Saros Series Catalog of Solar Eclipses

Saros Series 121

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 121

Solar eclipses of Saros 121 all occur at the Moon’s ascending node and the Moon moves southward with each eclipse. The series began with a partial eclipse in the northern hemisphere on 0944 Apr 25. The series will end with a partial eclipse in the southern hemisphere on 2206 Jun 07. The total duration of Saros series 121 is 1262.11 years. In summary:

                      First Eclipse =   0944 Apr 25   10:56:13 TD
                       Last Eclipse =   2206 Jun 07   15:05:59 TD

                      Duration of Saros 121  =  1262.11 Years

Saros 121 is composed of 71 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses of Saros 121
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 71100.0%
PartialP 16 22.5%
AnnularA 11 15.5%
TotalT 42 59.2%
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 121 appears in the following table.

Umbral Eclipses of Saros 121
Classification Number Percent
All Umbral Eclipses 55100.0%
Central (two limits) 54 98.2%
Central (one limit) 1 1.8%
Non-Central (one limit) 0 0.0%

The following string illustrates the sequence of the 71 eclipses in Saros 121: 7P 42T 2H 11A 9P

The longest and shortest central eclipses of Saros 121 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses are listed in the below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Solar Eclipses of Saros 121
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Annular Solar Eclipse 2044 Feb 2802m27s -
Shortest Annular Solar Eclipse 1863 Nov 1100m22s -
Longest Total Solar Eclipse 1629 Jun 2106m20s -
Shortest Total Solar Eclipse 1809 Oct 0901m02s -
Longest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 1827 Oct 2000m30s -
Shortest Hybrid Solar Eclipse 1845 Oct 3000m02s -
Largest Partial Solar Eclipse 2062 Mar 11 - 0.93308
Smallest Partial Solar Eclipse 0944 Apr 25 - 0.06662

Description of the Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 121

The catalog below lists concise details and local circumstances at greatest eclipse[5] for every solar eclipse in Saros 121. 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 121.



Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 121

                         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

06997 -36  0944 Apr 25  10:56:13   1893 -13057   Pb   1.5044  0.0666  62.0N  97.1W   0             
07038 -35  0962 May 06  18:15:23   1781 -12834   P    1.4334  0.1965  62.6N 143.6E   0             
07078 -34  0980 May 17  01:32:03   1674 -12611   P    1.3592  0.3338  63.3N  24.8E   0             
07120 -33  0998 May 28  08:46:18   1571 -12388   P    1.2820  0.4782  64.2N  93.7W   0             
07162 -32  1016 Jun 07  16:00:58   1473 -12165   P    1.2042  0.6246  65.1N 147.4E   0             
07204 -31  1034 Jun 18  23:16:23   1380 -11942   P    1.1262  0.7724  66.0N  28.1E   0             
07247 -30  1052 Jun 29  06:33:32   1291 -11719   P    1.0488  0.9196  67.0N  92.1W   0             
07290 -29  1070 Jul 10  13:54:30   1207 -11496   T    0.9739  1.0404  80.0N 133.7E  12  636  02m05s
07334 -28  1088 Jul 20  21:20:06   1128 -11273   T    0.9023  1.0453  80.7N  83.3W  25  356  02m36s
07380 -27  1106 Aug 01  04:51:33   1052 -11050   T    0.8348  1.0481  70.8N 142.2E  33  292  03m00s

