Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series

Saros Series 177

The periodicity and recurrence of lunar (and 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 15 centuries and contains 70 or more lunar eclipses.

Lunar eclipses of Saros 177 all occur at the Moon’s descending node and the Moon moves northward with each eclipse. The series will begin with a penumbral eclipse near the southern edge of the penumbra on 2704 Oct 05. The series will end with a penumbral eclipse near the northern edge of the penumbra on 4002 Dec 03. The total duration of Saros series 177 is 1298.17 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =  2704 Oct 05   11:58:46 TD
                       Last Eclipse =  4002 Dec 03   06:35:37 TD

                      Duration of Saros 177  =  1298.17 Years

Saros 177 is composed of 73 lunar eclipses as follows:

Lunar Eclipses of Saros 177
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 73100.0%
PenumbralN 31 42.5%
PartialP 14 19.2%
TotalT 28 38.4%

The 73 lunar eclipses in Saros 177 occur in the order of 21N 8P 28T 6P 10N which corresponds to:

                                    21  Penumbral
                                     8  Partial
                                    28  Total
                                     6  Partial
                                    10  Penumbral

The longest and shortest eclipses of Saros 177 are as follows.

            Longest  Total  Lunar Eclipse:    3389 Nov 25      Duration = 01h39m45s
           Shortest  Total  Lunar Eclipse:    3714 Jun 11      Duration = 00h14m22s

            Longest Partial Lunar Eclipse:    3732 Jun 21      Duration = 03h12m13s
           Shortest Partial Lunar Eclipse:    3083 May 23      Duration = 00h50m38s

          Longest Penumbral Lunar Eclipse:    3840 Aug 26      Duration = 04h34m40s
         Shortest Penumbral Lunar Eclipse:    2704 Oct 05      Duration = 01h03m50s

The largest and smallest magnitude partial eclipses of Saros 177 are:

            Largest Partial Lunar Eclipse:    3209 Aug 08      Magnitude = 0.9281
           Smallest Partial Lunar Eclipse:    3083 May 23      Magnitude = 0.0549

Local circumstances at greatest eclipse[2] for every lunar eclipse of Saros 177 are presented in the following catalog. For eclipses occurring between the years -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE), the sequence number in the first column links to a eclipse geometry diagram and a map from Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000. A detailed key and additional information about the catalog can be found at: Key to Catalog of Lunar Eclipse Saros Series.



Catalog of Lunar Eclipses in Saros 177

                          TD of                                                          Phase
Seq. Rel.    Calendar   Greatest          Luna  Ecl.               Pen.    Um.    ---- Durations ---- 
Num. Num.      Date      Eclipse     ΔT    Num  Type QSE  Gamma    Mag.    Mag.    Pen.   Par.  Total
                                      s                                              m      m      m

 01  -38   2704 Oct 05  11:58:46   2478   8716   Nb  a-  -1.5219  0.0542 -0.9236   63.8    -      -  
 02  -37   2722 Oct 16  19:56:04   2580   8939   N   a-  -1.4756  0.1393 -0.8388  101.4    -      -  
 03  -36   2740 Oct 27  04:01:09   2685   9162   N   a-  -1.4349  0.2142 -0.7644  124.5    -      -  
 04  -35   2758 Nov 07  12:15:27   2792   9385   N   a-  -1.4012  0.2763 -0.7029  140.3    -      -  
 05  -34   2776 Nov 17  20:37:54   2901   9608   N   a-  -1.3735  0.3274 -0.6523  151.7    -      -  
 06  -33   2794 Nov 29  05:08:06   3012   9831   N   a-  -1.3518  0.3675 -0.6126  159.8    -      -  
 07  -32   2812 Dec 09  13:44:30   3125  10054   N   a-  -1.3347  0.3989 -0.5815  165.7    -      -  
 08  -31   2830 Dec 20  22:26:34   3241  10277   N   a-  -1.3219  0.4223 -0.5579  169.8    -      -  
 09  -30   2848 Dec 31  07:13:15   3358  10500   N   a-  -1.3127  0.4391 -0.5407  172.6    -      -  
 10  -29   2867 Jan 11  16:01:40   3477  10723   N   a-  -1.3045  0.4537 -0.5252  174.9    -      -  

