Two to five eclipses of the Sun occur every year. Each of these events is only visible within the 7,000 kilometer wide track of the Moon's penumbral shadow as it sweeps across a portion of the Earth. If the dark core of the Moon's shadow (umbra) also crosses the Earth, then either an annular or total eclipse will be seen within its very narrow path. The umbral path is typically about 100 to 200 kilometers wide. For any given location, a partial eclipse occurs about once every two or three years. In comparison, annular and total eclipses are far rarer events. Eclipses for Beginners examines the geometry of solar eclipses in greater detail. Please note that extreme care must be taken when viewing a solar eclipse.

The table below summarizes the types and numbers of eclipses visible each century from Chicago during the period 0001 CE to 3000 CE . The last two columns list the years in which annular and total eclipses are visible from this location. During this interval, 8 annular eclipses are visible from Chicago ( 0451, 0608, 0716, 0881, 1008, 1125, 2614 and 2851 ). For the same period, 11 total eclipses are visible from Chicago ( 0102, 0192, 0556, 0957, 1205*, 1379*, 1558, 1806*, 2099*, 2205 and 2672 ). Annular and total eclipses are extraordinarily uncommon events when viewed from a single place. On average, an annular eclipse is seen once every 224 years, while a total eclipse is seen once every 375 years. However, there can be significant variations in these averages.

The geographic coordinates used in these predictions are for a single position in central Chicago . But cities are not simply singular points on the surface of the Earth. They cover geographic regions many tens of square kilometers in area. An eclipse path may miss the center of a city yet still be visible from within the city limits. To cover for this possibility, any partial eclipse seen from the city's center is counted as annular or total if some portion of its umbral path passes within 15 km of the city's coordinates.

BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) are secular alternatives for the terms BC and AD, respectively. For more information, see Year Dating Conventions.

The following catalog features the primary details for all annular and total eclipses visible from Chicago during the period 0001 CE to 3000 CE . For convenience, all dates and times are given in local standard time (= GMT - 6.0) . Note that if daylight savings time is in effect, then one hour must be added to the times. In addition to the date and the type of eclipse visible from Chicago , the local times for the beginning, maximum and end of the eclipse are given. For maximum eclipse, each catalog lists the Sun's altitude and azimuth as well as the magnitude (fraction of Sun's diameter covered) and obscuration (fraction of Sun's area covered). A magnitude of 1.0 or greater is a total eclipse while a magnitude less than 1.0 is either an annular or partial eclipse. Next, the distances (km) from Chicago to the center line and path edge are provided. If the city coordinates are inside the umbral eclipse path, then the tabulated distance to the path edge is negative. Positive values imply that the geographic coordinates are just outside the path, but that an annular or total eclipse is still visible from some portions of the city. Finally, the last column provides special comments about the eclipse. If the central coordinates of Chicago are within the path, then the duration of annularity or totality is given. For a complete description of each item in the catalog, please see Key to Solar Eclipse Viewing Circumstances.

BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) are secular alternatives for the terms BC and AD, respectively. For more information, see Year Dating Conventions.

                                                                      Since
            Eclipse Eclipse  Maximum  Eclipse Sun  Sun  Eclip. Eclip.  Last    Dist.  Dist.   Special
     Date     Type  Begins   Eclipse   Ends   Alt  Azm   Mag.   Obs.  Eclipse Center  Edge    Notes
                      h  m     h  m     h  m    °    °                  yrs     km     km

 0102 Jan 06   T:t   14:39    15:51    16:34s   7  231  1.007  1.000     -       20    -30    TOTAL -   01m22s
 0192 Mar 01   T:t   07:29    08:36    09:48   21  123  1.012  1.000   90.1      81    -81    TOTAL -   02m48s
 0451 Oct 10   A:a   11:04    12:41    14:15   39  200  0.964  0.913  259.6      78    -49    ANNULAR - 03m30s
 0556 Feb 26   T:t   09:48    11:04    12:22   38  161  1.003  1.000  104.4      91    -13    TOTAL -   01m35s
 0608 Oct 14   A:a   11:38    13:17    14:50   34  210  0.952  0.856   52.6      67   -169    ANNULAR - 07m11s
 0716 Dec 18   A:a   12:24    14:11    15:44   17  213  0.954  0.826  108.2       2   -372    ANNULAR - 09m38s
 0881 Aug 28   A:a   05:29    06:37    07:54   14   92  0.969  0.885  164.7       5   -122    ANNULAR - 04m24s
 0957 Jul 29   T:t   08:31    09:45    11:03   53  121  1.010  1.000   75.9      88    -35    TOTAL -   03m35s
 1008 Oct 31   A:a   11:04    12:51    14:31   29  201  0.959  0.848   51.3       9   -293    ANNULAR - 08m43s
 1125 Dec 26   A:a   07:24r   07:29    08:49    1  122  0.943  0.869  117.2     109    -49    ANNULAR - 03m47s
 1205 Sep 14   T:p   12:33    13:47    14:57   40  222  0.999  1.000   79.7     140      3    TOTAL -    3 km to path
 1379 May 16   T:p   08:36    09:49    11:09   58  121  0.998  1.000  173.7     129      6    TOTAL -    6 km to path
 1558 Apr 18   T:t   04:57    05:52    06:52   10   80  1.004  1.000  178.9      25   -328    TOTAL -   00m28s
 1806 Jun 16   T:p   08:26    09:40    11:01   57  114  0.999  1.000  248.1     108      5    TOTAL -    5 km to path
 2099 Sep 14   T:p   08:41    09:51    11:05   44  139  0.997  0.999  293.2     120     11    TOTAL -   11 km to path
 2205 Jul 17   T:t   06:54    07:59    09:11   36   93  1.007  1.000  105.8      62    -28    TOTAL -   02m16s
 2526 Oct 07   H:p   05:57r   06:45    07:52    9  105  0.989  0.982  321.2      26     12    ANNULAR - 12 km to path
 2614 Jul 28   A:a   15:42    16:55    18:00   24  274  0.974  0.936   87.8      55    -34    ANNULAR - 01m48s
 2672 Jun 17   T:t   05:09    06:01    06:56   17   73  1.002  1.000   57.9     157    -13    TOTAL -   01m17s
 2851 Apr 22   A:a   07:24    08:43    10:12   40  112  0.961  0.904  178.8      76    -52    ANNULAR - 03m23s

The following two catalogs provide more details for solar eclipses visible from Chicago during the period 0001 CE to 3000 CE . The first catalog lists the local circumstances (times, magnitude, etc.) for every eclipse visible from the city. The second catalog includes only major eclipses (magnitude greater than 0.75, including nearby annular and total eclipses). The catalogs should prove useful for historical research or for planning future observations.

Eclipse Predictions & WebMaster: Fred Espenak e-mail: espenak@gsfc.nasa.gov Planetary Systems Branch - Code 693 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771 USA