Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 55

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 55

Solar eclipses of Saros 55 all occur at the Moon’s ascending node and the Moon moves southward with each eclipse. The series began with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on -1255 Jul 06. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 0043 Aug 23. The total duration of Saros series 55 is 1298.17 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =  -1255 Jul 06   01:56:11 TD
                       Last Eclipse =   0043 Aug 23   10:28:50 TD

                      Duration of Saros  55  =  1298.17 Years

Saros 55 is composed of 73 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 55
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 73100.0%
PartialP 32 43.8%
AnnularA 41 56.2%
TotalT 0 0.0%
Hybrid[3]H 0 0.0%

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 55 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 55
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 41100.0%
Central (two limits) 39 95.1%
Central (one limit) 0 0.0%
Non-Central (one limit) 2 4.9%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 73 eclipses in Saros 55: 24P 41A 8P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 55 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 55
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse -0426 Nov 1510m23s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse -0786 Apr 1301m43s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse -0840 Mar 11 - 0.88308
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse 0043 Aug 23 - 0.00907

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 55

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 55. 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 55.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 55

                         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

01772 -37 -1255 Jul 06  01:56:11  30095 -40253   Pb   1.5161  0.0296  65.7N 107.5E   0             
01818 -36 -1237 Jul 17  09:29:13  29742 -40030   P    1.4588  0.1408  66.6N  17.7W   0             
01863 -35 -1219 Jul 27  17:07:31  29392 -39807   P    1.4063  0.2420  67.6N 144.7W   0             
01908 -34 -1201 Aug 08  00:53:11  29044 -39584   P    1.3603  0.3301  68.6N  85.9E   0             
01953 -33 -1183 Aug 18  08:44:20  28698 -39361   P    1.3193  0.4077  69.5N  45.4W   0             
01999 -32 -1165 Aug 29  16:43:59  28354 -39138   P    1.2862  0.4700  70.3N 179.4W   0             
02045 -31 -1147 Sep 09  00:50:01  28012 -38915   P    1.2589  0.5206  71.0N  44.4E   0             
02091 -30 -1129 Sep 20  09:04:16  27673 -38692   P    1.2390  0.5572  71.4N  94.3W   0             
02136 -29 -1111 Sep 30  17:24:12  27335 -38469   P    1.2245  0.5834  71.6N 125.2E   0             
02179 -28 -1093 Oct 12  01:51:37  26999 -38246   P    1.2167  0.5973  71.6N  17.2W   0             

02222 -27 -1075 Oct 22  10:23:13  26666 -38023   P    1.2132  0.6032  71.3N 160.5W   0             
02265 -26 -1057 Nov 02  18:59:05  26334 -37800   P    1.2138  0.6016  70.7N  55.5E   0             
02308 -25 -1039 Nov 13  03:36:49  26005 -37577   P    1.2166  0.5962  70.0N  88.4W   0             
02352 -24 -1021 Nov 24  12:16:23  25677 -37354   P    1.2213  0.5876  69.1N 127.9E   0             
02394 -23 -1003 Dec 04  20:53:48  25352 -37131   P    1.2251  0.5807  68.0N  14.6W   0             
02435 -22 -0985 Dec 16  05:28:52  25029 -36908   P    1.2277  0.5761  67.0N 155.9W   0             
02476 -21 -0967 Dec 26  13:58:52  24708 -36685   P    1.2267  0.5777  65.9N  64.5E   0             
02517 -20 -0948 Jan 06  22:24:11  24389 -36462   P    1.2226  0.5850  64.9N  73.3W   0             
02558 -19 -0930 Jan 17  06:39:57  24072 -36239   P    1.2115  0.6049  63.9N 151.6E   0             
02598 -18 -0912 Jan 28  14:48:33  23757 -36016   P    1.1954  0.6336  63.1N  18.7E   0             

