Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 56

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 56

Solar eclipses of Saros 56 all occur at the Moon’s descending node and the Moon moves northward with each eclipse. The series began with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on -1172 Jul 17. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 0144 Sep 15. The total duration of Saros series 56 is 1316.20 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =  -1172 Jul 17   20:10:38 TD
                       Last Eclipse =   0144 Sep 15   04:08:10 TD

                      Duration of Saros  56  =  1316.20 Years

Saros 56 is composed of 74 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 56
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 74100.0%
PartialP 31 41.9%
AnnularA 13 17.6%
TotalT 15 20.3%
Hybrid[3]H 15 20.3%

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 56 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 56
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 43100.0%
Central (two limits) 43100.0%
Central (one limit) 0 0.0%
Non-Central (one limit) 0 0.0%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 74 eclipses in Saros 56: 21P 13A 15H 15T 10P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 56 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 56
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse -0793 Mar 0204m06s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse -0577 Jul 0900m04s -
Longest Total Solar Eclipse -0126 Apr 0604m48s -
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse -0289 Dec 3002m04s -
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse -0307 Dec 1801m38s -
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse -0559 Jul 2000m04s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse -0018 Jun 10 - 0.99542
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse 0144 Sep 15 - 0.01763

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 56

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 56. 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 56.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 56

                         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

01981 -34 -1172 Jul 17  20:10:38  28490 -39226   Pb  -1.5509  0.0224  64.4S  30.8W   0             
02028 -33 -1154 Jul 29  02:53:30  28147 -39003   P   -1.4854  0.1352  63.5S 142.7W   0             
02074 -32 -1136 Aug 08  09:44:32  27806 -38780   P   -1.4262  0.2368  62.7S 103.8E   0             
02119 -31 -1118 Aug 19  16:44:36  27468 -38557   P   -1.3738  0.3261  62.0S  11.8W   0             
02163 -30 -1100 Aug 29  23:52:26  27131 -38334   P   -1.3272  0.4050  61.4S 129.1W   0             
02206 -29 -1082 Sep 10  07:10:58  26797 -38111   P   -1.2889  0.4693  60.9S 111.1E   0             
02249 -28 -1064 Sep 20  14:38:06  26465 -37888   P   -1.2574  0.5219  60.6S  10.7W   0             
02292 -27 -1046 Oct 01  22:15:12  26134 -37665   P   -1.2334  0.5618  60.5S 135.0W   0             
02336 -26 -1028 Oct 12  05:58:51  25806 -37442   P   -1.2144  0.5932  60.6S  99.1E   0             
02378 -25 -1010 Oct 23  13:51:12  25480 -37219   P   -1.2020  0.6136  60.8S  28.9W   0             

02420 -24 -0992 Nov 02  21:47:52  25156 -36996   P   -1.1926  0.6291  61.2S 158.2W   0             
02460 -23 -0974 Nov 14  05:49:08  24834 -36773   P   -1.1868  0.6387  61.8S  71.3E   0             
02501 -22 -0956 Nov 24  13:51:36  24514 -36550   P   -1.1814  0.6476  62.5S  59.6W   0             
02542 -21 -0938 Dec 05  21:55:18  24196 -36327   P   -1.1767  0.6555  63.4S 168.9E   0             
02582 -20 -0920 Dec 16  05:56:25  23881 -36104   P   -1.1695  0.6678  64.3S  37.7E   0             
02622 -19 -0902 Dec 27  13:54:30  23567 -35881   P   -1.1594  0.6850  65.3S  93.1W   0             
02662 -18 -0883 Jan 06  21:47:16  23255 -35658   P   -1.1446  0.7104  66.4S 137.0E   0             
02703 -17 -0865 Jan 18  05:34:46  22946 -35435   P   -1.1254  0.7434  67.5S   8.0E   0             
02744 -16 -0847 Jan 28  13:13:23  22638 -35212   P   -1.0983  0.7902  68.6S 119.4W   0             
02784 -15 -0829 Feb 08  20:45:13  22333 -34989   P   -1.0650  0.8481  69.6S 114.3E   0             