 11  -28   2885 Jan 22  00:52:23   3599  10946   N   a-  -1.2981  0.4648 -0.5128  176.6    -      -  
 12  -27   2903 Feb 03  09:41:43   3722  11169   N   a-  -1.2903  0.4781 -0.4977  178.6    -      -  
 13  -26   2921 Feb 13  18:30:10   3848  11392   N   a-  -1.2821  0.4921 -0.4816  180.7    -      -  
 14  -25   2939 Feb 25  03:13:32   3975  11615   N   a-  -1.2696  0.5137 -0.4575  183.9    -      -  
 15  -24   2957 Mar 07  11:54:01   4105  11838   N   a-  -1.2550  0.5392 -0.4292  187.7    -      -  
 16  -23   2975 Mar 18  20:27:49   4237  12061   N   a-  -1.2347  0.5749 -0.3904  192.9    -      -  
 17  -22   2993 Mar 29  04:55:44   4371  12284   N   a-  -1.2097  0.6191 -0.3431  199.0    -      -  
 18  -21   3011 Apr 10  13:15:44   4507  12507   N   a-  -1.1785  0.6747 -0.2842  206.4    -      -  
 19  -20   3029 Apr 20  21:29:36   4645  12730   N   a-  -1.1423  0.7396 -0.2162  214.4    -      -  
 20  -19   3047 May 02  05:35:38   4785  12953   N   a-  -1.0996  0.8165 -0.1364  223.3    -      -  

 21  -18   3065 May 12  13:34:24   4927  13176   N   a-  -1.0509  0.9045 -0.0456  232.8    -      -  
 22  -17   3083 May 23  21:26:36   5071  13399   P   a-  -0.9967  1.0026  0.0549  242.4   50.6    -  
 23  -16   3101 Jun 04  05:13:08   5218  13622   P   a-  -0.9381  1.1092  0.1634  252.0   86.1    -  
 24  -15   3119 Jun 15  12:53:40   5366  13845   P   a-  -0.8745  1.2252  0.2808  261.5  111.1    -  
 25  -14   3137 Jun 25  20:30:09   5516  14068   P   a-  -0.8075  1.3478  0.4044  270.5  131.0    -  
 26  -13   3155 Jul 07  04:02:50   5669  14291   P   a-  -0.7375  1.4760  0.5329  279.0  147.6    -  
 27  -12   3173 Jul 17  11:34:10   5823  14514   P   a-  -0.6666  1.6062  0.6628  286.8  161.4    -  
 28  -11   3191 Jul 28  19:02:11   5980  14737   P   a-  -0.5932  1.7414  0.7971  293.9  173.3    -  
 29  -10   3209 Aug 08  02:31:46   6139  14960   P   a-  -0.5214  1.8739  0.9281  300.2  183.0    -  
 30  -09   3227 Aug 19  10:00:55   6300  15183   T   a-  -0.4497  2.0066  1.0586  305.7  191.1   35.7

 31  -08   3245 Aug 29  17:33:52   6462  15406   T   p-  -0.3813  2.1333  1.1826  310.4  197.6   60.8
 32  -07   3263 Sep 10  01:08:06   6627  15629   T   p-  -0.3146  2.2575  1.3035  314.4  202.8   75.4
 33  -06   3281 Sep 20  08:48:45   6794  15852   T-  p-  -0.2537  2.3712  1.4135  317.7  206.7   84.7
 34  -05   3299 Oct 01  16:33:12   6964  16075   T-  p-  -0.1964  2.4784  1.5165  320.4  209.6   91.0
 35  -04   3317 Oct 13  00:24:15   7135  16298   T-  pp  -0.1449  2.5751  1.6087  322.6  211.7   95.1
 36  -03   3335 Oct 24  08:20:48   7308  16521   T-  pp  -0.0984  2.6628  1.6916  324.5  213.1   97.6
 37  -02   3353 Nov 03  16:25:26   7483  16744   T-  pp  -0.0589  2.7378  1.7617  326.1  214.1   99.0
 38  -01   3371 Nov 15  00:36:18   7661  16967   T-  pp  -0.0253  2.8019  1.8208  327.5  214.7   99.6
 39   00   3389 Nov 25  08:53:37   7840  17190   T+  pp   0.0026  2.8460  1.8601  328.7  215.1   99.8
 40   01   3407 Dec 07  17:17:33   8022  17413   T+  pp   0.0245  2.8083  1.8175  329.9  215.3   99.6


Catalog of Lunar Eclipses in Saros 177

                          TD of                                                          Phase
Seq. Rel.    Calendar   Greatest          Luna  Ecl.               Pen.    Um.    ---- Durations ---- 
Num. Num.      Date      Eclipse     ΔT    Num  Type QSE  Gamma    Mag.    Mag.    Pen.   Par.  Total
                                      s                                              m      m      m