02638 -17 -0894 Feb 07  22:46:04  23444 -35793   P    1.1711  0.6769  62.3N 111.2W   0             
02679 -16 -0876 Feb 19  06:35:08  23133 -35570   P    1.1408  0.7308  61.7N 121.2E   0             
02720 -15 -0858 Mar 01  14:11:36  22824 -35347   P    1.1009  0.8017  61.2N   3.1W   0             
02760 -14 -0840 Mar 11  21:39:48  22518 -35124   P    1.0552  0.8831  60.9N 125.2W   0             
02800 -13 -0822 Mar 23  04:56:24  22213 -34901   A+   1.0009  0.9795  60.7N 115.6E   0             
02841 -12 -0804 Apr 02  12:04:22  21911 -34678   A    0.9403  0.9759  56.4N  35.5E  19  250  01m44s
02882 -11 -0786 Apr 13  19:02:34  21610 -34455   A    0.8723  0.9772  54.5N  61.4W  29  163  01m43s
02923 -10 -0768 Apr 24  01:54:31  21312 -34232   A    0.8001  0.9776  53.7N 158.8W  37  131  01m44s
02964 -09 -0750 May 05  08:39:48  21015 -34009   A    0.7229  0.9772  53.2N 105.1E  43  116  01m49s
03006 -08 -0732 May 15  15:19:45  20721 -33786   A    0.6419  0.9761  52.4N  10.5E  50  110  01m59s

03050 -07 -0714 May 26  21:56:48  20429 -33563   A    0.5594  0.9743  51.1N  83.4W  56  110  02m14s
03095 -06 -0696 Jun 06  04:32:00  20139 -33340   A    0.4761  0.9720  49.0N 177.3W  61  114  02m35s
03140 -05 -0678 Jun 17  11:07:03  19851 -33117   A    0.3932  0.9691  46.0N  87.9E  67  121  03m02s
03185 -04 -0660 Jun 27  17:42:34  19565 -32894   A    0.3114  0.9656  42.0N   8.0W  72  131  03m35s
03230 -03 -0642 Jul 09  00:21:38  19281 -32671   A    0.2331  0.9618  37.2N 106.1W  76  143  04m14s
03276 -02 -0624 Jul 19  07:04:44  18999 -32448   A    0.1591  0.9575  31.8N 153.6E  81  157  04m59s
03322 -01 -0606 Jul 30  13:52:42  18720 -32225   Am   0.0900  0.9530  25.9N  51.0E  85  172  05m46s
03369  00 -0588 Aug 09  20:47:36  18442 -32002   A    0.0271  0.9484  19.7N  54.0W  88  190  06m34s
03417  01 -0570 Aug 21  03:50:19  18167 -31779   A   -0.0286  0.9437  13.3N 161.7W  88  208  07m18s
03463  02 -0552 Aug 31  11:01:31  17893 -31556   A   -0.0767  0.9391   7.0N  88.2E  86  227  07m59s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 55

                         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

03508  03 -0534 Sep 11  18:20:12  17622 -31333   A   -0.1181  0.9346   0.6N  24.0W  83  245  08m34s
03553  04 -0516 Sep 22  01:47:59  17352 -31110   A   -0.1513  0.9305   5.5S 138.5W  81  263  09m04s
03598  05 -0498 Oct 03  09:23:57  17076 -30887   A   -0.1775  0.9266  11.4S 105.1E  80  280  09m29s
03643  06 -0480 Oct 13  17:07:20  16758 -30664   A   -0.1973  0.9234  17.0S  13.0W  79  295  09m49s
03687  07 -0462 Oct 25  00:57:28  16448 -30441   A   -0.2114  0.9206  22.1S 132.3W  78  307  10m05s
03731  08 -0444 Nov 04  08:52:49  16147 -30218   A   -0.2212  0.9185  26.7S 107.7E  77  317  10m16s
03775  09 -0426 Nov 15  16:52:47  15855 -29995   A   -0.2269  0.9170  30.6S  12.7W  77  324  10m23s
03817  10 -0408 Nov 26  00:53:19  15569 -29772   A   -0.2323  0.9163  33.8S 132.5W  76  327  10m22s
03859  11 -0390 Dec 07  08:55:37  15292 -29549   A   -0.2361  0.9162  36.2S 107.9E  76  328  10m16s
03901  12 -0372 Dec 17  16:55:17  15020 -29326   A   -0.2424  0.9169  37.7S  10.5W  76  326  10m02s

