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.
Solar eclipses of Saros 87 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 -0076 Feb 23. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 1222 Apr 13. The total duration of Saros series 87 is 1298.17 years. In summary:
First Eclipse = -0076 Feb 23 14:20:30 TD Last Eclipse = 1222 Apr 13 10:33:58 TD Duration of Saros 87 = 1298.17 Years
Saros 87 is composed of 73 solar eclipses as follows:
| Solar Eclipses of Saros 87 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 73 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 29 | 39.7% |
| Annular | A | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total | T | 42 | 57.5% |
| Hybrid[3] | H | 2 | 2.7% |
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 87 appears in the following table.
| Umbral Eclipses of Saros 87 | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Umbral Eclipses | 44 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 43 | 97.7% |
| Central (one limit) | 0 | 0.0% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 1 | 2.3% |
The following string illustrates the sequence of the 73 eclipses in Saros 87: 9P 2H 42T 20P
The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 87 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.
| Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 87 | |||
| Extrema Type | Date | Duration | Magnitude |
| Longest Total Solar Eclipse | 0699 Jun 03 | 07m17s | - |
| Shortest Total Solar Eclipse | 0122 Jun 21 | 00m55s | - |
| Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | 0104 Jun 10 | 00m33s | - |
| Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | 0086 May 31 | 00m08s | - |
| Largest Partial Solar Eclipse | 0068 May 19 | - | 0.95189 |
| Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse | -0076 Feb 23 | - | 0.01213 |
The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 87. 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 87.
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
04580 -36 -0076 Feb 23 14:20:30 11322 -25675 Pb 1.5513 0.0121 61.3N 53.0W 0
04625 -35 -0058 Mar 05 21:50:17 11130 -25452 P 1.5057 0.0889 61.0N 175.0W 0
04670 -34 -0040 Mar 16 05:12:45 10942 -25229 P 1.4529 0.1791 60.8N 64.9E 0
04716 -33 -0022 Mar 27 12:27:48 10756 -25006 P 1.3932 0.2829 60.7N 53.3W 0
04762 -32 -0004 Apr 06 19:37:20 10572 -24783 P 1.3277 0.3983 60.9N 170.1W 0
04807 -31 0014 Apr 18 02:41:51 10391 -24560 P 1.2571 0.5240 61.2N 74.2E 0
04853 -30 0032 Apr 28 09:42:10 10211 -24337 P 1.1818 0.6596 61.6N 40.4W 0
04899 -29 0050 May 09 16:39:47 10034 -24114 P 1.1028 0.8033 62.1N 154.6W 0
04943 -28 0068 May 19 23:36:21 9858 -23891 P 1.0218 0.9519 62.8N 91.4E 0