 41   02   3425 Dec 18  01:47:27   8205  17636   T+  pp   0.0415  2.7794  1.7843  331.0  215.6   99.4
 42   03   3443 Dec 29  10:21:37   8391  17859   T+  -p   0.0541  2.7584  1.7591  332.2  215.8   99.2
 43   04   3462 Jan 08  18:58:51   8579  18082   T+  -p   0.0638  2.7425  1.7394  333.3  216.1   99.0
 44   05   3480 Jan 20  03:38:21   8768  18305   T+  -p   0.0709  2.7310  1.7246  334.4  216.5   98.8
 45   06   3498 Jan 30  12:18:42   8960  18528   T+  -p   0.0771  2.7211  1.7119  335.4  216.8   98.8
 46   07   3516 Feb 11  20:57:17   9154  18751   T+  -p   0.0842  2.7093  1.6979  336.5  217.2   98.6
 47   08   3534 Feb 22  05:34:07   9350  18974   T+  -p   0.0923  2.6953  1.6820  337.4  217.6   98.5
 48   09   3552 Mar 04  14:06:26   9548  19197   T+  -p   0.1035  2.6755  1.6608  338.4  217.9   98.2
 49   10   3570 Mar 15  22:33:47   9749  19420   T+  -p   0.1183  2.6488  1.6332  339.2  218.1   97.6
 50   11   3588 Mar 26  06:53:37   9951  19643   T+  -p   0.1388  2.6114  1.5952  339.9  218.1   96.5

 51   12   3606 Apr 06  15:06:51  10155  19866   T+  -p   0.1643  2.5649  1.5483  340.4  217.9   94.9
 52   13   3624 Apr 16  23:11:27  10361  20089   T+  -p   0.1964  2.5061  1.4892  340.6  217.3   92.2
 53   14   3642 Apr 28  07:06:51  10570  20312   T+  -p   0.2354  2.4346  1.4175  340.4  216.1   87.9
 54   15   3660 May 08  14:53:14  10780  20535   T   -p   0.2811  2.3510  1.3336  339.9  214.1   81.3
 55   16   3678 May 19  22:30:27  10993  20758   T   -a   0.3335  2.2550  1.2372  338.6  211.0   71.2
 56   17   3696 May 30  05:59:22  11208  20981   T   -a   0.3922  2.1477  1.1292  336.7  206.6   54.6
 57   18   3714 Jun 11  13:18:34  11424  21204   T   -a   0.4579  2.0275  1.0083  333.7  200.4   14.4
 58   19   3732 Jun 21  20:31:23  11643  21427   P   -h   0.5278  1.8998  0.8793  329.7  192.2    -  
 59   20   3750 Jul 03  03:36:38  11864  21650   P   -h   0.6027  1.7632  0.7411  324.5  181.3    -  
 60   21   3768 Jul 13  10:36:47  12087  21873   P   -t   0.6808  1.6210  0.5968  317.8  167.2    -  

 61   22   3786 Jul 24  17:31:40  12312  22096   P   -t   0.7623  1.4728  0.4460  309.5  148.5    -  
 62   23   3804 Aug 05  00:24:18  12539  22319   P   -t   0.8443  1.3237  0.2940  299.7  123.7    -  
 63   24   3822 Aug 16  07:14:53  12769  22542   P   -t   0.9268  1.1740  0.1409  288.1   87.8    -  
 64   25   3840 Aug 26  14:04:24  13000  22765   Nx  -t   1.0091  1.0250 -0.0120  274.7    -      -  
 65   26   3858 Sep 06  20:55:27  13233  22988   N   -t   1.0890  0.8806 -0.1607  259.5    -      -  
 66   27   3876 Sep 17  03:48:47  13468  23211   N   -t   1.1659  0.7418 -0.3042  242.5    -      -  
 67   28   3894 Sep 28  10:46:17  13706  23434   N   -t   1.2386  0.6109 -0.4400  223.7    -      -  
 68   29   3912 Oct 09  17:47:52  13945  23657   N   -t   1.3069  0.4881 -0.5679  203.1    -      -  
 69   30   3930 Oct 21  00:56:06  14187  23880   N   -t   1.3689  0.3770 -0.6843  181.1    -      -  
 70   31   3948 Oct 31  08:10:27  14431  24103   N   -t   1.4252  0.2766 -0.7902  157.1    -      -  

 71   32   3966 Nov 11  15:31:21  14677  24326   N   -t   1.4753  0.1871 -0.8849  130.7    -      -  
 72   33   3984 Nov 21  22:59:54  14924  24549   N   -t   1.5188  0.1101 -0.9672  101.3    -      -  
 73   34   4002 Dec 03  06:35:37  15174  24772   N   -t   1.5559  0.0444 -1.0377   64.9    -      -  


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]Greatest eclipse is defined as the instant when Moon passes closest to the axis of Earth's shadow.


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.


Acknowledgments

The Besselian elements used in the predictions were kindly provided by Jean Meeus. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Some of the information presented on this web site is based on data originally published in Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 and Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.

Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)"


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2009 Sep 29