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 172 all occur at the Moon’s descending node and the Moon moves northward with each eclipse. The series will begin with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 2474 Aug 13. The series will end with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 3718 Sep 08. The total duration of Saros series 172 is 1244.08 years. In summary:
First Eclipse = 2474 Aug 13 02:43:56 TD Last Eclipse = 3718 Sep 08 07:38:42 TD Duration of Saros 172 = 1244.08 Years
Saros 172 is composed of 70 solar eclipses as follows:
| Solar Eclipses of Saros 172 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 70 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 16 | 22.9% |
| Annular | A | 23 | 32.9% |
| Total | T | 15 | 21.4% |
| Hybrid[3] | H | 16 | 22.9% |
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 172 appears in the following table.
| Umbral Eclipses of Saros 172 | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Umbral Eclipses | 54 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 52 | 96.3% |
| Central (one limit) | 1 | 1.9% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 1 | 1.9% |
The following string illustrates the sequence of the 70 eclipses in Saros 172: 8P 23A 16H 15T 8P
The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 172 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.
| Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 172 | |||
| Extrema Type | Date | Duration | Magnitude |
| Longest Annular Solar Eclipse | 2745 Jan 24 | 05m58s | - |
| Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse | 3015 Jul 08 | 00m26s | - |
| Longest Total Solar Eclipse | 3520 May 10 | 03m13s | - |
| Shortest Total Solar Eclipse | 3322 Jan 09 | 01m33s | - |
| Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | 3303 Dec 30 | 01m27s | - |
| Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse | 3033 Jul 18 | 00m02s | - |
| Largest Partial Solar Eclipse | 3592 Jun 23 | - | 0.95203 |
| Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse | 3718 Sep 08 | - | 0.01653 |
The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 172. 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 172.
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
10642 -32 2474 Aug 13 02:43:56 1348 5870 Pb -1.4827 0.1379 62.1S 85.2E 0
10684 -31 2492 Aug 23 09:17:49 1424 6093 P -1.4043 0.2723 61.6S 21.8W 0
10726 -30 2510 Sep 04 15:56:49 1503 6316 P -1.3292 0.4003 61.2S 130.0W 0
10766 -29 2528 Sep 14 22:42:54 1583 6539 P -1.2592 0.5192 61.0S 120.2E 0
10806 -28 2546 Sep 26 05:36:28 1666 6762 P -1.1945 0.6285 61.0S 8.5E 0
10846 -27 2564 Oct 06 12:38:14 1750 6985 P -1.1361 0.7266 61.1S 105.2W 0
10886 -26 2582 Oct 17 19:49:11 1837 7208 P -1.0846 0.8128 61.4S 138.8E 0
10927 -25 2600 Oct 29 03:09:34 1926 7431 P -1.0403 0.8863 61.8S 20.3E 0
10968 -24 2618 Nov 09 10:39:32 2016 7654 A- -1.0033 0.9474 62.4S 100.7W 0
11009 -23 2636 Nov 19 18:16:59 2109 7877 As -0.9719 0.9164 70.9S 163.3E 13 - 05m33s
11048 -22 2654 Dec 01 02:03:29 2204 8100 A -0.9477 0.9165 75.8S 53.4E 18 1021 05m41s
11089 -21 2672 Dec 11 09:56:21 2301 8323 A -0.9286 0.9165 80.5S 59.4W 21 874 05m47s
11130 -20 2690 Dec 22 17:55:30 2401 8546 A -0.9140 0.9168 85.1S 166.7W 23 795 05m52s
11172 -19 2709 Jan 03 01:57:50 2502 8769 A -0.9017 0.9175 87.5S 147.9E 25 737 05m55s
11214 -18 2727 Jan 14 10:03:51 2605 8992 A -0.8920 0.9189 83.8S 75.5E 26 691 05m57s
11257 -17 2745 Jan 24 18:10:38 2710 9215 A -0.8825 0.9207 78.8S 40.0W 28 646 05m58s
11302 -16 2763 Feb 05 02:16:47 2818 9438 A -0.8721 0.9233 73.6S 162.2W 29 596 05m58s
11347 -15 2781 Feb 15 10:20:50 2927 9661 A -0.8595 0.9265 68.1S 74.0E 30 543 05m57s
11392 -14 2799 Feb 26 18:21:15 3039 9884 A -0.8432 0.9304 62.3S 49.8W 32 484 05m54s
11437 -13 2817 Mar 09 02:16:54 3152 10107 A -0.8224 0.9348 56.2S 172.9W 34 425 05m49s
11482 -12 2835 Mar 20 10:06:06 3268 10330 A -0.7955 0.9398 49.7S 65.6E 37 365 05m41s
11528 -11 2853 Mar 30 17:49:21 3386 10553 A -0.7631 0.9452 43.1S 54.2W 40 309 05m29s
