690 22466 P 1.2968 0.4530 67.1N 91.1W 0
----- 32 3834 Jun 20 16:33:34 12920 22689 P 1.3675 0.3280 66.1N 152.5E 0
----- 33 3852 Jun 30 23:34:40 13153 22912 P 1.4427 0.1955 65.2N 38.2E 0
----- 34 3870 Jul 12 06:29:59 13387 23135 Pe 1.5216 0.0569 64.3N 74.3W 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)"
