The periodicity and recurrence of solar (and lunar) 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.
Solar eclipses of Saros 122 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 0991 Apr 17. The series will end with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 2235 May 17. The total duration of Saros series 122 is 1244.08 years. In summary:
First Eclipse = 0991 Apr 17 10:00:06 TD
Last Eclipse = 2235 May 17 21:36:41 TD
Duration of Saros 122 = 1244.08 Years
Saros 122 is composed of 70 solar eclipses as follows:
| Solar Eclipses of Saros 122 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 70 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 28 | 40.0% |
| Annular | A | 37 | 52.9% |
| Total | T | 3 | 4.3% |
| Hybrid[3] | H | 2 | 2.9% |
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 122 appears in the following table.
| Umbral Eclipses of Saros 122 | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Umbral Eclipses | 42 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 41 | 97.6% |
| Central (one limit) | 1 | 2.4% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 0 | 0.0% |
The following string illustrates the sequence of the 70 eclipses in Saros 122: 8P 3T 2H 37A 20P
The longest and shortest eclipses of Saros 122 as well as other eclipse extrema are listed below.
Longest Total Solar Eclipse: 1135 Jul 12 Duration = 01m25s
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse: 1171 Aug 03 Duration = 01m06s
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse: 1874 Oct 10 Duration = 06m28s
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse: 1225 Sep 04 Duration = 00m12s
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 1189 Aug 13 Duration = 00m43s
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 1207 Aug 25 Duration = 00m16s
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse: 1117 Jul 01 Magnitude = 0.9337
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse: 0991 Apr 17 Magnitude = 0.0624
Local circumstances at greatest eclipse[4] for every eclipse of Saros 122 are presented in the following catalog. The sequence number in the first column links to a global map showing regions of eclipse visibility. A detailed key and additional information about the catalog can be found at: Key to Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series.
For an animation showing how the eclipse path changes with each member of the series, see Saros 122 Animation.
TD of
Seq. Rel. Calendar Greatest Luna Ecl. Ecl. Sun Sun Path Central
Num. Num. Date Eclipse ΔT Num. Type Gamma Mag. Lat. Long. Alt Azm Width Dur.
s ° ° ° ° km
01 -36 0991 Apr 17 10:00:06 1640 -12476 Pb -1.5013 0.0624 70.8S 88.0E 0 310
02 -35 1009 Apr 27 17:33:05 1542 -12253 P -1.4445 0.1700 70.1S 38.5W 0 322
03 -34 1027 May 09 01:00:48 1452 -12030 P -1.3840 0.2848 69.3S 163.2W 0 334
04 -33 1045 May 19 08:21:52 1362 -11807 P -1.3184 0.4089 68.3S 74.4E 0 346
05 -32 1063 May 30 15:39:34 1273 -11584 P -1.2508 0.5365 67.4S 46.6W 0 356