04987 -27 0086 May 31 06:33:47 9683 -23668 H 0.9401 1.0022 75.5N 24.1E 19 23 00m08s
05032 -26 0104 Jun 10 13:31:44 9510 -23445 H2 0.8576 1.0087 77.6N 34.9W 31 59 00m33s
05076 -25 0122 Jun 21 20:33:47 9337 -23222 T 0.7773 1.0136 74.0N 109.2W 39 75 00m55s
05120 -24 0140 Jul 02 03:39:41 9165 -22999 T 0.6994 1.0175 68.0N 159.3E 45 84 01m15s
05163 -23 0158 Jul 13 10:52:07 8994 -22776 T 0.6255 1.0206 61.3N 57.9E 51 90 01m33s
05204 -22 0176 Jul 23 18:09:39 8823 -22553 T 0.5550 1.0228 54.2N 48.8W 56 94 01m48s
05245 -21 0194 Aug 04 01:36:08 8652 -22330 T 0.4912 1.0245 47.0N 159.9W 60 96 02m02s
05286 -20 0212 Aug 14 09:10:09 8481 -22107 T 0.4330 1.0255 39.9N 85.7E 64 96 02m12s
05327 -19 0230 Aug 25 16:53:17 8310 -21884 T 0.3818 1.0261 32.9N 31.6W 67 96 02m20s
05368 -18 0248 Sep 05 00:45:17 8138 -21661 T 0.3372 1.0263 26.1N 151.6W 70 95 02m25s
05410 -17 0266 Sep 16 08:47:23 7966 -21438 T 0.3004 1.0264 19.7N 85.7E 72 94 02m29s
05450 -16 0284 Sep 26 16:58:52 7793 -21215 T 0.2710 1.0263 13.6N 39.4W 74 92 02m31s
05490 -15 0302 Oct 08 01:17:57 7619 -20992 T 0.2474 1.0263 7.9N 166.3W 76 92 02m34s
05529 -14 0320 Oct 18 09:46:09 7444 -20769 T 0.2308 1.0263 2.9N 64.8E 77 92 02m36s
05569 -13 0338 Oct 29 18:20:54 7269 -20546 T 0.2190 1.0266 1.6S 65.5W 77 92 02m39s
05609 -12 0356 Nov 09 03:02:18 7093 -20323 T 0.2122 1.0272 5.3S 162.9E 78 94 02m44s
05649 -11 0374 Nov 20 11:46:54 6916 -20100 T 0.2076 1.0283 8.3S 30.8E 78 98 02m51s
05690 -10 0392 Nov 30 20:35:47 6738 -19877 T 0.2060 1.0298 10.4S 102.1W 78 103 03m00s
05731 -09 0410 Dec 12 05:25:03 6560 -19654 T 0.2041 1.0318 11.7S 125.1E 78 110 03m11s
05772 -08 0428 Dec 22 14:14:19 6381 -19431 T 0.2019 1.0343 12.1S 7.5W 78 118 03m22s
05813 -07 0447 Jan 02 23:00:54 6203 -19208 T 0.1969 1.0373 11.8S 139.5W 79 128 03m35s
05855 -06 0465 Jan 13 07:44:43 6025 -18985 T 0.1892 1.0407 10.9S 89.1E 79 139 03m49s
05898 -05 0483 Jan 24 16:22:34 5848 -18762 T 0.1763 1.0446 9.4S 40.8W 80 151 04m03s
05942 -04 0501 Feb 04 00:54:51 5672 -18539 T 0.1585 1.0487 7.4S 169.5W 81 164 04m18s
05986 -03 0519 Feb 15 09:19:56 5495 -18316 T 0.1343 1.0530 5.2S 63.6E 82 177 04m33s
06030 -02 0537 Feb 25 17:38:41 5319 -18093 T 0.1043 1.0574 2.9S 61.7W 84 190 04m49s
06076 -01 0555 Mar 09 01:47:58 5144 -17870 T 0.0662 1.0618 0.7S 175.4E 86 203 05m05s
06122 00 0573 Mar 19 09:51:15 4971 -17647 Tm 0.0228 1.0659 1.5N 54.2E 89 215 05m22s
06168 01 0591 Mar 30 17:45:50 4799 -17424 T -0.0281 1.0697 3.2N 64.8W 88 227 05m41s
06213 02 0609 Apr 10 01:35:40 4628 -17201 T -0.0835 1.0730 4.5N 177.6E 85 238 06m00s
06258 03 0627 Apr 21 09:16:52 4459 -16978 T -0.1462 1.0758 5.0N 62.3E 82 248 06m19s
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
