Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 64

Introduction

The periodicity and recurrence of solar 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. For more information, see Periodicity of Solar Eclipses.


Statistics for Solar Eclipses of Saros 64

Solar eclipses of Saros 64 all occur at the Moon’s descending node and the Moon moves northward with each eclipse. The series began with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on -0832 Apr 11. The series ended with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 0430 May 08. The total duration of Saros series 64 is 1262.11 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =  -0832 Apr 11   18:10:34 TD
                       Last Eclipse =   0430 May 08   11:47:21 TD

                      Duration of Saros  64  =  1262.11 Years

Saros 64 is composed of 71 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 64
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 71100.0%
PartialP 19 26.8%
AnnularA 46 64.8%
TotalT 4 5.6%
Hybrid[3]H 2 2.8%

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 64 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 64
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 52100.0%
Central (two limits) 45 86.5%
Central (one limit) 4 7.7%
Non-Central (one limit) 3 5.8%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 71 eclipses in Saros 64: 8P 4T 2H 46A 11P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 64 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 64
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse 0159 Nov 2708m34s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse -0580 Sep 1000m30s -
Longest Total Solar Eclipse -0688 Jul 0701m53s -
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse -0634 Aug 0901m05s -
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse -0616 Aug 1900m34s -
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse -0598 Aug 3000m02s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse -0706 Jun 26 - 0.95187
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse -0832 Apr 11 - 0.05570

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 64

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 64. A description or explanation of each parameter listed in the catalog can be found in Key to Catalog of Solar Eclipse Saros Series.

Several fields in the catalog link to web pages or files containing additional information for each eclipse (for the years -1999 through +3000). The following gives a brief explanation of each link.


For an animation showing how the eclipse path changes with each member of the series, see Animation of Saros 64.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 64

                         TD of
 Seq. Rel.   Calendar   Greatest          Luna  Ecl.           Ecl.                Sun Path  Central
 Num. Num.     Date      Eclipse     ΔT   Num.  Type  Gamma    Mag.    Lat   Long  Alt Width   Dur.
                                      s                                 °      °     °    km

02778 -36 -0832 Apr 11  18:10:34  22381 -35024   Pb  -1.5028  0.0557  71.4S  75.5E   0             
02819 -35 -0814 Apr 23  01:38:07  22077 -34801   P   -1.4421  0.1718  71.0S  51.3W   0             
02860 -34 -0796 May 03  08:58:49  21776 -34578   P   -1.3762  0.2978  70.5S 175.9W   0             
02901 -33 -0778 May 14  16:17:05  21476 -34355   P   -1.3088  0.4264  69.7S  60.5E   0             
02942 -32 -0760 May 24  23:31:16  21179 -34132   P   -1.2383  0.5604  68.9S  61.5W   0             
02984 -31 -0742 Jun 05  06:45:52  20883 -33909   P   -1.1686  0.6919  68.0S 177.0E   0             
03027 -30 -0724 Jun 15  13:57:48  20590 -33686   P   -1.0974  0.8255  67.0S  56.6E   0             
03071 -29 -0706 Jun 26  21:13:03  20299 -33463   P   -1.0292  0.9519  66.0S  64.1W   0             
03115 -28 -0688 Jul 07  04:29:06  20010 -33240   T   -0.9621  1.0234  50.3S 177.1W  15  299  01m53s
03160 -27 -0670 Jul 18  11:49:55  19723 -33017   T   -0.8996  1.0208  40.2S  69.6E  26  162  01m50s

03205 -26 -0652 Jul 28  19:14:08  19438 -32794   T   -0.8405  1.0166  34.1S  44.4W  33  104  01m31s
03250 -25 -0634 Aug 09  02:45:29  19155 -32571   T   -0.7880  1.0117  30.5S 159.8W  38   64  01m05s
03296 -24 -0616 Aug 19  10:22:40  18874 -32348   H   -0.7411  1.0062  28.6S  83.6E  42   31  00m34s
03343 -23 -0598 Aug 30  18:06:26  18595 -32125   H   -0.7003  1.0005  28.2S  34.5W  45    2  00m02s
03390 -22 -0580 Sep 10  01:57:23  18318 -31902   A   -0.6663  0.9945  29.0S 154.4W  48   25  00m30s
03437 -21 -0562 Sep 21  09:55:50  18044 -31679   A   -0.6395  0.9887  31.0S  83.9E  50   51  01m00s
03483 -20 -0544 Oct 01  18:01:19  17771 -31456   A   -0.6190  0.9830  33.8S  39.4W  52   75  01m29s
03528 -19 -0526 Oct 13  02:12:29  17501 -31233   A   -0.6041  0.9777  37.3S 164.0W  53   98  01m56s
03573 -18 -0508 Oct 23  10:29:43  17232 -31010   A   -0.5949  0.9727  41.2S  70.1E  53  120  02m20s
03618 -17 -0490 Nov 03  18:51:11  16932 -30787   A   -0.5900  0.9682  45.4S  56.3W  54  140  02m42s

