Eclipses of the Sun can only occur during the New Moon phase. It is then possible for the Moon's penumbral, umbral or antumbral shadows to sweep across Earth's surface thereby producing an eclipse. Not all New Moons result in a solar eclipse because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees to Earth's about the Sun. Consequently, the Moon's shadows miss Earth at most New Moon's. Nevertheless, there are 2 to 5 solar eclipses every calendar year. There are four types of solar eclipses: partial, annular, total and hybrid[1]. For more information, see Basic Solar Eclipse Geometry.
During the 10 century period -0999 to 0000 ( 1000 BCE to 1 BCE[2]), Earth experienced 2373 solar eclipses. The following table shows the number of eclipses of each type over this period.
| Solar Eclipses: -0999 - 0000 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 2373 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 857 | 36.1% |
| Annular | A | 764 | 32.2% |
| Total | T | 622 | 26.2% |
| Hybrid | H | 130 | 5.5% |
Annular and total eclipses 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 during the 1st century BCE appears in the following three tables (no Hybrids are included since all are central with two limits).
| Annular and Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All | 1386 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 1352 | 97.5% |
| Central (one limit) | 14 | 1.0% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 20 | 1.4% |
| Annular Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Annular Eclipses | 764 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 743 | 97.3% |
| Central (one limit) | 10 | 1.3% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 11 | 1.4% |
| Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Total Eclipses | 622 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 609 | 97.9% |
| Central (one limit) | 4 | 0.6% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 9 | 1.4% |
The longest central[3] solar eclipses of this period are:
Longest Total Solar Eclipse: -0743 Jun 15 Duration = 07m28s
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse: -0177 Dec 22 Duration = 12m08s
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: -0979 Aug 13 Duration = 01m48s
Long Annular Solar Eclipses are relatively rare. The following catalog lists concise details and local circumstances for all Annular Solar Eclipses with durations exceeding 09m 00s. The Key to Catalog of Solar Eclipses contains a detailed description and explanation of each item listed in the catalog. For eclipses from -1999 to +3000, the Catalog Number in the first column serves as a link to a global map of Earth showing the geographic visibility of each eclipse. The date and time of the eclipse are given at the instant of greatest eclipse[4] in Terrestrial Dynamical Time. The Saros Number in the sixth column links to a table listing all eclipses in the Saros series. The Key to Solar Eclipse Maps explains the features plotted on each map.
The data presented here are based in part on the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.
TD of
Catalog Calendar Greatest Luna Saros Ecl. Ecl. Sun Sun Path Central
Number Date Eclipse ΔT Num Num Type Gamma Mag. Lat. Long. Alt Azm Width Dur.
s ° ° ° ° km
02440 -0983 Oct 24 16:17:12 24210 -36885 37 A -0.3478 0.9245 28.4S 27.6E 69 18 303 09m01s
02774 -0834 Oct 27 23:24:23 21701 -35042 49 A 0.2810 0.9270 5.4N 79.0W 74 196 285 09m41s
02815 -0816 Nov 07 07:26:32 21407 -34819 49 A 0.2757 0.9244 1.3N 158.4E 74 193 296 10m21s
02856 -0798 Nov 18 15:30:01 21115 -34596 49 A 0.2717 0.9225 2.2S 35.7E 74 190 304 10m53s
02897 -0780 Nov 28 23:34:55 20825 -34373 49 A 0.2693 0.9212 5.0S 87.1W 74 186 310 11m17s
02938 -0762 Dec 10 07:38:16 20536 -34150 49 A 0.2654 0.9206 7.1S 150.7E 75 182 312 11m29s
02940 -0761 Nov 29 06:36:00 20521 -34138 59 A 0.9364 0.9145 49.0N 174.3E 20 190 940 09m04s
02980 -0744 Dec 20 15:38:37 20250 -33927 49 A 0.2595 0.9207 8.6S 29.4E 75 178 311 11m27s
02982 -0743 Dec 09 14:40:59 20235 -33915 59 A 0.9312 0.9166 46.6N 46.5E 21 183 881 09m04s
