Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 97

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 97

Solar eclipses of Saros 97 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 0123 Jun 11. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 1385 Jul 08. The total duration of Saros series 97 is 1262.11 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =   0123 Jun 11   10:40:13 TD
                       Last Eclipse =   1385 Jul 08   04:02:10 TD

                      Duration of Saros  97  =  1262.11 Years

Saros 97 is composed of 71 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 97
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 71100.0%
PartialP 14 19.7%
AnnularA 23 32.4%
TotalT 32 45.1%
Hybrid[3]H 2 2.8%

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 97 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 97
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 57100.0%
Central (two limits) 55 96.5%
Central (one limit) 1 1.8%
Non-Central (one limit) 1 1.8%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 71 eclipses in Saros 97: 8P 32T 2H 23A 6P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 97 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 97
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse 1259 Apr 2405m15s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse 0880 Sep 0800m09s -
Longest Total Solar Eclipse 0700 May 2303m56s -
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse 0826 Aug 0701m56s -
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 0844 Aug 1701m15s -
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 0862 Aug 2900m33s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse 0249 Aug 25 - 0.95969
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse 1385 Jul 08 - 0.07453

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 97

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 97. 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 97.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 97

                         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

05079 -36  0123 Jun 11  10:40:13   9328 -23210   Pb   1.4766  0.1028  64.6N  96.4W   0             
05123 -35  0141 Jun 21  18:02:55   9156 -22987   P    1.4015  0.2470  65.6N 142.2E   0             
05166 -34  0159 Jul 03  01:30:16   8985 -22764   P    1.3295  0.3856  66.5N  19.3E   0             
05207 -33  0177 Jul 13  09:00:47   8814 -22541   P    1.2600  0.5196  67.5N 104.9W   0             
05248 -32  0195 Jul 24  16:36:40   8643 -22318   P    1.1945  0.6457  68.5N 129.1E   0             
05289 -31  0213 Aug 04  00:18:25   8472 -22095   P    1.1337  0.7625  69.5N   1.1E   0             
05330 -30  0231 Aug 15  08:07:30   8301 -21872   P    1.0789  0.8673  70.3N 129.4W   0             
05371 -29  0249 Aug 25  16:04:09   8129 -21649   P    1.0303  0.9597  71.0N  97.6E   0             
05412 -28  0267 Sep 06  00:08:11   7956 -21426   Tn   0.9878  1.0472  73.1N  62.9W   8   -   02m32s
05452 -27  0285 Sep 16  08:21:02   7783 -21203   T    0.9528  1.0475  67.4N 135.4E  17  531  02m51s

05492 -26  0303 Sep 27  16:41:24   7610 -20980   T    0.9240  1.0463  60.6N   5.2W  22  405  03m00s
05531 -25  0321 Oct 08  01:09:39   7435 -20757   T    0.9018  1.0445  54.6N 141.7W  25  343  03m05s
05571 -24  0339 Oct 19  09:44:42   7259 -20534   T    0.8852  1.0425  49.5N  82.6E  27  305  03m07s
05611 -23  0357 Oct 29  18:26:42   7083 -20311   T    0.8744  1.0406  45.3N  53.7W  29  280  03m07s
05651 -22  0375 Nov 10  03:13:23   6906 -20088   T    0.8677  1.0388  42.0N 169.5E  29  262  03m07s
05692 -21  0393 Nov 20  12:03:39   6728 -19865   T    0.8640  1.0373  39.4N  32.1E  30  250  03m05s
05733 -20  0411 Dec 01  20:56:26   6550 -19642   T    0.8625  1.0363  37.6N 105.7W  30  242  03m04s
05774 -19  0429 Dec 12  05:50:23   6372 -19419   T    0.8620  1.0356  36.4N 116.2E  30  237  03m02s
05815 -18  0447 Dec 23  14:42:21   6193 -19196   T    0.8603  1.0355  35.6N  21.3W  30  235  03m02s
05857 -17  0466 Jan 02  23:31:56   6015 -18973   T    0.8569  1.0357  35.2N 158.1W  31  233  03m02s

05900 -16  0484 Jan 14  08:16:49   5838 -18750   T    0.8499  1.0366  35.0N  66.5E  32  232  03m04s
05944 -15  0502 Jan 24  16:57:17   5662 -18527   T    0.8396  1.0378  35.1N  67.5W  33  230  03m06s
05988 -14  0520 Feb 05  01:29:14   5485 -18304   T    0.8227  1.0395  35.2N 161.1E  34  228  03m10s
06032 -13  0538 Feb 15  09:55:14   5309 -18081   T    0.8012  1.0412  35.7N  31.8E  37  226  03m14s
06078 -12  0556 Feb 26  18:11:26   5135 -17858   T    0.7721  1.0433  36.2N  94.4W  39  222  03m19s
06124 -11  0574 Mar 09  02:20:43   4961 -17635   T    0.7376  1.0452  37.1N 141.8E  42  218  03m23s
06170 -10  0592 Mar 19  10:19:26   4789 -17412   T    0.6948  1.0470  38.0N  21.5E  46  213  03m29s
06215 -09  0610 Mar 30  18:11:46   4619 -17189   T    0.6469  1.0485  39.2N  96.4W  49  208  03m34s
06260 -08  0628 Apr 10  01:54:42   4449 -16966   T    0.5919  1.0496  40.2N 148.8E  53  202  03m40s
06305 -07  0646 Apr 21  09:31:04   4282 -16743   T    0.5316  1.0502  41.0N  36.5E  58  195  03m45s

