Eclipses of the Sun can only occur during the New Moon phase. It is then possible for the Moon's penumbral, umbral or antumbral shadows to sweep across Earth's surface thereby producing an eclipse. Not all New Moons result in a solar eclipse because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees to Earth's about the Sun. Consequently, the Moon's shadows miss Earth at most New Moon's. Nevertheless, there are 2 to 5 solar eclipses every calendar year. There are four types of solar eclipses: partial, annular, total and hybrid[1]. For more information, see Basic Solar Eclipse Geometry.
During the 10 century period -3999 to -3000 ( 4000 BCE to 3001 BCE[2]), Earth experienced 2387 solar eclipses. The following table shows the number of eclipses of each type over this period.
| Solar Eclipses: -3999 - -3000 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 2387 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 846 | 35.4% |
| Annular | A | 803 | 33.6% |
| Total | T | 634 | 26.6% |
| Hybrid | H | 104 | 4.4% |
Annular and total eclipses 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 during the 31st century BCE appears in the following three tables (no Hybrids are included since all are central with two limits).
| Annular and Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All | 1437 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 1411 | 98.2% |
| Central (one limit) | 16 | 1.1% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 10 | 0.7% |
| Annular Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Annular Eclipses | 803 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 787 | 98.0% |
| Central (one limit) | 11 | 1.4% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 5 | 0.6% |
| Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Total Eclipses | 634 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 624 | 98.4% |
| Central (one limit) | 5 | 0.8% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 5 | 0.8% |
The longest central[3] solar eclipses of this period are:
Longest Total Solar Eclipse: -3735 Apr 07 Duration = 07m12s
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse: -3124 Nov 24 Duration = 11m36s
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: -3011 May 11 Duration = 01m47s
Long Hybrid Solar Eclipses are relatively rare. The following catalog lists concise details and local circumstances for all Hybrid Solar Eclipses with durations exceeding 01m 00s. The Key to Catalog of Solar Eclipses contains a detailed description and explanation of each item listed in the catalog. For eclipses from -1999 to +3000, the Catalog Number in the first column serves as a link to a global map of Earth showing the geographic visibility of each eclipse. The date and time of the eclipse are given at the instant of greatest eclipse[4] in Terrestrial Dynamical Time. The Saros Number in the sixth column links to a table listing all eclipses in the Saros series. The Key to Solar Eclipse Maps explains the features plotted on each map.
The data presented here are based in part on the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.
TD of
Catalog Calendar Greatest Luna Saros Ecl. Ecl. Sun Sun Path Central
Number Date Eclipse ΔT Num Num Type Gamma Mag. Lat. Long. Alt Azm Width Dur.
s ° ° ° ° km
----- -3890 Aug 07 16:12:50 86400 -72843 -46 H3 -0.1909 1.0169 12.8N 65.7W 79 11 59 01m46s
----- -3880 Jan 22 09:07:58 86400 -72726 -60 H 0.4570 1.0114 3.0N 48.2E 63 184 44 01m15s
----- -3872 Aug 18 00:14:08 86400 -72620 -46 H -0.1631 1.0105 13.1N 174.4E 81 15 37 01m05s
----- -3731 Jul 20 19:06:07 86400 -70877 -43 H3 0.0502 1.0171 27.0N 108.8W 87 173 59 01m42s
----- -3713 Aug 01 02:49:12 86400 -70654 -43 H 0.0087 1.0103 24.5N 136.8E 89 178 36 01m04s
----- -3572 Jul 02 22:28:00 86400 -68911 -40 H3 0.0569 1.0166 26.0N 160.1W 87 177 57 01m41s
----- -3535 Jan 17 08:01:54 86400 -68459 -35 H 0.5778 1.0109 11.1N 59.0E 55 175 46 01m10s
----- -3413 Jun 16 02:07:25 84484 -66945 -37 H -0.1568 1.0152 10.9N 140.0E 81 340 53 01m33s
