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 5001 to 6000 ( 5001 CE to 6000 CE[2]), Earth will experience 2368 solar eclipses. The following table shows the number of eclipses of each type over this period.
| Solar Eclipses: 5001 - 6000 | |||
| Eclipse Type | Symbol | Number | Percent |
| All Eclipses | - | 2368 | 100.0% |
| Partial | P | 839 | 35.4% |
| Annular | A | 754 | 31.8% |
| Total | T | 595 | 25.1% |
| Hybrid | H | 180 | 7.6% |
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 60th century CE 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 | 1349 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 1317 | 97.6% |
| Central (one limit) | 16 | 1.2% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 16 | 1.2% |
| Annular Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Annular Eclipses | 754 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 728 | 96.6% |
| Central (one limit) | 12 | 1.6% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 14 | 1.9% |
| Total Eclipses | ||
| Classification | Number | Percent |
| All Total Eclipses | 595 | 100.0% |
| Central (two limits) | 589 | 99.0% |
| Central (one limit) | 4 | 0.7% |
| Non-Central (one limit) | 2 | 0.3% |
The longest central[3] solar eclipses of this period are:
Longest Total Solar Eclipse: 5239 Jul 07 Duration = 06m35s
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse: 5797 Jan 24 Duration = 11m18s
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse: 5963 Aug 16 Duration = 01m52s
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
----- 5143 Mar 22 01:44:32 34084 38876 248 A -0.6240 0.9179 36.6S 49.9W 51 338 395 09m19s
----- 5161 Apr 01 09:40:36 34455 39099 248 A -0.6070 0.9189 31.3S 169.4W 52 340 383 09m40s
----- 5175 Dec 18 20:30:12 34760 39281 251 A 0.5188 0.9326 8.2N 13.4E 59 176 295 09m29s
----- 5179 Apr 12 17:31:14 34828 39322 248 A -0.5856 0.9204 25.9S 72.3E 54 343 368 09m58s
----- 5193 Dec 29 04:08:02 35134 39504 251 A 0.4850 0.9293 5.9N 100.5W 61 172 302 09m55s
----- 5197 Apr 23 01:16:35 35203 39545 248 A -0.5597 0.9224 20.6S 44.8W 56 346 351 10m11s
----- 5212 Jan 09 11:51:42 35511 39727 251 A 0.4563 0.9263 4.7N 144.4E 63 168 310 10m11s
----- 5215 May 04 08:53:55 35580 39768 248 A -0.5273 0.9248 15.4S 159.7W 58 349 332 10m17s
----- 5230 Jan 19 19:41:12 35890 39950 251 A 0.4324 0.9237 4.6N 28.0E 64 163 317 10m16s
----- 5233 May 14 16:24:20 35959 39991 248 A -0.4888 0.9276 10.2S 87.3E 61 353 311 10m14s
----- 5248 Jan 31 03:35:48 36270 40173 251 A 0.4128 0.9216 5.6N 89.6W 66 160 323 10m13s
----- 5251 May 25 23:46:15 36340 40214 248 A -0.4432 0.9306 5.3S 23.2W 64 356 290 10m00s
----- 5266 Feb 10 11:34:48 36653 40396 251 A 0.3965 0.9200 7.4N 151.7E 67 156 327 10m05s
----- 5269 Jun 05 07:01:41 36723 40437 248 A -0.3919 0.9337 0.6S 131.6W 67 0 269 09m35s
----- 5284 Feb 21 19:35:17 37038 40619 251 A 0.3816 0.9189 9.9N 32.5E 68 154 329 09m53s
----- 5302 Mar 05 03:37:05 37424 40842 251 A 0.3679 0.9185 12.9N 86.9W 68 152 329 09m39s
----- 5320 Mar 15 11:37:39 37813 41065 251 A 0.3532 0.9186 16.2N 154.1E 69 150 327 09m24s
----- 5338 Mar 26 19:36:55 38204 41288 251 A 0.3374 0.9193 19.7N 35.6E 70 150 322 09m09s
----- 5407 Jan 15 05:47:57 39713 42139 254 A -0.1642 0.9248 30.5S 99.9W 80 356 288 09m31s
----- 5425 Jan 25 13:36:45 40113 42362 254 A -0.1400 0.9225 26.8S 145.7E 82 352 296 10m01s