06 -31 1081 Jun 09 22:52:36 1183 -11361 P -1.1800 0.6695 66.4S 166.0W 0 7
07 -30 1099 Jun 21 06:05:15 1093 -11138 P -1.1092 0.8015 65.4S 75.1E 0 17
08 -29 1117 Jul 01 13:16:27 1021 -10915 P -1.0377 0.9337 64.5S 42.9W 0 26
09 -28 1135 Jul 12 20:28:48 949 -10692 T -0.9676 1.0179 51.5S 147.8W 14 25 248 01m25s
10 -27 1153 Jul 23 03:42:38 881 -10469 T -0.8994 1.0161 41.6S 105.1E 26 25 125 01m22s
11 -26 1171 Aug 03 11:00:18 827 -10246 T -0.8350 1.0126 36.2S 4.6W 33 28 77 01m06s
12 -25 1189 Aug 13 18:22:08 774 -10023 H -0.7744 1.0082 33.2S 115.4W 39 30 43 00m43s
13 -24 1207 Aug 25 01:48:51 720 -9800 H -0.7186 1.0031 31.9S 132.6E 44 32 15 00m16s
14 -23 1225 Sep 04 09:21:58 666 -9577 A -0.6686 0.9977 31.9S 19.1E 48 34 11 00m12s
15 -22 1243 Sep 15 17:01:45 612 -9354 A -0.6249 0.9920 33.0S 96.0W 51 35 35 00m42s
16 -21 1261 Sep 26 00:48:31 563 -9131 A -0.5878 0.9863 35.0S 147.2E 54 36 59 01m12s
17 -20 1279 Oct 07 08:42:21 517 -8908 A -0.5573 0.9805 37.6S 29.0E 56 35 82 01m42s
18 -19 1297 Oct 17 16:42:50 470 -8685 A -0.5330 0.9751 40.6S 90.4W 58 34 104 02m11s
19 -18 1315 Oct 29 00:49:59 436 -8462 A -0.5150 0.9698 43.8S 149.0E 59 32 126 02m40s
20 -17 1333 Nov 08 09:01:11 404 -8239 A -0.5012 0.9651 46.8S 28.4E 60 28 145 03m06s
21 -16 1351 Nov 19 17:18:04 372 -8016 A -0.4929 0.9608 49.4S 92.8W 60 23 163 03m32s
22 -15 1369 Nov 30 01:36:58 344 -7793 A -0.4873 0.9570 51.4S 146.5E 61 17 179 03m55s
23 -14 1387 Dec 11 09:58:30 315 -7570 A -0.4843 0.9539 52.4S 26.0E 61 10 193 04m16s
24 -13 1405 Dec 21 18:17:58 288 -7347 A -0.4803 0.9514 52.2S 93.8W 61 3 204 04m35s
25 -12 1424 Jan 02 02:37:16 263 -7124 A -0.4768 0.9495 50.7S 146.1E 61 356 211 04m52s
26 -11 1442 Jan 12 10:51:53 238 -6901 A -0.4704 0.9481 48.0S 26.0E 62 350 216 05m06s
27 -10 1460 Jan 23 19:01:52 217 -6678 A -0.4607 0.9474 44.2S 94.1W 62 346 218 05m19s
28 -09 1478 Feb 03 03:04:10 199 -6455 A -0.4455 0.9472 39.5S 146.3E 63 343 217 05m31s
29 -08 1496 Feb 14 10:59:31 181 -6232 A -0.4249 0.9474 34.2S 27.4E 65 341 213 05m41s
30 -07 1514 Feb 24 18:45:30 166 -6009 A -0.3974 0.9479 28.2S 90.1W 66 341 208 05m51s
31 -06 1532 Mar 07 02:21:39 152 -5786 A -0.3625 0.9488 21.8S 154.3E 69 341 201 05m59s
32 -05 1550 Mar 18 09:47:48 138 -5563 A -0.3200 0.9497 15.1S 40.7E 71 342 194 06m05s
33 -04 1568 Mar 28 17:04:21 127 -5340 A -0.2701 0.9507 8.1S 70.5W 74 343 187 06m10s
34 -03 1586 Apr 19 00:10:09 116 -5117 A -0.2120 0.9517 0.9S 179.1W 78 345 181 06m12s
35 -02 1604 Apr 29 07:07:21 105 -4894 A -0.1473 0.9525 6.3N 74.7E 82 347 176 06m12s
36 -01 1622 May 10 13:55:35 90 -4671 Am -0.0757 0.9531 13.5N 28.8W 86 350 172 06m07s
37 00 1640 May 20 20:37:52 60 -4448 A 0.0002 0.9533 20.4N 130.2W 90 179 171 06m00s
38 01 1658 Jun 01 03:11:38 38 -4225 A 0.0828 0.9532 27.0N 131.3E 85 178 172 05m49s
39 02 1676 Jun 11 09:42:37 19 -4002 A 0.1673 0.9527 33.0N 34.6E 80 182 176 05m38s
40 03 1694 Jun 22 16:08:45 8 -3779 A 0.2556 0.9517 38.4N 59.7W 75 187 183 05m27s
TD of
Seq. Rel. Calendar Greatest Luna Ecl. Ecl. Sun Sun Path Central
Num. Num. Date Eclipse ΔT Num. Type Gamma Mag. Lat. Long. Alt Azm Width Dur.