06352 -06  0664 May 01  16:59:55   4116 -16520   T    0.4658  1.0501  41.3N  73.2W  62  187  03m50s
06398 -05  0682 May 13  00:23:49   3951 -16297   T    0.3964  1.0494  40.8N 178.7E  66  178  03m54s
06442 -04  0700 May 23  07:42:50   3789 -16074   T    0.3233  1.0480  39.4N  72.0E  71  168  03m56s
06485 -03  0718 Jun 03  14:57:54   3629 -15851   T    0.2478  1.0458  36.9N  34.1W  75  157  03m56s
06528 -02  0736 Jun 13  22:11:01   3472 -15628   T    0.1715  1.0428  33.5N 140.4W  80  145  03m52s
06570 -01  0754 Jun 25  05:23:15   3317 -15405   Tm   0.0955  1.0391  29.1N 112.7E  84  132  03m43s
06611  00  0772 Jul 05  12:35:35   3165 -15182   T    0.0204  1.0347  23.9N   4.9E  89  117  03m27s
06652  01  0790 Jul 16  19:49:25   3015 -14959   T   -0.0525  1.0296  18.0N 104.1W  87  100  03m03s
06693  02  0808 Jul 27  03:06:05   2869 -14736   T   -0.1222  1.0241  11.7N 145.4E  83   83  02m33s
06734  03  0826 Aug 07  10:27:15   2727 -14513   T   -0.1869  1.0180   5.0N  33.1E  79   63  01m56s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 97

                         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

06774  04  0844 Aug 17  17:52:11   2588 -14290   H   -0.2475  1.0117   1.8S  80.5W  76   42  01m15s
06814  05  0862 Aug 29  01:24:08   2453 -14067   H   -0.3013  1.0051   8.7S 163.9E  72   19  00m33s
06854  06  0880 Sep 08  09:02:03   2322 -13844   A   -0.3493  0.9985  15.6S  46.8E  69    6  00m09s
06894  07  0898 Sep 19  16:48:21   2195 -13621   A   -0.3894  0.9919  22.2S  72.4W  67   31  00m50s
06934  08  0916 Sep 30  00:40:10   2072 -13398   A   -0.4242  0.9855  28.7S 167.5E  65   56  01m27s
06975  09  0934 Oct 11  08:40:25   1953 -13175   A   -0.4510  0.9794  34.6S  45.8E  63   82  02m01s
07016  10  0952 Oct 21  16:46:04   1839 -12952   A   -0.4727  0.9736  40.2S  76.4W  62  107  02m32s
07057  11  0970 Nov 02  00:58:17   1730 -12729   A   -0.4883  0.9684  45.1S 161.0E  61  130  02m59s
07097  12  0988 Nov 12  09:14:16   1625 -12506   A   -0.4999  0.9636  49.2S  38.8E  60  152  03m23s
07139  13  1006 Nov 23  17:34:38   1525 -12283   A   -0.5074  0.9596  52.3S  83.0W  59  171  03m43s

07181  14  1024 Dec 04  01:56:15   1429 -12060   A   -0.5130  0.9561  54.2S 156.2E  59  187  04m00s
07223  15  1042 Dec 15  10:17:55   1338 -11837   A   -0.5180  0.9533  54.8S  36.1E  59  200  04m14s
07267  16  1060 Dec 25  18:38:02   1251 -11614   A   -0.5234  0.9511  54.2S  83.7W  58  211  04m26s
07311  17  1079 Jan 06  02:55:27   1169 -11391   A   -0.5307  0.9494  52.5S 156.6E  58  219  04m35s
07356  18  1097 Jan 16  11:07:06   1092 -11168   A   -0.5420  0.9483  50.1S  37.2E  57  225  04m41s
07402  19  1115 Jan 27  19:12:32   1019 -10945   A   -0.5578  0.9477  47.3S  81.6W  56  230  04m46s
07447  20  1133 Feb 07  03:10:08    950 -10722   A   -0.5794  0.9473  44.3S 160.7E  54  235  04m49s
07492  21  1151 Feb 18  11:00:02    885 -10499   A   -0.6070  0.9473  41.6S  44.2E  52  240  04m52s
07537  22  1169 Feb 28  18:38:38    824 -10276   A   -0.6431  0.9473  39.3S  69.7W  50  248  04m55s
07583  23  1187 Mar 12  02:08:41    767 -10053   A   -0.6856  0.9474  37.8S 178.2E  47  259  04m59s

07628  24  1205 Mar 22  09:27:32    714  -9830   A   -0.7365  0.9473  37.3S  69.0E  42  278  05m04s
07674  25  1223 Apr 02  16:37:47    664  -9607   A   -0.7938  0.9471  38.2S  38.0W  37  310  05m09s
07719  26  1241 Apr 12  23:36:48    618  -9384   A   -0.8597  0.9462  41.1S 141.6W  30  376  05m14s
07763  27  1259 Apr 24  06:28:48    574  -9161   A   -0.9304  0.9445  46.9S 117.9E  21  548  05m15s
07807  28  1277 May 04  13:11:57    534  -8938   A-  -1.0071  0.9528  62.6S  34.0E   0             
07850  29  1295 May 15  19:48:34    496  -8715   P   -1.0884  0.8131  63.3S  74.5W   0             
07892  30  1313 May 26  02:19:28    460  -8492   P   -1.1731  0.6672  64.2S 178.1E   0             
07933  31  1331 Jun 06  08:46:50    427  -8269   P   -1.2597  0.5183  65.1S  71.4E   0             
07974  32  1349 Jun 16  15:12:24    396  -8046   P   -1.3468  0.3687  66.1S  35.3W   0             
08015  33  1367 Jun 27  21:36:10    366  -7823   P   -1.4343  0.2188  67.1S 141.9W   0             

08056  34  1385 Jul 08  04:02:10    339  -7600   Pe  -1.5189  0.0745  68.1S 110.4E   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