Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 109

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 109

Solar eclipses of Saros 109 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 0416 Sep 07. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 1859 Feb 03. The total duration of Saros series 109 is 1442.41 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =   0416 Sep 07   13:26:34 TD
                       Last Eclipse =   1859 Feb 03   01:22:42 TD

                      Duration of Saros 109  =  1442.41 Years

Saros 109 is composed of 81 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 109
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 81100.0%
PartialP 38 46.9%
AnnularA 4 4.9%
TotalT 24 29.6%
Hybrid[3]H 15 18.5%

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 109 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 109
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 43100.0%
Central (two limits) 41 95.3%
Central (one limit) 2 4.7%
Non-Central (one limit) 0 0.0%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 81 eclipses in Saros 109: 21P 24T 15H 4A 17P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 109 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 109
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse 1552 Jul 2102m05s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse 1498 Jun 1900m29s -
Longest Total Solar Eclipse 0957 Jul 2905m46s -
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse 1209 Dec 2801m50s -
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 1228 Jan 0801m40s -
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 1480 Jun 0800m02s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse 0777 Apr 12 - 0.92787
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse 1859 Feb 03 - 0.00769

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 109

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 109. 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 109.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 109

                         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

05745 -43  0416 Sep 07  13:26:34   6503 -19583   Pb   1.5077  0.0637  71.6N 112.1E   0             
05786 -42  0434 Sep 18  21:26:54   6325 -19360   P    1.4688  0.1352  71.9N  22.7W   0             
05826 -41  0452 Sep 29  05:36:43   6146 -19137   P    1.4369  0.1938  71.8N 160.1W   0             
05869 -40  0470 Oct 10  13:54:40   5968 -18914   P    1.4111  0.2412  71.5N  60.6E   0             
05912 -39  0488 Oct 20  22:21:32   5792 -18691   P    1.3921  0.2761  71.0N  80.5W   0             
05956 -38  0506 Nov 01  06:55:05   5615 -18468   P    1.3780  0.3019  70.3N 137.2E   0             
06000 -37  0524 Nov 11  15:34:10   5438 -18245   P    1.3680  0.3201  69.4N   5.9W   0             
06045 -36  0542 Nov 23  00:17:37   5263 -18022   P    1.3612  0.3325  68.4N 149.3W   0             
06091 -35  0560 Dec 03  09:04:10   5089 -17799   P    1.3564  0.3411  67.3N  67.0E   0             
06137 -34  0578 Dec 14  17:51:31   4916 -17576   P    1.3521  0.3488  66.2N  76.2W   0             

06183 -33  0596 Dec 25  02:38:01   4744 -17353   P    1.3467  0.3584  65.2N 141.2E   0             
06228 -32  0615 Jan 05  11:22:56   4574 -17130   P    1.3397  0.3712  64.2N   0.6W   0             
06273 -31  0633 Jan 15  20:04:43   4405 -16907   P    1.3295  0.3897  63.3N 141.2W   0             
06318 -30  0651 Jan 27  04:40:40   4238 -16684   P    1.3144  0.4175  62.5N  79.9E   0             
06365 -29  0669 Feb 06  13:11:22   4072 -16461   P    1.2949  0.4541  61.9N  57.5W   0             
06410 -28  0687 Feb 17  21:34:47   3908 -16238   P    1.2691  0.5026  61.4N 167.1E   0             
06454 -27  0705 Feb 28  05:52:06   3747 -16015   P    1.2380  0.5617  61.1N  33.3E   0             
06497 -26  0723 Mar 11  14:00:20   3587 -15792   P    1.1992  0.6358  60.9N  98.1W   0             
06539 -25  0741 Mar 21  22:02:37   3430 -15569   P    1.1553  0.7203  60.9N 132.0E   0             
06581 -24  0759 Apr 02  05:56:17   3276 -15346   P    1.1044  0.8190  61.0N   4.2E   0             