02825 -14 -0811 Feb 19  04:08:00  22030 -34766   P   -1.0238  0.9202  70.4S  10.3W   0             
02866 -13 -0793 Mar 02  11:24:22  21728 -34543   A   -0.9765  0.9399  74.5S 172.2W  12 1102  04m06s
02907 -12 -0775 Mar 12  18:30:48  21429 -34320   A   -0.9204  0.9479  66.8S  38.9E  23  493  04m01s
02948 -11 -0757 Mar 24  01:32:01  21132 -34097   A   -0.8589  0.9550  57.0S  83.4W  30  319  03m50s
02990 -10 -0739 Apr 03  08:25:25  20837 -33874   A   -0.7897  0.9617  47.0S 162.7E  38  224  03m35s
03034 -09 -0721 Apr 14  15:15:24  20544 -33651   A   -0.7168  0.9681  37.4S  52.5E  44  163  03m15s
03078 -08 -0703 Apr 24  21:59:40  20253 -33428   A   -0.6379  0.9739  28.0S  54.9W  50  120  02m51s
03122 -07 -0685 May 06  04:43:37  19964 -33205   A   -0.5575  0.9793  19.1S 161.2W  56   88  02m23s
03167 -06 -0667 May 16  11:25:24  19678 -32982   A   -0.4740  0.9841  10.7S  93.9E  62   64  01m54s
03212 -05 -0649 May 27  18:08:21  19393 -32759   A   -0.3902  0.9884   2.9S  10.5W  67   44  01m25s

03257 -04 -0631 Jun 07  00:52:54  19110 -32536   A   -0.3066  0.9920   4.1N 114.5W  72   30  00m59s
03304 -03 -0613 Jun 18  07:41:22  18830 -32313   A   -0.2250  0.9951  10.3N 141.4E  77   18  00m35s
03351 -02 -0595 Jun 28  14:34:50  18551 -32090   A   -0.1466  0.9974  15.5N  36.8E  82    9  00m18s
03398 -01 -0577 Jul 09  21:33:45  18275 -31867   A   -0.0717  0.9993  19.5N  68.4W  86    2  00m04s
03445  00 -0559 Jul 20  04:40:58  18001 -31644   H   -0.0026  1.0006  22.3N 175.0W  90    2  00m04s
03490  01 -0541 Jul 31  11:56:09  17729 -31421   H    0.0611  1.0015  23.8N  76.7E  86    5  00m09s
03535  02 -0523 Aug 10  19:20:49  17458 -31198   H    0.1176  1.0020  24.1N  34.0W  83    7  00m12s
03580  03 -0505 Aug 22  02:54:54  17190 -30975   Hm   0.1674  1.0023  23.3N 147.1W  80    8  00m13s
03625  04 -0487 Sep 01  10:39:47  16882 -30752   H    0.2091  1.0023  21.5N  96.4E  78    8  00m13s
03669  05 -0469 Sep 12  18:34:28  16569 -30529   H    0.2437  1.0023  19.1N  23.0W  76    8  00m13s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 56

                         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

03713  06 -0451 Sep 23  02:38:36  16265 -30306   H    0.2713  1.0024  16.1N 145.2W  74    9  00m13s
03757  07 -0433 Oct 04  10:52:17  15969 -30083   H    0.2920  1.0026  12.7N  89.9E  73    9  00m14s
03800  08 -0415 Oct 14  19:14:55  15681 -29860   H    0.3057  1.0031   9.2N  37.5W  72   11  00m17s
03842  09 -0397 Oct 26  03:44:28  15400 -29637   H    0.3148  1.0040   5.7N 166.7W  72   14  00m23s
03884  10 -0379 Nov 05  12:19:59  15127 -29414   H    0.3195  1.0052   2.5N  62.6E  71   19  00m31s
03925  11 -0361 Nov 16  20:59:44  14860 -29191   H    0.3213  1.0071   0.4S  69.1W  71   26  00m42s
03964  12 -0343 Nov 27  05:42:53  14599 -28968   H    0.3210  1.0094   2.7S 158.6E  71   34  00m57s
04004  13 -0325 Dec 08  14:25:47  14344 -28745   H    0.3213  1.0123   4.3S  26.5E  71   45  01m16s
04045  14 -0307 Dec 18  23:08:59  14095 -28522   H    0.3218  1.0156   5.0S 105.6W  71   57  01m38s
04086  15 -0289 Dec 30  07:48:35  13851 -28299   T    0.3258  1.0196   4.7S 123.3E  71   71  02m04s