03663 -16 -0472 Nov 14  03:15:19  16618 -30564   A   -0.5880  0.9643  49.5S 177.4E  54  158  03m01s
03707 -15 -0454 Nov 25  11:40:41  16312 -30341   A   -0.5878  0.9611  53.4S  52.1E  54  174  03m18s
03750 -14 -0436 Dec 05  20:05:47  16015 -30118   A   -0.5881  0.9584  56.6S  71.5W  54  187  03m32s
03793 -13 -0418 Dec 17  04:28:25  15726 -29895   A   -0.5871  0.9564  58.8S 167.3E  54  197  03m43s
03835 -12 -0400 Dec 27  12:46:23  15444 -29672   A   -0.5829  0.9549  59.4S  48.5E  54  203  03m54s
03877 -11 -0381 Jan 07  20:59:04  15169 -29449   A   -0.5753  0.9541  58.5S  69.0W  55  205  04m03s
03918 -10 -0363 Jan 18  05:04:49  14901 -29226   A   -0.5631  0.9538  55.9S 174.0E  55  205  04m11s
03957 -09 -0345 Jan 29  13:01:02  14639 -29003   A   -0.5436  0.9540  51.9S  57.5E  57  201  04m18s
03997 -08 -0327 Feb 08  20:48:05  14383 -28780   A   -0.5174  0.9544  46.8S  58.6W  59  195  04m27s
04038 -07 -0309 Feb 20  04:24:40  14133 -28557   A   -0.4834  0.9551  40.7S 173.7W  61  186  04m34s

04080 -06 -0291 Mar 02  11:51:44  13889 -28334   A   -0.4425  0.9559  34.0S  72.5E  64  178  04m42s
04120 -05 -0273 Mar 13  19:06:33  13649 -28111   A   -0.3923  0.9569  26.7S  39.1W  67  170  04m50s
04160 -04 -0255 Mar 24  02:12:47  13415 -27888   A   -0.3357  0.9576  19.1S 149.0W  70  163  04m58s
04201 -03 -0237 Apr 04  09:08:11  13186 -27665   A   -0.2706  0.9582  11.2S 103.7E  74  157  05m05s
04242 -02 -0219 Apr 14  15:55:53  12961 -27442   A   -0.1999  0.9585   3.1S   1.7W  78  154  05m11s
04283 -01 -0201 Apr 25  22:34:26  12740 -27219   Am  -0.1221  0.9586   5.1N 104.6W  83  152  05m16s
04324  00 -0183 May 06  05:08:22  12524 -26996   A   -0.0411  0.9581  13.1N 154.1E  88  152  05m20s
04367  01 -0165 May 17  11:36:29  12312 -26773   A    0.0443  0.9573  21.0N  54.9E  87  156  05m21s
04410  02 -0147 May 27  18:01:25  12104 -26550   A    0.1319  0.9560  28.5N  42.7W  82  162  05m21s
04453  03 -0129 Jun 08  00:24:36  11900 -26327   A    0.2205  0.9542  35.5N 138.7W  77  172  05m19s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 64

                         TD of
 Seq. Rel.   Calendar   Greatest          Luna  Ecl.           Ecl.                Sun Path  Central
 Num. Num.     Date      Eclipse     ΔT   Num.  Type  Gamma    Mag.    Lat   Long  Alt Width   Dur.
                                      s                                 °      °     °    km