s ° ° ° ° km
41 04 1712 Jul 03 22:34:57 9 -3556 A 0.3434 0.9503 42.8N 152.7W 70 194 194 05m18s
42 05 1730 Jul 15 04:59:09 10 -3333 A 0.4325 0.9484 46.3N 115.9E 64 200 210 05m13s
43 06 1748 Jul 25 11:27:02 12 -3110 A 0.5183 0.9461 48.7N 24.5E 59 207 231 05m12s
44 07 1766 Aug 05 17:56:58 16 -2887 A 0.6023 0.9433 50.2N 67.0W 53 214 260 05m15s
45 08 1784 Aug 16 00:31:53 17 -2664 A 0.6819 0.9402 50.9N 159.8W 47 220 299 05m23s
46 09 1802 Aug 28 07:12:00 13 -2441 A 0.7569 0.9367 51.3N 105.7E 41 225 354 05m35s
47 10 1820 Sep 07 13:59:58 12 -2218 A 0.8251 0.9329 51.6N 8.7E 34 229 432 05m49s
48 11 1838 Sep 18 20:55:56 5 -1995 A 0.8868 0.9289 52.4N 90.6W 27 232 562 06m06s
49 12 1856 Sep 29 03:59:44 8 -1772 A 0.9420 0.9246 54.3N 169.1E 19 236 831 06m21s
50 13 1874 Oct 10 11:13:33 -3 -1549 An 0.9889 0.9193 58.6N 72.0E 7 244 - 06m28s
51 14 1892 Oct 20 18:36:06 -7 -1326 P 1.0286 0.9054 61.4N 33.3W 0 247
52 15 1910 Nov 02 02:08:32 11 -1103 P 1.0603 0.8515 61.9N 155.1W 0 238
53 16 1928 Nov 12 09:48:24 24 -880 P 1.0861 0.8078 62.6N 81.1E 0 229
54 17 1946 Nov 23 17:37:12 28 -657 P 1.1050 0.7758 63.4N 45.3W 0 219
55 18 1964 Dec 04 01:31:54 36 -434 P 1.1193 0.7518 64.3N 173.3W 0 209
56 19 1982 Dec 15 09:32:09 53 -211 P 1.1293 0.7350 65.3N 56.9E 0 199
57 20 2000 Dec 25 17:35:57 64 12 P 1.1367 0.7228 66.3N 74.1W 0 189
58 21 2019 Jan 06 01:42:38 70 235 P 1.1417 0.7145 67.4N 153.6E 0 178
59 22 2037 Jan 16 09:48:55 82 458 P 1.1477 0.7049 68.5N 20.8E 0 166
60 23 2055 Jan 27 17:54:05 104 681 P 1.1550 0.6932 69.5N 112.2W 0 154
61 24 2073 Feb 07 01:55:59 142 904 P 1.1651 0.6768 70.5N 114.9E 0 141
62 25 2091 Feb 18 09:54:40 182 1127 P 1.1779 0.6558 71.2N 17.8W 0 128
63 26 2109 Mar 01 17:45:53 225 1350 P 1.1972 0.6238 71.8N 149.1W 0 114
64 27 2127 Mar 13 01:32:03 269 1573 P 1.2208 0.5841 72.1N 80.4E 0 100
65 28 2145 Mar 23 09:09:38 315 1796 P 1.2519 0.5311 72.1N 48.0W 0 86
66 29 2163 Apr 03 16:41:51 356 2019 P 1.2876 0.4698 71.9N 175.0W 0 72
67 30 2181 Apr 14 00:04:05 397 2242 P 1.3318 0.3931 71.5N 60.8E 0 59
68 31 2199 Apr 25 07:21:51 440 2465 P 1.3799 0.3085 70.8N 61.7W 0 46
69 32 2217 May 06 14:31:15 484 2688 P 1.4355 0.2100 70.0N 178.5E 0 33
70 33 2235 May 17 21:36:41 531 2911 Pe 1.4946 0.1044 69.1N 60.3E 0 22
[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 the Earth's center. For total eclipses, the instant of greatest eclipse is virtually identical 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 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.
Special thanks to Dan McGlaun for extracting the individual eclipse maps from the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 for use in this catalog and for preparing the Saros series animations from these maps.
The Besselian elements used in the predictions were kindly provided by Jean Meeus. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Some of the information presented on this web site is based on data originally published in Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000
Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:
"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak and Jean Meeus (NASA's GSFC)"