06622 -23  0777 Apr 12  13:44:14   3125 -15123   P    1.0485  0.9279  61.3N 122.2W   0             
06663 -22  0795 Apr 23  21:24:56   2976 -14900   Tn   0.9863  1.0587  65.2N 130.7E   9   -   02m58s
06704 -21  0813 May 04  05:01:53   2831 -14677   T    0.9209  1.0659  68.6N  43.5E  23  556  03m34s
06745 -20  0831 May 15  12:34:04   2690 -14454   T    0.8514  1.0705  69.6N  50.4W  31  439  04m00s
06784 -19  0849 May 25  20:03:24   2552 -14231   T    0.7794  1.0738  69.0N 145.3W  38  383  04m22s
06824 -18  0867 Jun 06  03:30:59   2418 -14008   T    0.7058  1.0760  66.6N 117.5E  45  349  04m43s
06864 -17  0885 Jun 16  10:58:05   2288 -13785   T    0.6320  1.0772  62.6N  16.4E  51  323  05m02s
06904 -16  0903 Jun 27  18:26:02   2162 -13562   T    0.5585  1.0773  57.4N  88.8W  56  302  05m18s
06944 -15  0921 Jul 08  01:55:03   2040 -13339   T    0.4862  1.0765  51.4N 162.7E  61  284  05m32s
06985 -14  0939 Jul 19  09:27:56   1923 -13116   T    0.4172  1.0748  44.9N  51.1E  65  267  05m42s

07026 -13  0957 Jul 29  17:04:35   1810 -12893   T    0.3518  1.0723  38.0N  63.0W  69  251  05m46s
07067 -12  0975 Aug 10  00:46:07   1702 -12670   T    0.2907  1.0692  31.0N 179.2W  73  236  05m45s
07109 -11  0993 Aug 20  08:33:40   1598 -12447   T    0.2350  1.0654  24.0N  62.4E  76  220  05m37s
07151 -10  1011 Aug 31  16:27:51   1499 -12224   T    0.1851  1.0612  17.1N  58.0W  79  204  05m25s
07193 -09  1029 Sep 11  00:29:28   1404 -12001   T    0.1422  1.0567  10.4N 179.6E  82  189  05m07s
07235 -08  1047 Sep 22  08:36:53   1314 -11778   T    0.1046  1.0519   4.0N  55.8E  84  173  04m47s
07279 -07  1065 Oct 02  16:52:55   1229 -11555   T    0.0747  1.0471   2.0S  69.9W  86  157  04m24s
07323 -06  1083 Oct 14  01:15:15   1148 -11332   T    0.0503  1.0424   7.4S 163.1E  87  142  04m00s
07368 -05  1101 Oct 24  09:45:16   1072 -11109   T    0.0328  1.0378  12.3S  34.7E  88  127  03m37s
07413 -04  1119 Nov 04  18:19:38   1000 -10886   T    0.0194  1.0336  16.4S  94.2W  89  113  03m14s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 109

                         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

07458 -03  1137 Nov 15  03:00:21    932 -10663   Tm   0.0116  1.0297  19.6S 135.7E  89  101  02m53s
07503 -02  1155 Nov 26  11:43:38    869 -10440   T    0.0063  1.0262  21.9S   5.5E  90   89  02m34s
07548 -01  1173 Dec 06  20:29:30    809 -10217   T    0.0034  1.0234  23.2S 125.0W  90   80  02m17s
07594  00  1191 Dec 18  05:15:22    753  -9994   T    0.0008  1.0209  23.6S 104.7E  90   71  02m02s
07640  01  1209 Dec 28  14:00:54    701  -9771   T   -0.0018  1.0190  23.0S  25.5W  90   65  01m50s
07686  02  1228 Jan 08  22:42:54    652  -9548   H3  -0.0068  1.0176  21.6S 155.1W  89   60  01m40s
07731  03  1246 Jan 19  07:20:33    606  -9325   H   -0.0150  1.0166  19.6S  76.3E  89   57  01m34s
07775  04  1264 Jan 30  15:52:26    563  -9102   H   -0.0276  1.0159  17.1S  51.2W  88   55  01m29s
07818  05  1282 Feb 10  00:17:59    523  -8879   H   -0.0451  1.0156  14.3S 177.3W  87   54  01m26s
07861  06  1300 Feb 21  08:34:00    486  -8656   H   -0.0698  1.0154  11.5S  58.8E  86   53  01m24s