04496  04 -0111 Jun 18  06:48:07  11699 -26104   A    0.3085  0.9519  41.7N 126.6E  72  185  05m17s
04539  05 -0093 Jun 29  13:13:16  11501 -25881   A    0.3945  0.9493  46.9N  33.2E  67  203  05m17s
04584  06 -0075 Jul 09  19:40:40  11307 -25658   A    0.4782  0.9461  51.0N  59.2W  61  226  05m18s
04629  07 -0057 Jul 21  02:13:29  11116 -25435   A    0.5572  0.9427  53.7N 151.6W  56  254  05m23s
04674  08 -0039 Jul 31  08:52:03  10927 -25212   A    0.6312  0.9390  55.1N 115.1E  51  290  05m31s
04720  09 -0021 Aug 11  15:37:32  10741 -24989   A    0.6990  0.9351  55.3N  19.8E  45  334  05m42s
04766  10 -0003 Aug 21  22:31:23  10558 -24766   A    0.7597  0.9311  54.7N  78.7W  40  390  05m57s
04811  11  0015 Sep 02  05:34:31  10377 -24543   A    0.8127  0.9272  53.8N 179.0E  35  460  06m15s
04857  12  0033 Sep 12  12:47:30  10198 -24320   A    0.8576  0.9233  52.8N  72.9E  31  549  06m36s
04902  13  0051 Sep 23  20:08:25  10020 -24097   A    0.8962  0.9197  52.2N  36.3W  26  667  06m58s

04946  14  0069 Oct 04  03:39:59   9844 -23874   A    0.9260  0.9164  51.9N 149.6W  22  820  07m21s
04990  15  0087 Oct 15  11:19:28   9670 -23651   A    0.9493  0.9136  52.2N  94.1E  18 1029  07m44s
05035  16  0105 Oct 25  19:07:56   9497 -23428   A    0.9657  0.9114  53.0N  25.8W  14 1299  08m04s
05080  17  0123 Nov 06  03:01:20   9324 -23205   An   0.9783  0.9098  54.4N 147.6W  11   -   08m20s
05124  18  0141 Nov 16  11:01:39   9152 -22982   An   0.9854  0.9089  55.9N  87.2E   9   -   08m31s
05167  19  0159 Nov 27  19:04:23   8981 -22759   An   0.9908  0.9087  58.0N  39.4W   7   -   08m34s
05208  20  0177 Dec 08  03:09:25   8810 -22536   An   0.9944  0.9093  60.5N 167.5W   4   -   08m28s
05249  21  0195 Dec 19  11:13:25   8639 -22313   A+   0.9991  0.9519  65.4N  64.8E   0             
05290  22  0213 Dec 29  19:16:25   8468 -22090   A+   1.0047  0.9436  66.5N  67.0W   0             
05331  23  0232 Jan 10  03:14:59   8297 -21867   A+   1.0141  0.9292  67.6N 161.8E   0             

05372  24  0250 Jan 20  11:08:46   8125 -21644   P    1.0277  0.9080  68.7N  31.2E   0             
05413  25  0268 Jan 31  18:56:05   7953 -21421   P    1.0468  0.8775  69.7N  98.5W   0             
05453  26  0286 Feb 11  02:37:17   7780 -21198   P    1.0709  0.8382  70.5N 132.8E   0             
05493  27  0304 Feb 22  10:09:17   7606 -20975   P    1.1031  0.7851  71.2N   5.8E   0             
05532  28  0322 Mar 04  17:34:33   7431 -20752   P    1.1412  0.7212  71.7N 120.0W   0             
05572  29  0340 Mar 15  00:51:25   7255 -20529   P    1.1866  0.6442  71.9N 116.0E   0             
05612  30  0358 Mar 26  08:02:37   7079 -20306   P    1.2370  0.5574  71.9N   6.6W   0             
05652  31  0376 Apr 05  15:05:04   6902 -20083   P    1.2949  0.4567  71.6N 126.9W   0             
05693  32  0394 Apr 16  22:03:59   6724 -19860   P    1.3563  0.3488  71.1N 114.1E   0             
05734  33  0412 Apr 27  04:56:34   6546 -19637   P    1.4234  0.2296  70.4N   2.9W   0             

05775  34  0430 May 08  11:47:21   6368 -19414   Pe   1.4922  0.1063  69.6N 118.8W   0             


Calendar

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..


Predictions

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:

  1. pre-1950's: ΔT calculated from empirical fits to historical records derived by Morrison and Stephenson (2004)
  2. 1955-present: ΔT obtained from published observations
  3. future: ΔT is extrapolated from current values weighted by the long term trend from tidal effects

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.


Footnotes

[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 Earth's center. For total eclipses, the instant of greatest eclipse is nearly equal 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.


Acknowledgments

The information presented on this web page is based on data published in Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 and Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000. The individual global maps appearing in links (both GIF an animation) were extracted from full page plates appearing in Five Millennium Canon by Dan McGlaun. The Besselian elements were provided by Jean Meeus. Fred Espenak assumes full responsibility for the accuracy of all eclipse calculations.

Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak (NASA's GSFC)"


Return to:

Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Periodicity of Solar Eclipses

Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses

2009 Sep 26