Google Maps and Solar Eclipse Paths: 1981 - 2000

Fred Espenak

The table below is a concise summary of all total, annular and hybrid solar eclipses from 1981 through 2000 (excluding partial eclipses). The links in the table provide additional information and graphics for each eclipse. In particular, the Eclipse Type (third column) links to dynamic maps showing the central path of eclipses across Earth's surface. These interactive maps utilize NASA eclipse path predictions and the plotting capabilities of Google Maps. The northern and southern limits of each eclipse path are plotted in blue while the central line is red. The yellow lines plotted across the path indicate the position of maximum eclipse at 10-minute intervals. You can zoom into the map and turn the satellite view on or off. When you click on a position, the eclipse times and circumstances at that location are calculated and displayed.

The first column in the table gives the Calendar Date of the instant of greatest eclipse[1]. This links to an orthographic projection map of Earth showing the region of visibility for an eclipse. The path of the Moon's penumbral shadow (cyan and magenta) covers the region of partial eclipse. The track of the umbral/antumbral shadow (blue/red) defines the path of total or annular eclipse. These figures are described in greater detail in the Key to Solar Eclipse Maps. Each figure is stored as a gif of approximately 60 kilobytes.

The second column TD of Greatest Eclipse is the Terrestrial Dynamical Time when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center. Animations of the Moon's penumbral and umbral shadows across Earth are accessed by clicking the this link. Each animated GIF file is from 40 KB to 175 KB in size.

The Eclipse Type (column 3) is either Total, Annular or Hybrid[2]. The link opens a window with the central eclipse path plotted on an interactive Google Map.

The Central Eclipse Class (column 4) indicates whether an eclipse is central or non-central. The parameters N and S identify paths that have no northern or southern limit, respectively. The link opens a table containing the central path coordinates.

Eclipses recur over the Saros cycle, a period of approximately 18 years 11 days. The Saros series that an eclipse belongs to is found in column 5. All eclipses in a particular Saros series can be viewed in a table via the Saros number link.

The parameter Gamma (column 6) is the perpendicular distance of the Moon's shadow axis and Earth's center at greatest eclipse. The link opens a table containing the Besselian elements for the eclipse.

The Eclipse Magnitude[3] (column 7) gives the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured at the instant of greatest eclipse. The Path Width (column 8) gives the width of the central eclipse path (in kilometers) at the instant of greatest eclipse. The Central Duration[4] (column 9) gives the length of the eclipse as seen from the central line at greatest eclipse.

The Key to Solar Eclipse Path Tables contains a more detailed description of each item in the table.

For more data on solar eclipses during this period, see Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1901 to 2000 .

Solar Eclipse Paths: 1981 - 2000
Calendar Date TD of Greatest Eclipse Eclipse Type Central Eclipse Class Saros Series Gamma Eclipse Magnitude Path Width (km) Central Duration
(Link to Global Map) (Link to Animation) (Link to Google Map) (Link to Path Table) (Link to Saros) (Link to Besselian Elements)
1981 Feb 04 22:09:24 Annular central 140 -0.4838 0.994 25.0 00m33s
1981 Jul 31 03:46:37 Total central 145 0.5792 1.026 107.8 02m02s
1983 Jun 11 04:43:33 Total central 127 -0.4947 1.052 199.1 05m11s
1983 Dec 04 12:31:15 Annular central 132 0.4015 0.967 131.2 04m01s
1984 May 30 16:45:41 Annular central 137 0.2755 0.998 7.2 00m11s
1984 Nov 22 22:54:17 Total central 142 -0.3132 1.024 84.8 02m00s
1985 Nov 12 14:11:27 Total central 152 -0.9795 1.039 690.1 01m59s
1986 Oct 03 19:06:15 Hybrid central 124 0.9931 1.000 0.7 00m00s
1987 Mar 29 12:49:47 Hybrid central 129 -0.3053 1.001 4.8 00m08s
1987 Sep 23 03:12:22 Annular central 134 0.2787 0.963 137.2 03m49s
1988 Mar 18 01:58:56 Total central 139 0.4188 1.046 168.6 03m46s
1988 Sep 11 04:44:29 Annular central 144 -0.4681 0.938 257.7 06m57s
1990 Jan 26 19:31:24 Annular central 121 -0.9457 0.967 372.8 02m03s
1990 Jul 22 03:03:07 Total central 126 0.7597 1.039 201.4 02m33s
1991 Jan 15 23:53:51 Annular central 131 -0.2727 0.9290 276.6 07m53s
1991 Jul 11 19:07:01 Total central 136 -0.0041 1.0800 258.0 06m53s
1992 Jan 04 23:05:37 Annular central 141 0.4091 0.9179 340.4 11m41s
1992 Jun 30 12:11:22 Total central 146 -0.7512 1.0592 294.0 05m21s
1994 May 10 17:12:27 Annular central 128 0.4077 0.9431 230.1 06m13s
1994 Nov 03 13:40:06 Total central 133 -0.3522 1.0535 189.0 04m23s
1995 Apr 29 17:33:21 Annular central 138 -0.3382 0.9497 195.5 06m37s
1995 Oct 24 04:33:30 Total central 143 0.3518 1.0213 77.6 02m10s
1997 Mar 09 01:24:51 Total central 120 0.9183 1.0420 356.1 02m50s
1998 Feb 26 17:29:27 Total central 130 0.2391 1.0441 151.3 04m09s
1998 Aug 22 02:07:11 Annular central 135 -0.2644 0.9734 98.7 03m14s
1999 Feb 16 06:34:38 Annular central 140 -0.4726 0.9928 28.8 00m40s
1999 Aug 11 11:04:09 Total central 145 0.5062 1.0286 112.3 02m23s

Central Eclipse Class abbreviations (used above):
N = no northern limit, S = no southern limit, AT = annular-total hybrid, TA = total-annular hybrid


[1] Greatest Eclipse is the instant when the distance between the Moon's shadow axis and Earth's center reaches a minimum.

[2] Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular/total eclipses. Such an eclipse is both total and annular along different sections of its umbral path.

[3] Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured by the Moon. For annular eclipses, the eclipse magnitude is always less than 1. For total eclipses, the eclipse magnitude is always greater than or equal to 1. For both annular and total eclipses, the value listed is actually the ratio of diameters between the Moon and the Sun.

[4] Central Duration is the duration of a total or annular eclipse at greatest eclipse. This is the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center.


Twenty Year Solar Eclipse Path Tables (w/Google Maps)

Each of the following links displays a table containing 20 years of total, annular and hybrid eclipses. Each eclipse offers links to a global map, shadow animation, interactive Google map, path coordinates table, and saros table.

Twenty Year Solar Eclipse Path Tables (w/Google Maps)
Years
1901-1920 1921-1940 1941-1960 1961-1980 1981-2000
2001-2020 2021-2040 2041-2060 2061-2080 2081-2100

Decade Tables of Solar Eclipses

Each link in the following table displays a page containing 10 years of eclipses. Every eclipse has links of global maps, interactive Google maps, animations, path coordinate tables, and saros tables.

Decade Tables of Solar Eclipses
Decades
1901-1910 1911-1920 1921-1930 1931-1940 1941-1950
1951-1960 1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000
2001-2010 2011-2020 2021-2030 2031-2040 2041-2050
2051-2060 2061-2070 2071-2080 2081-2090 2091-2100

Maps of Solar Eclipse Paths

Solar Eclipse Catalogs

Reproduction of Eclipse Data

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:

Fifty Year Canon of Solar Eclipses: 1986 - 2035
and
Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE)

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

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC"

For more information, see: NASA Copyright Information

2013 Dec 09