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 173 all occur at the Moon’s ascending node and the Moon moves southward with each eclipse. The series will begin with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 2485 Jul 12. The series will end with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 3729 Aug 08. The total duration of Saros series 173 is 1244.08 years. In summary:
First Eclipse = 2485 Jul 12 09:35:02 TD
Last Eclipse = 3729 Aug 08 08:46:50 TD
Duration of Saros 173 = 1244.08 Years
Saros 173 is composed of 70 solar eclipses as follows:
| Solar Eclipses of Saros 173 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 70 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 14 | 20.0% |
| Annular | A | 12 | 17.1% |
| Total | T | 41 | 58.6% |
| Hybrid[3] | H | 3 | 4.3% |
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 173 appears in the following table.
| Umbral Eclipses of Saros 173 | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Umbral Eclipses | 56 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 56 | 100.0% |
| Central (one limit) | 0 | 0.0% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 0 | 0.0% |
The following string illustrates the sequence of the 70 eclipses in Saros 173: 7P 41T 3H 12A 7P
The longest and shortest eclipses of Saros 173 as well as other eclipse extrema are listed below.
Longest Total Solar Eclipse: 3116 Aug 01 Duration = 06m41s
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse: 3332 Dec 10 Duration = 01m11s
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse: 3603 May 24 Duration = 01m40s
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse: 3405 Jan 23 Duration = 00m02s
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 3350 Dec 21 Duration = 00m49s
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 3387 Jan 12 Duration = 00m13s
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse: 3621 Jun 03 Magnitude = 0.9340
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse: 3729 Aug 08 Magnitude = 0.1028
Local circumstances at greatest eclipse[4] for every eclipse of Saros 173 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 173 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 -35 2485 Jul 12 09:35:02 1394 6005 Pb 1.4713 0.1259 68.0N 145.3W 0 352
02 -34 2503 Jul 24 16:46:37 1471 6228 P 1.3926 0.2716 69.0N 95.8E 0 341
03 -33 2521 Aug 04 00:02:18 1551 6451 P 1.3160 0.4141 69.9N 24.8W 0 329
04 -32 2539 Aug 15 07:21:01 1633 6674 P 1.2408 0.5548 70.8N 146.7W 0 317
05 -31 2557 Aug 25 14:46:39 1717 6897 P 1.1703 0.6870 71.4N 89.1E 0 304
06 -30 2575 Sep 05 22:17:41 1802 7120 P 1.1036 0.8125 71.9N 37.0W 0 291
07 -29 2593 Sep 16 05:55:38 1890 7343 P 1.0418 0.9285 72.2N 165.1W 0 277