----- -3377 Dec 31 10:32:08 83308 -66493 -32 H -0.4095 1.0130 46.6S 2.5E 66 17 49 01m05s
----- -3254 May 29 06:04:59 79427 -64979 -34 H 0.2328 1.0123 28.0N 53.4E 76 165 44 01m13s
----- -3236 Dec 02 04:09:09 78848 -64750 -29 H 0.2367 1.0106 3.6S 88.1E 76 191 38 01m07s
----- -3218 Dec 13 12:42:04 78287 -64527 -29 H 0.2311 1.0155 6.8S 42.8W 77 188 55 01m38s
----- -3207 Nov 12 17:19:25 77948 -64392 -28 H -0.2128 1.0163 21.2S 122.1W 78 29 57 01m25s
----- -3189 Nov 24 02:03:11 77389 -64169 -28 H -0.2145 1.0146 25.5S 104.8E 77 27 51 01m17s
----- -3171 Dec 04 10:42:23 76833 -63946 -28 Hm -0.2129 1.0135 29.2S 26.6W 78 24 47 01m11s
----- -3153 Dec 15 19:15:46 76278 -63723 -28 H -0.2072 1.0127 32.0S 155.8W 78 20 45 01m09s
----- -3152 Jun 08 23:37:23 76264 -63717 -23 H 0.2278 1.0117 30.6N 134.6E 77 156 41 01m05s
----- -3135 Dec 26 03:41:59 75726 -63500 -28 H -0.1962 1.0124 33.7S 77.3E 79 15 43 01m08s
----- -3134 Jun 20 06:42:46 75711 -63494 -23 H 0.1559 1.0135 29.5N 28.4E 81 161 47 01m17s
----- -3131 Apr 19 20:26:12 75625 -63459 -31 H -0.1439 1.0157 6.2S 166.5W 82 330 54 01m28s
----- -3116 Jan 06 12:00:12 75176 -63277 -28 H -0.1795 1.0123 34.1S 47.1W 79 10 43 01m09s
----- -3116 Jun 30 13:56:55 75161 -63271 -23 H 0.0901 1.0149 27.9N 80.2W 85 166 51 01m27s
----- -3113 May 01 03:19:14 75075 -63236 -31 H -0.2252 1.0121 6.2S 89.0E 77 331 43 01m09s
----- -3098 Jan 16 20:08:18 74627 -63054 -28 H -0.1549 1.0124 33.1S 169.1W 81 5 43 01m11s
----- -3098 Jul 11 21:19:14 74613 -63048 -23 H 0.0302 1.0156 25.6N 168.7E 88 171 54 01m34s
----- -3095 Nov 03 21:11:18 74512 -63007 -26 H -0.0273 1.0119 8.5S 171.1E 88 28 41 01m04s
----- -3080 Jan 28 04:06:53 74081 -62831 -28 H -0.1233 1.0124 30.6S 70.9E 83 360 43 01m13s
----- -3080 Jul 22 04:52:22 74066 -62825 -23 H -0.0217 1.0161 22.9N 54.4E 89 355 55 01m39s
----- -3077 Nov 15 05:55:35 73966 -62784 -26 H -0.0292 1.0150 12.9S 37.4E 88 26 51 01m21s
----- -3066 Oct 15 10:19:27 73636 -62649 -25 Hm 0.0042 1.0142 1.2N 27.9W 90 198 49 01m24s
----- -3062 Feb 07 11:54:45 73537 -62608 -28 H -0.0837 1.0125 26.8S 47.2W 85 355 43 01m16s
----- -3062 Aug 02 12:35:25 73522 -62602 -23 H -0.0659 1.0161 19.7N 62.8W 86 0 55 01m41s
----- -3048 Oct 25 19:02:41 73094 -62426 -25 H 0.0068 1.0106 3.2S 161.5W 90 199 37 01m04s
----- -3044 Feb 18 19:33:13 72994 -62385 -28 H -0.0374 1.0123 21.8S 163.7W 88 352 42 01m16s
----- -3044 Aug 12 20:27:59 72980 -62379 -23 H -0.1028 1.0161 16.0N 177.1E 84 5 55 01m42s
----- -3029 May 01 13:54:25 72539 -62197 -20 H -0.3160 1.0127 12.0S 81.2W 72 342 46 01m20s
----- -3026 Mar 01 02:59:37 72454 -62162 -28 H 0.0180 1.0118 15.7S 81.8E 89 167 41 01m15s
----- -3026 Aug 24 04:31:07 72439 -62156 -23 H -0.1318 1.0159 12.0N 53.9E 83 8 55 01m40s
----- -3011 May 11 20:47:06 72000 -61974 -20 H2 -0.2350 1.0169 3.4S 170.5E 76 344 59 01m47s
----- -3008 Mar 11 10:18:11 71915 -61939 -28 H 0.0789 1.0109 8.8S 31.4W 86 165 38 01m10s
----- -3008 Sep 03 12:43:53 71901 -61933 -23 H -0.1533 1.0159 7.8N 71.9W 81 12 55 01m39s
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] Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular/total eclipses. Such an eclipse is both total and annular along different sections of its umbral path. (See: Five Millennium Catalog of Hybrid Solar Eclipses)
[2] The terms BCE and CE are abbreviations for "Before Common Era" and "Common Era," respectively. They are the secular equivalents to the BC and AD dating conventions. (See: Year Dating Conventions )
[3] 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).
[4] Greatest eclipse is defined as the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to the Earth's center. For total eclipses, the instant of greatest eclipse is virtually identical 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.
Special thanks to Dan McGlaun for extracting the individual eclipse maps from the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 for use in this catalog.
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 Solar 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)"