07903  07  1318 Mar 03  16:42:11    451  -8433   H   -0.1003  1.0153   8.8S  63.2W  84   53  01m24s
07944  08  1336 Mar 14  00:40:15    419  -8210   H   -0.1386  1.0152   6.4S 177.4E  82   52  01m23s
07985  09  1354 Mar 25  08:30:21    388  -7987   H   -0.1829  1.0149   4.4S  60.0E  79   52  01m23s
08026  10  1372 Apr 04  16:09:02    359  -7764   H   -0.2359  1.0143   3.1S  54.4W  76   50  01m22s
08068  11  1390 Apr 15  23:40:36    332  -7541   H   -0.2940  1.0133   2.7S 167.0W  73   48  01m19s
08108  12  1408 Apr 26  07:02:10    306  -7318   H   -0.3595  1.0119   3.3S  82.8E  69   44  01m13s
08148  13  1426 May 07  14:17:32    282  -7095   H   -0.4294  1.0100   5.0S  26.0W  65   38  01m03s
08188  14  1444 May 17  21:24:41    259  -6872   H   -0.5052  1.0074   8.1S 133.0W  60   29  00m48s
08228  15  1462 May 29  04:28:02    237  -6649   H   -0.5833  1.0042  12.4S 120.4E  54   18  00m28s
08268  16  1480 Jun 08  11:26:08    217  -6426   H   -0.6644  1.0002  18.0S  14.4E  48    1  00m02s

08308  17  1498 Jun 19  18:21:38    197  -6203   A   -0.7466  0.9956  25.1S  91.8W  42   23  00m29s
08350  18  1516 Jun 30  01:15:15    179  -5980   A   -0.8291  0.9899  33.8S 161.3E  34   64  01m03s
08391  19  1534 Jul 11  08:08:46    163  -5757   A   -0.9104  0.9833  44.9S  52.5E  24  144  01m35s
08432  20  1552 Jul 21  15:03:48    148  -5534   As  -0.9893  0.9742  62.9S  64.6W   7   -   02m05s
08473  21  1570 Aug 01  22:00:22    135  -5311   P   -1.0655  0.8623  70.4S 171.9E   0             
08514  22  1588 Aug 22  05:01:47    124  -5088   P   -1.1364  0.7355  71.1S  53.5E   0             
08555  23  1606 Sep 02  12:07:23    111  -4865   P   -1.2026  0.6182  71.7S  66.5W   0             
08598  24  1624 Sep 12  19:19:26     87  -4642   P   -1.2625  0.5133  72.0S 171.5E   0             
08643  25  1642 Sep 24  02:37:37     60  -4419   P   -1.3163  0.4199  72.1S  47.6E   0             
08688  26  1660 Oct 04  10:03:43     34  -4196   P   -1.3629  0.3401  72.0S  78.2W   0             

08734  27  1678 Oct 15  17:36:58     15  -3973   P   -1.4027  0.2730  71.6S 154.5E   0             
08779  28  1696 Oct 26  01:17:07      8  -3750   P   -1.4361  0.2172  70.9S  25.9E   0             
08824  29  1714 Nov 07  09:04:34     10  -3527   P   -1.4630  0.1730  70.1S 103.9W   0             
08869  30  1732 Nov 17  16:58:51     11  -3304   P   -1.4841  0.1389  69.2S 125.3E   0             
08915  31  1750 Nov 29  00:58:14     13  -3081   P   -1.5004  0.1129  68.2S   6.2W   0             
08960  32  1768 Dec 09  09:01:39     16  -2858   P   -1.5129  0.0932  67.1S 138.1W   0             
09006  33  1786 Dec 20  17:07:24     17  -2635   P   -1.5232  0.0772  66.0S  89.9E   0             
09051  34  1805 Jan 01  01:14:57     12  -2412   P   -1.5315  0.0642  65.0S  42.1W   0             
09096  35  1823 Jan 12  09:20:12     11  -2189   P   -1.5413  0.0484  64.0S 173.0W   0             
09140  36  1841 Jan 22  17:24:15      5  -1966   P   -1.5516  0.0316  63.1S  56.6E   0             


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 109

                         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

09183  37  1859 Feb 03  01:22:42      7  -1743   Pe  -1.5659  0.0077  62.4S  72.1W   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)"


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Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Periodicity of Solar Eclipses

Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses

2009 Sep 26