03940  13 -0354 Dec 29  00:52:27  14756 -29103   A   -0.2505  0.9182  38.3S 127.9W  75  321  09m42s
03979  14 -0335 Jan 08  08:42:56  14497 -28880   A   -0.2643  0.9200  38.1S 116.4E  74  314  09m16s
04020  15 -0317 Jan 19  16:28:44  14245 -28657   A   -0.2819  0.9225  37.1S   1.6E  73  305  08m47s
04061  16 -0299 Jan 30  00:06:10  13998 -28434   A   -0.3069  0.9254  35.7S 111.3W  72  295  08m15s
04102  17 -0281 Feb 10  07:35:25  13756 -28211   A   -0.3386  0.9286  33.9S 137.4E  70  283  07m43s
04142  18 -0263 Feb 20  14:55:12  13520 -27988   A   -0.3782  0.9321  32.1S  28.2E  68  272  07m12s
04183  19 -0245 Mar 03  22:06:59  13288 -27765   A   -0.4246  0.9358  30.3S  79.3W  65  261  06m44s
04224  20 -0227 Mar 14  05:09:43  13061 -27542   A   -0.4788  0.9395  28.9S 175.3E  61  252  06m18s
04265  21 -0209 Mar 25  12:04:25  12839 -27319   A   -0.5401  0.9431  28.1S  71.8E  57  245  05m55s
04306  22 -0191 Apr 04  18:52:02  12621 -27096   A   -0.6076  0.9464  28.2S  30.0W  52  242  05m35s

04348  23 -0173 Apr 16  01:33:51  12407 -26873   A   -0.6800  0.9494  29.3S 130.5W  47  246  05m18s
04392  24 -0155 Apr 26  08:09:37  12197 -26650   A   -0.7577  0.9520  32.0S 130.6E  41  261  05m02s
04434  25 -0137 May 07  14:42:41  11991 -26427   A   -0.8381  0.9538  36.5S  32.4E  33  301  04m46s
04477  26 -0119 May 17  21:13:08  11788 -26204   A   -0.9208  0.9546  44.2S  64.3W  23  419  04m28s
04520  27 -0101 May 29  03:44:34  11589 -25981   A-  -1.0032  0.9654  63.3S 149.6W   0             
04563  28 -0083 Jun 08  10:14:58  11394 -25758   P   -1.0867  0.8208  64.2S 102.4E   0             
04608  29 -0065 Jun 19  16:50:19  11201 -25535   P   -1.1662  0.6822  65.1S   7.1W   0             
04653  30 -0047 Jun 29  23:28:06  11011 -25312   P   -1.2440  0.5461  66.1S 117.6W   0             
04698  31 -0029 Jul 11  06:13:03  10824 -25089   P   -1.3164  0.4190  67.1S 129.7E   0             
04745  32 -0011 Jul 21  13:02:52  10640 -24866   P   -1.3853  0.2978  68.1S  15.3E   0             

04790  33  0007 Aug 01  20:02:56  10458 -24643   P   -1.4464  0.1902  69.1S 102.2W   0             
04836  34  0025 Aug 12  03:10:44  10278 -24420   P   -1.5017  0.0928  69.9S 137.9E   0             
04882  35  0043 Aug 23  10:28:50  10100 -24197   Pe  -1.5493  0.0091  70.6S  14.7E   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)"


Return to:

Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Periodicity of Solar Eclipses

Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses

2009 Sep 26