04126  16 -0270 Jan 09  16:25:37  13612 -28076   T    0.3324  1.0240   3.4S   7.3W  71   86  02m30s
04166  17 -0252 Jan 21  00:55:45  13379 -27853   T    0.3453  1.0287   0.9S 136.3W  70  104  02m57s
04207  18 -0234 Jan 31  09:21:39  13150 -27630   T    0.3623  1.0337   2.5N  95.3E  69  122  03m24s
04248  19 -0216 Feb 11  17:39:22  12926 -27407   T    0.3864  1.0389   6.9N  31.4W  67  141  03m48s
04289  20 -0198 Feb 22  01:50:40  12706 -27184   T    0.4166  1.0441  12.2N 156.9W  65  161  04m10s
04331  21 -0180 Mar 04  09:53:23  12491 -26961   T    0.4546  1.0492  18.3N  79.3E  63  182  04m27s
04374  22 -0162 Mar 15  17:50:15  12279 -26738   T    0.4980  1.0540  25.1N  43.3W  60  205  04m40s
04417  23 -0144 Mar 26  01:39:38  12072 -26515   T    0.5482  1.0584  32.4N 164.5W  57  229  04m47s
04460  24 -0126 Apr 06  09:22:42  11868 -26292   T    0.6041  1.0623  40.3N  75.6E  53  255  04m48s
04503  25 -0108 Apr 16  16:59:52  11668 -26069   T    0.6655  1.0654  48.8N  43.1W  48  286  04m43s

04546  26 -0090 Apr 28  00:32:53  11471 -25846   T    0.7309  1.0677  57.7N 161.4W  43  324  04m32s
04590  27 -0072 May 08  08:01:55  11277 -25623   T    0.7997  1.0690  67.2N  79.8E  37  376  04m16s
04635  28 -0054 May 19  15:28:23  11086 -25400   T    0.8709  1.0691  77.4N  44.6W  29  463  03m55s
04680  29 -0036 May 29  22:53:45  10898 -25177   T    0.9432  1.0674  84.8N 122.3E  19  683  03m28s
04726  30 -0018 Jun 10  06:19:35  10712 -24954   P    1.0154  0.9954  67.1N  49.8W   0             
04772  31  0000 Jun 20  13:45:32  10529 -24731   P    1.0876  0.8552  66.1N 172.7W   0             
04818  32  0018 Jul 01  21:14:39  10349 -24508   P    1.1572  0.7197  65.1N  64.1E   0             
04864  33  0036 Jul 12  04:46:32  10170 -24285   P    1.2245  0.5888  64.2N  59.5W   0             
04909  34  0054 Jul 23  12:24:26   9993 -24062   P    1.2871  0.4677  63.4N 175.7E   0             
04953  35  0072 Aug 02  20:06:10   9817 -23839   P    1.3464  0.3533  62.6N  50.2E   0             

04997  36  0090 Aug 14  03:56:10   9643 -23616   P    1.3992  0.2521  62.0N  77.1W   0             
05042  37  0108 Aug 24  11:52:11   9469 -23393   P    1.4473  0.1608  61.5N 154.2E   0             
05086  38  0126 Sep 04  19:56:53   9297 -23170   P    1.4882  0.0838  61.2N  23.5E   0             
05130  39  0144 Sep 15  04:08:10   9125 -22947   Pe   1.5239  0.0176  61.0N 108.8W   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