03023 -0726 Dec 31 23:33:25 19966 -33704 49 A 0.2491 0.9215 9.5S 90.3W 76 173 306 11m10s
03068 -0707 Jan 11 07:22:27 19684 -33481 49 A 0.2340 0.9229 9.8S 151.5E 77 169 299 10m42s
03112 -0689 Jan 22 15:04:06 19387 -33258 49 A 0.2127 0.9248 9.6S 35.2E 78 164 290 10m05s
03157 -0671 Feb 01 22:36:20 19083 -33035 49 A 0.1837 0.9271 9.0S 78.8W 79 160 278 09m24s
03238 -0639 Oct 31 16:12:24 18544 -32630 52 A -0.0302 0.9222 13.9S 10.4E 88 25 294 09m12s
03284 -0621 Nov 12 00:12:30 18254 -32407 52 A -0.0230 0.9202 17.3S 110.5W 89 22 302 09m40s
03331 -0603 Nov 22 08:14:30 17969 -32184 52 Am -0.0176 0.9188 20.2S 128.4E 89 18 308 10m06s
03378 -0585 Dec 03 16:16:58 17688 -31961 52 A -0.0131 0.9182 22.3S 7.6E 89 14 311 10m27s
03426 -0567 Dec 14 00:18:30 17411 -31738 52 A -0.0084 0.9182 23.7S 112.6W 89 9 311 10m42s
03472 -0549 Dec 25 08:15:49 17138 -31515 52 A -0.0002 0.9189 23.9S 128.3E 90 0 308 10m50s
03517 -0530 Jan 04 16:08:23 16870 -31292 52 A 0.0118 0.9202 22.9S 10.4E 89 182 302 10m50s
03553 -0516 Sep 22 01:47:59 16654 -31110 55 A -0.1513 0.9305 5.5S 141.4W 81 18 263 09m04s
03562 -0512 Jan 15 23:54:16 16606 -31069 52 A 0.0290 0.9222 20.7S 106.1W 88 177 294 10m41s
03598 -0498 Oct 03 09:23:57 16393 -30887 55 A -0.1775 0.9266 11.4S 102.3E 80 18 280 09m29s
03607 -0494 Jan 26 07:33:51 16346 -30846 52 A 0.0513 0.9245 17.4S 138.5E 87 173 285 10m24s
03643 -0480 Oct 13 17:07:20 16137 -30664 55 A -0.1973 0.9234 17.0S 15.6W 79 18 295 09m49s
03651 -0476 Feb 06 15:03:05 16090 -30623 52 A 0.0820 0.9274 12.9S 25.0E 85 169 274 10m00s
03687 -0462 Oct 25 00:57:28 15883 -30441 55 A -0.2114 0.9206 22.1S 134.7W 78 17 307 10m05s
03695 -0458 Feb 16 22:25:01 15837 -30400 52 A 0.1187 0.9304 7.5S 87.3W 83 167 262 09m30s
03731 -0444 Nov 04 08:52:49 15634 -30218 55 A -0.2212 0.9185 26.7S 105.5E 77 14 317 10m16s
03775 -0426 Nov 15 16:52:47 15389 -29995 55 A -0.2269 0.9170 30.6S 14.7W 77 11 324 10m23s
03817 -0408 Nov 26 00:53:19 15147 -29772 55 A -0.2323 0.9163 33.8S 134.3W 76 7 327 10m22s
03859 -0390 Dec 07 08:55:37 14908 -29549 55 A -0.2361 0.9162 36.2S 106.3E 76 3 328 10m16s
03901 -0372 Dec 17 16:55:17 14673 -29326 55 A -0.2424 0.9169 37.7S 11.9W 76 357 326 10m02s
03940 -0354 Dec 29 00:52:27 14441 -29103 55 A -0.2505 0.9182 38.3S 129.2W 75 352 321 09m42s
03979 -0335 Jan 08 08:42:56 14213 -28880 55 A -0.2643 0.9200 38.1S 115.2E 74 346 314 09m16s
04095 -0285 Oct 18 09:46:36 13586 -28252 58 A 0.4547 0.9195 15.9N 100.0E 63 209 337 09m27s
04135 -0267 Oct 28 17:36:15 13370 -28029 58 A 0.4695 0.9174 13.1N 19.2W 62 206 350 10m06s
04175 -0249 Nov 09 01:32:18 13156 -27806 58 A 0.4792 0.9158 10.6N 140.1W 61 203 360 10m44s
04216 -0231 Nov 19 09:31:09 12944 -27583 58 A 0.4864 0.9150 8.5N 98.3E 61 199 366 11m19s
04256 -0213 Nov 30 17:32:23 12736 -27360 58 A 0.4916 0.9148 7.0N 23.9W 61 195 370 11m47s
04297 -0195 Dec 11 01:33:19 12530 -27137 58 A 0.4971 0.9153 6.3N 146.0W 60 191 370 12m04s
04339 -0177 Dec 22 09:33:34 12326 -26914 58 A 0.5030 0.9165 6.4N 92.1E 60 186 367 12m08s
04383 -0158 Jan 01 17:29:28 12125 -26691 58 A 0.5128 0.9184 7.4N 28.9W 59 182 361 11m55s
04426 -0140 Jan 13 01:20:54 11926 -26468 58 A 0.5265 0.9208 9.6N 148.8W 58 178 352 11m26s
04469 -0122 Jan 23 09:05:39 11730 -26245 58 A 0.5456 0.9237 12.7N 92.6E 57 173 343 10m42s
04512 -0104 Feb 03 16:44:32 11535 -26022 58 A 0.5696 0.9270 16.8N 24.9W 55 170 332 09m50s
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] Hybrid eclipses are also known as annular/total eclipses. Such an eclipse is both total and annular along different sections of its umbral path. (See: Five Millennium Catalog of Hybrid Solar Eclipses)
[2] The terms BCE and CE are abbreviations for "Before Common Era" and "Common Era," respectively. They are the secular equivalents to the BC and AD dating conventions. (See: Year Dating Conventions )
[3] 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).
[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.
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.
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)"