06303 04 0645 May 01 16:55:24 4291 -16755 T -0.2115 1.0779 4.7N 52.4W 78 257 06m38s
06350 05 0663 May 13 00:27:42 4125 -16532 T -0.2818 1.0792 3.4N 165.7W 74 266 06m56s
06396 06 0681 May 23 07:58:17 3960 -16309 T -0.3538 1.0797 1.2N 81.2E 69 274 07m10s
06440 07 0699 Jun 03 15:24:55 3798 -16086 T -0.4291 1.0792 2.2S 31.3W 65 282 07m17s
06483 08 0717 Jun 13 22:52:28 3638 -15863 T -0.5035 1.0779 6.5S 144.6W 60 291 07m15s
06526 09 0735 Jun 25 06:19:09 3480 -15640 T -0.5781 1.0756 11.9S 101.6E 55 300 07m02s
06568 10 0753 Jul 05 13:47:40 3325 -15417 T -0.6509 1.0725 18.1S 13.4W 49 310 06m38s
06609 11 0771 Jul 16 21:18:25 3173 -15194 T -0.7214 1.0684 25.2S 129.8W 44 322 06m04s
06650 12 0789 Jul 27 04:53:37 3023 -14971 T -0.7876 1.0636 32.9S 111.7E 38 338 05m22s
06691 13 0807 Aug 07 12:33:13 2877 -14748 T -0.8498 1.0579 41.4S 9.4W 31 361 04m35s
06732 14 0825 Aug 17 20:18:04 2735 -14525 T -0.9071 1.0515 50.7S 134.1W 24 406 03m46s
06772 15 0843 Aug 29 04:09:48 2595 -14302 T -0.9582 1.0442 60.8S 94.1E 16 526 02m56s
06812 16 0861 Sep 08 12:08:25 2460 -14079 T- -1.0032 1.0053 71.9S 70.3W 0
06852 17 0879 Sep 19 20:14:10 2329 -13856 P -1.0419 0.9299 72.0S 153.5E 0
06892 18 0897 Sep 30 04:27:23 2202 -13633 P -1.0742 0.8672 71.9S 15.5E 0
06932 19 0915 Oct 11 12:48:25 2078 -13410 P -1.0999 0.8174 71.5S 124.3W 0
06973 20 0933 Oct 21 21:16:05 1960 -13187 P -1.1197 0.7793 70.8S 94.8E 0
07014 21 0951 Nov 02 05:48:45 1845 -12964 P -1.1351 0.7496 70.0S 46.8W 0
07055 22 0969 Nov 12 14:26:54 1736 -12741 P -1.1457 0.7291 69.1S 170.8E 0
07095 23 0987 Nov 23 23:08:42 1630 -12518 P -1.1533 0.7145 68.0S 28.3E 0
07137 24 1005 Dec 04 07:52:26 1530 -12295 P -1.1589 0.7037 67.0S 114.2W 0
07179 25 1023 Dec 15 16:36:13 1434 -12072 P -1.1640 0.6940 65.9S 103.9E 0
07221 26 1041 Dec 26 01:19:06 1343 -11849 P -1.1695 0.6835 64.8S 37.3W 0
07264 27 1060 Jan 06 09:59:33 1256 -11626 P -1.1766 0.6704 63.9S 177.5W 0
07308 28 1078 Jan 16 18:34:30 1174 -11403 P -1.1878 0.6499 63.0S 44.1E 0
07352 29 1096 Jan 28 03:04:32 1096 -11180 P -1.2026 0.6230 62.3S 92.9W 0
07398 30 1114 Feb 07 11:26:45 1022 -10957 P -1.2234 0.5854 61.7S 132.3E 0
07443 31 1132 Feb 18 19:41:35 953 -10734 P -1.2495 0.5380 61.3S 0.4W 0
07488 32 1150 Mar 01 03:46:23 888 -10511 P -1.2835 0.4765 61.0S 130.6W 0
07533 33 1168 Mar 11 11:43:09 827 -10288 P -1.3232 0.4045 60.9S 101.3E 0
07579 34 1186 Mar 22 19:29:34 770 -10065 P -1.3708 0.3183 61.0S 24.2W 0
07624 35 1204 Apr 02 03:06:26 717 -9842 P -1.4253 0.2196 61.2S 147.4W 0
07670 36 1222 Apr 13 10:33:58 667 -9619 Pe -1.4863 0.1092 61.5S 91.7E 0
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] 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.
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)"