11574 -10 2871 Apr 11 01:25:37 3506 10776 A -0.7242 0.9510 36.3S 172.1W 43 258 05m12s
11621 -09 2889 Apr 21 08:53:56 3628 10999 A -0.6779 0.9570 29.3S 72.4E 47 211 04m49s
11668 -08 2907 May 03 16:15:29 3752 11222 A -0.6251 0.9632 22.4S 40.9W 51 170 04m20s
11713 -07 2925 May 13 23:30:12 3878 11445 A -0.5657 0.9693 15.6S 152.0W 55 133 03m45s
11758 -06 2943 May 25 06:39:59 4006 11668 A -0.5014 0.9753 9.2S 98.8E 60 102 03m04s
11802 -05 2961 Jun 04 13:43:19 4136 11891 A -0.4308 0.9811 3.1S 8.2W 64 74 02m21s
11846 -04 2979 Jun 15 20:44:09 4268 12114 A -0.3570 0.9866 2.4N 113.9W 69 51 01m39s
11891 -03 2997 Jun 26 03:41:44 4403 12337 A -0.2793 0.9916 7.2N 141.9E 74 31 01m00s
----- -02 3015 Jul 08 10:38:31 4539 12560 A -0.2000 0.9962 11.1N 38.6E 79 13 00m26s
----- -01 3033 Jul 18 17:34:19 4678 12783 H -0.1189 1.0002 14.2N 63.9W 83 1 00m02s
----- 00 3051 Jul 30 00:32:40 4818 13006 H -0.0389 1.0038 16.4N 166.7W 88 13 00m23s
----- 01 3069 Aug 09 07:33:40 4961 13229 H 0.0402 1.0066 17.7N 90.1E 88 23 00m39s
----- 02 3087 Aug 20 14:38:16 5105 13452 H 0.1173 1.0090 18.2N 13.9W 83 31 00m52s
----- 03 3105 Aug 31 21:48:37 5252 13675 Hm 0.1905 1.0107 18.1N 119.4W 79 37 01m00s
----- 04 3123 Sep 12 05:05:12 5401 13898 H 0.2593 1.0119 17.5N 133.2E 75 42 01m06s
----- 05 3141 Sep 22 12:29:56 5552 14121 H 0.3222 1.0127 16.6N 23.5E 71 46 01m10s
----- 06 3159 Oct 03 20:01:00 5705 14344 H 0.3806 1.0131 15.6N 88.1W 68 48 01m12s
----- 07 3177 Oct 14 03:42:10 5860 14567 H 0.4314 1.0131 14.6N 157.4E 64 49 01m13s
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
----- 08 3195 Oct 25 11:30:55 6017 14790 H 0.4766 1.0130 13.7N 40.7E 61 50 01m14s
----- 09 3213 Nov 04 19:29:34 6176 15013 H 0.5140 1.0128 13.1N 78.9W 59 51 01m15s
----- 10 3231 Nov 16 03:35:54 6338 15236 H 0.5457 1.0125 12.8N 159.4E 57 51 01m15s
----- 11 3249 Nov 26 11:52:09 6501 15459 H 0.5697 1.0124 12.7N 34.9E 55 52 01m16s
----- 12 3267 Dec 07 20:15:14 6667 15682 H 0.5886 1.0126 13.0N 91.5W 54 53 01m18s
----- 13 3285 Dec 18 04:45:16 6834 15905 H 0.6025 1.0131 13.7N 140.1E 53 56 01m22s
----- 14 3303 Dec 30 13:20:44 7004 16128 H2 0.6124 1.0139 14.8N 10.3E 52 60 01m27s
----- 15 3322 Jan 09 22:01:36 7175 16351 T 0.6181 1.0152 16.3N 120.9W 52 66 01m33s
----- 16 3340 Jan 21 06:44:20 7349 16574 T 0.6231 1.0169 18.5N 107.2E 51 74 01m42s
----- 17 3358 Jan 31 15:28:59 7525 16797 T 0.6271 1.0191 21.2N 25.1W 51 84 01m52s
----- 18 3376 Feb 12 00:12:54 7703 17020 T 0.6320 1.0219 24.5N 157.4W 51 96 02m03s
----- 19 3394 Feb 22 08:56:29 7883 17243 T 0.6379 1.0250 28.3N 70.4E 50 110 02m15s
----- 20 3412 Mar 05 17:35:08 8065 17466 T 0.6481 1.0286 32.8N 60.8W 49 126 02m28s
----- 21 3430 Mar 17 02:11:09 8249 17689 T 0.6611 1.0324 37.8N 168.7E 48 145 02m40s
----- 22 3448 Mar 27 10:40:10 8435 17912 T 0.6803 1.0364 43.4N 39.9E 47 166 02m50s
----- 23 3466 Apr 07 19:04:43 8623 18135 T 0.7036 1.0405 49.4N 87.8W 45 190 03m00s
----- 24 3484 Apr 18 03:20:27 8813 18358 T 0.7345 1.0446 56.0N 146.6E 42 219 03m07s
----- 25 3502 Apr 30 11:31:27 9006 18581 T 0.7698 1.0484 63.0N 22.5E 39 253 03m12s
----- 26 3520 May 10 19:33:57 9200 18804 T 0.8125 1.0519 70.5N 99.7W 35 297 03m13s
----- 27 3538 May 22 03:30:38 9397 19027 T 0.8605 1.0548 78.6N 138.8E 30 359 03m11s
----- 28 3556 Jun 01 11:20:04 9595 19250 T 0.9150 1.0567 87.7N 3.9W 23 473 03m03s
----- 29 3574 Jun 12 19:05:04 9796 19473 T 0.9734 1.0568 79.2N 102.9E 12 873 02m48s
----- 30 3592 Jun 23 02:44:56 9999 19696 P 1.0364 0.9520 65.9N 15.2W 0
----- 31 3610 Jul 04 10:20:54 10203 19919 P 1.1029 0.8244 64.9N 138.2W 0
----- 32 3628 Jul 14 17:54:19 10410 20142 P 1.1719 0.6911 64.1N 99.7E 0
----- 33 3646 Jul 26 01:26:24 10619 20365 P 1.2422 0.5547 63.3N 21.8W 0
----- 34 3664 Aug 05 08:57:22 10830 20588 P 1.3134 0.4164 62.7N 142.8W 0
----- 35 3682 Aug 16 16:28:48 11043 20811 P 1.3841 0.2790 62.1N 96.2E 0
----- 36 3700 Aug 28 00:02:14 11259 21034 P 1.4532 0.1451 61.8N 25.1W 0
----- 37 3718 Sep 08 07:38:42 11476 21257 Pe 1.5198 0.0165 61.5N 147.1W 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)"