08 -28 2611 Sep 28 13:41:25 1980 7566 T 0.9859 1.0280 69.6N 39.6E 9 240 630 01m42s
09 -27 2629 Oct 08 21:35:29 2072 7789 T 0.9363 1.0312 59.0N 106.3W 20 214 302 02m10s
10 -26 2647 Oct 20 05:38:03 2167 8012 T 0.8932 1.0324 50.5N 122.8E 26 204 243 02m27s
11 -25 2665 Oct 30 13:48:30 2263 8235 T 0.8563 1.0330 43.6N 6.1W 31 198 215 02m40s
12 -24 2683 Nov 10 22:07:55 2361 8458 T 0.8266 1.0331 37.9N 135.4W 34 193 198 02m49s
13 -23 2701 Nov 22 06:34:43 2462 8681 T 0.8026 1.0331 33.3N 94.4E 36 188 187 02m56s
14 -22 2719 Dec 03 15:08:00 2564 8904 T 0.7837 1.0331 29.9N 36.8W 38 183 180 03m01s
15 -21 2737 Dec 13 23:47:43 2668 9127 T 0.7697 1.0332 27.4N 169.3W 39 178 176 03m03s
16 -20 2755 Dec 25 08:32:19 2775 9350 T 0.7595 1.0335 26.0N 57.3E 40 173 174 03m05s
17 -19 2774 Jan 04 17:20:31 2884 9573 T 0.7521 1.0342 25.4N 76.9W 41 168 174 03m07s
18 -18 2792 Jan 16 02:09:57 2995 9796 T 0.7454 1.0353 25.6N 148.8E 42 164 177 03m09s
19 -17 2810 Jan 26 11:00:54 3107 10019 T 0.7398 1.0369 26.5N 14.1E 42 159 182 03m11s
20 -16 2828 Feb 06 19:50:44 3222 10242 T 0.7327 1.0388 28.0N 120.3W 43 155 188 03m15s
21 -15 2846 Feb 17 04:37:38 3339 10465 T 0.7233 1.0413 29.8N 106.3E 43 151 196 03m20s
22 -14 2864 Feb 28 13:20:36 3458 10688 T 0.7105 1.0442 32.0N 25.8W 45 147 205 03m26s
23 -13 2882 Mar 10 21:58:32 3579 10911 T 0.6934 1.0475 34.4N 156.2W 46 145 215 03m34s
24 -12 2900 Mar 22 06:30:52 3702 11134 T 0.6716 1.0510 36.9N 75.3E 48 143 224 03m44s
25 -11 2918 Apr 02 14:55:22 3828 11357 T 0.6433 1.0547 39.3N 50.4W 50 142 233 03m55s
26 -10 2936 Apr 12 23:13:37 3955 11580 T 0.6097 1.0584 41.6N 173.6W 52 143 240 04m08s
27 -09 2954 Apr 24 07:23:39 4084 11803 T 0.5696 1.0622 43.6N 66.2E 55 145 246 04m23s
28 -08 2972 May 04 15:26:42 4216 12026 T 0.5235 1.0657 45.0N 51.1W 58 149 251 04m40s
29 -07 2990 May 15 23:22:03 4349 12249 T 0.4710 1.0689 45.4N 165.7W 62 154 254 04m58s
30 -06 3008 May 27 07:11:30 4485 12472 T 0.4136 1.0716 44.8N 81.7E 65 160 256 05m18s
31 -05 3026 Jun 07 14:55:11 4623 12695 T 0.3514 1.0738 43.0N 29.6W 69 166 256 05m38s
32 -04 3044 Jun 17 22:33:14 4762 12918 T 0.2846 1.0754 39.9N 140.0W 73 172 255 05m58s
33 -03 3062 Jun 29 06:07:48 4904 13141 T 0.2150 1.0762 35.7N 109.4E 77 178 253 06m16s
34 -02 3080 Jul 09 13:38:50 5048 13364 T 0.1427 1.0762 30.4N 1.3W 82 182 249 06m31s
35 -01 3098 Jul 20 21:08:34 5194 13587 T 0.0692 1.0755 24.3N 112.8W 86 186 245 06m40s
36 00 3116 Aug 01 04:36:29 5342 13810 Tm -0.0053 1.0739 17.5N 135.3E 90 15 240 06m41s
37 01 3134 Aug 12 12:05:48 5492 14033 T -0.0784 1.0715 10.4N 22.3E 86 13 233 06m35s
38 02 3152 Aug 22 19:36:07 5644 14256 T -0.1499 1.0683 2.9N 91.5W 81 15 225 06m19s
