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 Total Solar Eclipses are relatively rare. The following catalog lists concise details and local circumstances for all Total Solar Eclipses with durations exceeding 06m 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
----- 5008 Jun 09 14:22:16 31375 37209 234 Tm 0.0015 1.0682 23.0N 96.3E 90 181 222 06m06s
----- 5026 Jun 20 22:20:02 31730 37432 234 T 0.0541 1.0703 26.3N 20.4W 87 186 229 06m08s
----- 5044 Jul 01 06:11:14 32089 37655 234 T 0.1122 1.0722 29.0N 135.0W 83 191 236 06m06s
----- 5062 Jul 12 13:57:02 32448 37878 234 T 0.1749 1.0733 31.1N 112.2E 80 196 242 06m00s
----- 5203 Jun 15 10:45:59 35332 39621 237 T -0.2586 1.0665 8.2N 169.3E 75 353 225 06m15s
----- 5221 Jun 25 18:42:25 35709 39844 237 T -0.3123 1.0679 4.7N 51.5E 72 357 233 06m28s
----- 5239 Jul 07 02:31:32 36089 40067 237 T -0.3721 1.0688 0.1N 65.0W 68 2 242 06m35s
----- 5257 Jul 17 10:16:11 36471 40290 237 T -0.4354 1.0691 5.6S 178.9E 64 5 250 06m34s
----- 5275 Jul 28 17:55:04 36854 40513 237 T -0.5032 1.0687 12.2S 63.6E 60 9 259 06m23s
----- 5293 Aug 08 01:31:16 37240 40736 237 T -0.5732 1.0676 19.6S 51.8W 55 12 268 06m04s
----- 5442 Aug 12 13:19:06 40505 42579 249 T -0.1202 1.0663 7.0N 150.6E 83 13 218 06m12s
----- 5460 Aug 22 20:51:09 40909 42802 249 T -0.1914 1.0688 0.5S 37.3E 79 15 228 06m21s
----- 5478 Sep 03 04:21:28 41316 43025 249 T -0.2643 1.0704 8.4S 76.0W 75 17 237 06m22s
----- 5496 Sep 13 11:53:45 41724 43248 249 T -0.3361 1.0714 16.5S 169.9E 70 18 246 06m15s
----- 5514 Sep 25 19:26:25 42134 43471 249 T -0.4079 1.0715 24.9S 55.6E 66 19 254 06m01s
----- 5515 Sep 15 12:37:12 42157 43483 259 T 0.3295 1.0706 20.6N 172.8E 71 198 243 06m05s
----- 5533 Sep 25 20:09:43 42569 43706 259 T 0.2582 1.0686 12.4N 58.8E 75 198 231 06m07s
----- 5551 Oct 07 03:44:02 42984 43929 259 T 0.1888 1.0658 4.4N 55.5W 79 197 219 06m02s
----- 5584 Jul 05 03:33:21 43741 44334 262 T -0.5512 1.0666 10.8S 54.8W 56 12 260 06m08s
----- 5602 Jul 16 11:21:47 44162 44557 262 T -0.4916 1.0686 8.0S 170.9W 61 16 255 06m13s
----- 5620 Jul 26 19:05:16 44584 44780 262 T -0.4279 1.0699 5.9S 74.7E 65 19 250 06m13s
----- 5638 Aug 07 02:44:03 45008 45003 262 T -0.3603 1.0707 4.4S 38.1W 69 22 245 06m09s
----- 5656 Aug 17 10:18:54 45434 45226 262 T -0.2896 1.0707 3.5S 149.6W 73 25 239 06m01s
----- 5754 Nov 11 14:49:35 47791 46441 271 T 0.4537 1.0647 9.1N 157.6E 63 189 237 06m04s
----- 5760 Jul 09 23:13:51 47929 46511 255 T -0.3740 1.0619 0.6S 33.6E 68 3 219 06m01s
----- 5772 Nov 21 22:46:14 48230 46664 271 T 0.4001 1.0638 3.4N 38.5E 66 185 228 06m05s
----- 5778 Jul 21 06:58:39 48368 46734 255 T -0.4351 1.0651 6.3S 82.4W 64 7 236 06m13s
----- 5796 Jul 31 14:40:05 48810 46957 255 T -0.4993 1.0678 12.9S 161.9E 60 10 255 06m17s
----- 5814 Aug 12 22:18:10 49254 47180 255 T -0.5666 1.0698 20.2S 46.2E 55 14 275 06m11s
----- 5833 Aug 12 23:00:17 49724 47415 265 T 0.0970 1.0675 18.9N 46.9E 84 193 221 06m03s
----- 5851 Aug 24 06:34:32 50172 47638 265 T 0.0265 1.0667 11.4N 66.5W 88 195 218 06m05s
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)"