----- 5443 Feb 05 21:31:27 40516 42585 254 A -0.1210 0.9207 22.7S 29.4E 83 349 302 10m24s
----- 5461 Feb 16 05:29:30 40920 42808 254 A -0.1052 0.9195 18.2S 88.4W 84 346 307 10m40s
----- 5479 Feb 27 13:29:59 41327 43031 254 A -0.0911 0.9189 13.4S 152.9E 85 344 309 10m49s
----- 5497 Mar 09 21:30:24 41735 43254 254 A -0.0769 0.9188 8.4S 33.9E 86 343 309 10m53s
----- 5515 Mar 22 05:30:43 42146 43477 254 A -0.0626 0.9194 3.2S 85.2W 86 343 306 10m51s
----- 5533 Apr 01 13:28:44 42558 43700 254 A -0.0463 0.9204 2.0N 156.2E 87 343 302 10m45s
----- 5547 Dec 19 00:50:09 42896 43882 257 A -0.0208 0.9313 24.3S 15.3W 89 356 257 09m02s
----- 5551 Apr 12 21:22:24 42972 43923 254 A -0.0264 0.9221 7.3N 38.6E 89 344 294 10m32s
----- 5565 Dec 29 08:20:17 43312 44105 257 A -0.0609 0.9282 26.4S 124.6W 86 351 270 09m12s
----- 5569 Apr 23 05:11:27 43389 44146 254 A -0.0025 0.9242 12.5N 77.5W 90 330 286 10m14s
----- 5584 Jan 09 15:58:29 43730 44328 257 A -0.0945 0.9255 27.2S 124.4E 84 346 282 09m18s
----- 5587 May 04 12:54:15 43807 44369 254 A 0.0270 0.9268 17.6N 168.1E 88 170 275 09m49s
----- 5602 Jan 19 23:43:16 44150 44551 257 A -0.1224 0.9231 26.7S 11.7E 83 342 292 09m22s
----- 5605 May 14 20:30:31 44228 44592 254 A 0.0619 0.9297 22.5N 55.9E 86 172 264 09m16s
----- 5620 Jan 31 07:33:15 44572 44774 257 A -0.1462 0.9213 25.2S 102.5W 81 338 301 09m24s
----- 5638 Feb 10 15:28:40 44996 44997 257 A -0.1653 0.9198 22.8S 141.5E 80 335 308 09m25s
----- 5656 Feb 21 23:27:01 45422 45220 257 A -0.1823 0.9190 19.8S 24.3E 79 333 312 09m25s
----- 5674 Mar 04 07:27:40 45851 45443 257 A -0.1971 0.9188 16.3S 93.8W 79 331 313 09m25s
----- 5692 Mar 14 15:27:40 46281 45666 257 A -0.2125 0.9191 12.8S 147.9E 78 331 313 09m25s
----- 5710 Mar 26 23:27:46 46713 45889 257 A -0.2280 0.9200 9.2S 29.5E 77 331 310 09m24s
----- 5724 Dec 12 11:18:45 47067 46071 260 A 0.2752 0.9318 7.0S 153.0W 74 189 265 09m34s
----- 5728 Apr 06 07:24:51 47147 46112 257 A -0.2462 0.9215 6.0S 88.2W 76 332 305 09m23s
----- 5742 Dec 23 18:42:36 47503 46294 260 A 0.3203 0.9287 4.4S 97.8E 71 185 282 10m17s
----- 5746 Apr 17 15:18:10 47583 46335 257 A -0.2676 0.9235 3.3S 155.1E 74 334 298 09m21s
----- 5761 Jan 03 02:13:34 47940 46517 260 A 0.3595 0.9259 1.3S 13.6W 69 180 299 10m50s
----- 5764 Apr 27 23:06:15 48021 46558 257 A -0.2934 0.9259 1.3S 39.8E 73 337 290 09m18s
----- 5779 Jan 14 09:53:11 48380 46740 260 A 0.3917 0.9235 2.1N 127.4W 67 176 314 11m11s
----- 5782 May 09 06:48:47 48461 46781 257 A -0.3240 0.9288 0.3S 74.1W 71 340 281 09m13s
----- 5797 Jan 24 17:38:43 48822 46963 260 A 0.4188 0.9214 5.9N 116.9E 65 173 327 11m18s
----- 5800 May 20 14:24:37 48904 47004 257 A -0.3604 0.9319 0.2S 173.8E 69 344 271 09m04s
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
----- 5815 Feb 06 01:30:09 49266 47186 260 A 0.4412 0.9199 10.1N 0.4W 64 169 337 11m14s
----- 5833 Feb 16 09:26:13 49712 47409 260 A 0.4597 0.9189 14.5N 119.0W 63 166 345 11m01s
----- 5851 Feb 27 17:26:15 50159 47632 260 A 0.4747 0.9184 19.1N 121.3E 62 164 349 10m40s
----- 5869 Mar 10 01:27:24 50609 47855 260 A 0.4892 0.9185 24.0N 1.3E 61 162 352 10m13s
----- 5887 Mar 21 09:29:06 51061 48078 260 A 0.5033 0.9192 29.1N 118.6W 60 160 352 09m43s
----- 5905 Apr 01 17:29:26 51515 48301 260 A 0.5186 0.9205 34.4N 122.0E 59 160 350 09m10s
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)"