39 03 3170 Sep 03 03:09:08 5799 14479 T -0.2189 1.0646 4.8S 153.6E 77 16 216 05m56s
40 04 3188 Sep 13 10:45:34 5955 14702 T -0.2844 1.0601 12.6S 37.8E 73 18 205 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 05 3206 Sep 24 18:26:50 6113 14925 T -0.3455 1.0551 20.2S 79.3W 70 19 193 04m54s
42 06 3224 Oct 05 02:13:39 6274 15148 T -0.4010 1.0497 27.7S 162.4E 66 19 180 04m18s
43 07 3242 Oct 16 10:05:20 6436 15371 T -0.4519 1.0441 35.0S 43.3E 63 19 164 03m42s
44 08 3260 Oct 26 18:04:36 6601 15594 T -0.4959 1.0382 41.8S 76.8W 60 18 147 03m06s
45 09 3278 Nov 07 02:09:51 6768 15817 T -0.5346 1.0324 48.0S 162.7E 57 16 129 02m33s
46 10 3296 Nov 17 10:23:03 6936 16040 T -0.5661 1.0266 53.4S 41.8E 55 12 110 02m03s
47 11 3314 Nov 29 18:41:23 7107 16263 T -0.5930 1.0211 57.9S 78.2W 53 7 90 01m35s
48 12 3332 Dec 10 03:07:09 7280 16486 T -0.6132 1.0159 60.8S 162.1E 52 359 69 01m11s
49 13 3350 Dec 21 11:36:58 7455 16709 H -0.6297 1.0111 62.3S 43.0E 51 349 49 00m49s
50 14 3368 Dec 31 20:11:34 7632 16932 H -0.6419 1.0067 61.9S 77.0W 50 340 31 00m30s
51 15 3387 Jan 12 04:48:21 7811 17155 H -0.6520 1.0029 60.2S 161.1E 49 332 13 00m13s
52 16 3405 Jan 23 13:27:37 7993 17378 A -0.6597 0.9996 57.2S 36.7E 48 326 2 00m02s
53 17 3423 Feb 03 22:05:50 8176 17601 A -0.6677 0.9969 53.7S 89.4W 48 322 15 00m14s
54 18 3441 Feb 14 06:42:33 8361 17824 A -0.6765 0.9946 50.0S 143.5E 47 320 25 00m25s
55 19 3459 Feb 25 15:15:44 8549 18047 A -0.6877 0.9928 46.2S 16.3E 46 320 34 00m34s
56 20 3477 Mar 07 23:45:07 8738 18270 A -0.7016 0.9913 42.8S 110.6W 45 320 42 00m42s
57 21 3495 Mar 19 08:06:50 8930 18493 A -0.7213 0.9901 39.9S 124.1E 44 321 49 00m49s
58 22 3513 Mar 30 16:22:23 9123 18716 A -0.7452 0.9891 37.7S 0.1E 42 323 56 00m56s
59 23 3531 Apr 11 00:28:48 9319 18939 A -0.7761 0.9881 36.7S 121.5W 39 325 65 01m02s
60 24 3549 Apr 21 08:28:09 9517 19162 A -0.8122 0.9870 36.8S 118.6E 35 328 76 01m10s
61 25 3567 May 02 16:15:57 9717 19385 A -0.8570 0.9856 38.8S 1.7E 31 331 96 01m18s
62 26 3585 May 12 23:56:47 9918 19608 A -0.9069 0.9838 42.8S 113.2W 25 334 135 01m28s
63 27 3603 May 24 07:26:42 10122 19831 A -0.9647 0.9806 51.1S 136.0E 15 335 265 01m40s
64 28 3621 Jun 03 14:49:36 10328 20054 P -1.0275 0.9340 64.7S 30.6E 0 333
65 29 3639 Jun 14 22:02:41 10537 20277 P -1.0975 0.8085 65.7S 86.6W 0 342
66 30 3657 Jun 25 05:10:20 10747 20500 P -1.1707 0.6774 66.7S 157.1E 0 352
67 31 3675 Jul 06 12:10:48 10959 20723 P -1.2486 0.5385 67.7S 42.2E 0 3
68 32 3693 Jul 16 19:06:25 11173 20946 P -1.3292 0.3951 68.7S 72.0W 0 14
69 33 3711 Jul 29 01:57:44 11390 21169 P -1.4119 0.2489 69.7S 174.3E 0 25
70 34 3729 Aug 08 08:46:50 11608 21392 Pe -1.4950 0.1028 70.5S 60.6E 0 37
[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)"