07425 -26  1124 Aug 11  12:28:49    982 -10827   T    0.7716  1.0497  61.4N  20.4E  39  259  03m19s
07470 -25  1142 Aug 22  20:14:13    915 -10604   T    0.7147  1.0504  52.9N 100.7W  44  238  03m36s
07515 -24  1160 Sep 02  04:07:30    852 -10381   T    0.6640  1.0504  44.9N 137.1E  48  222  03m49s
07560 -23  1178 Sep 13  12:08:37    794 -10158   T    0.6196  1.0500  37.6N  13.3E  51  210  03m59s
07605 -22  1196 Sep 23  20:18:46    739  -9935   T    0.5821  1.0491  30.9N 112.3W  54  199  04m06s
07650 -21  1214 Oct 05  04:37:19    687  -9712   T    0.5513  1.0480  24.8N 120.3E  56  190  04m11s
07696 -20  1232 Oct 15  13:04:38    639  -9489   T    0.5277  1.0469  19.5N   8.9W  58  183  04m14s
07742 -19  1250 Oct 26  21:37:26    594  -9266   T    0.5085  1.0458  14.9N 139.2W  59  177  04m16s
07786 -18  1268 Nov 06  06:18:16    552  -9043   T    0.4959  1.0448  11.2N  88.8E  60  172  04m16s
07829 -17  1286 Nov 17  15:03:22    513  -8820   T    0.4865  1.0441   8.2N  43.9W  61  168  04m17s

07872 -16  1304 Nov 27  23:53:25    477  -8597   T    0.4812  1.0438   6.2N 177.7W  61  167  04m17s
07914 -15  1322 Dec 09  08:44:26    442  -8374   T    0.4767  1.0439   5.0N  48.4E  61  167  04m17s
07955 -14  1340 Dec 19  17:37:50    410  -8151   T    0.4741  1.0444   4.7N  86.0W  62  168  04m17s
07996 -13  1358 Dec 31  02:29:35    380  -7928   T    0.4701  1.0454   5.1N 140.0E  62  171  04m18s
08037 -12  1377 Jan 10  11:19:31    352  -7705   T    0.4646  1.0469   6.1N   6.5E  62  175  04m19s
08078 -11  1395 Jan 21  20:05:24    325  -7482   T    0.4555  1.0487   7.7N 126.0W  63  180  04m21s
08118 -10  1413 Feb 01  04:47:05    300  -7259   T    0.4429  1.0509   9.6N 102.6E  64  187  04m25s
08158 -09  1431 Feb 12  13:21:50    276  -7036   T    0.4245  1.0534  11.9N  26.9W  65  193  04m30s
08198 -08  1449 Feb 22  21:50:09    253  -6813   T    0.4008  1.0561  14.3N 154.6W  66  200  04m36s
08238 -07  1467 Mar 06  06:10:42    231  -6590   T    0.3706  1.0588  16.7N  79.9E  68  207  04m44s

08278 -06  1485 Mar 16  14:24:22    211  -6367   T    0.3345  1.0615  19.1N  43.6W  70  213  04m53s
08319 -05  1503 Mar 27  22:28:20    192  -6144   T    0.2904  1.0640  21.1N 164.1W  73  218  05m04s
08361 -04  1521 Apr 07  06:26:06    175  -5921   T    0.2414  1.0662  22.8N  77.3E  76  222  05m15s
08402 -03  1539 Apr 18  14:15:07    159  -5698   T    0.1853  1.0680  23.7N  38.7W  79  225  05m28s
08443 -02  1557 Apr 28  21:59:05    144  -5475   T    0.1251  1.0692  24.0N 153.1W  83  227  05m42s
08484 -01  1575 May 10  05:34:45    132  -5252   Tm   0.0583  1.0697  23.1N  94.6E  87  227  05m56s
08525  00  1593 May 30  13:07:31    122  -5029   T   -0.0106  1.0696  21.4N  17.0W  90  227  06m08s
08565  01  1611 Jun 10  20:34:26    105  -4806   T   -0.0836  1.0686  18.4N 127.6W  85  224  06m16s
08609  02  1629 Jun 21  03:59:24     80  -4583   T   -0.1580  1.0670  14.5N 121.6E  81  221  06m20s
08654  03  1647 Jul 02  11:21:21     53  -4360   T   -0.2344  1.0643   9.6N  11.0E  77  217  06m15s


Catalog of Solar Eclipses of Saros 121

                         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

08700  04  1665 Jul 12  18:44:06     28  -4137   T   -0.3095  1.0611   3.9N 100.6W  72  211  06m02s
08746  05  1683 Jul 24  02:07:00     12  -3914   T   -0.3838  1.0569   2.5S 147.1E  67  203  05m38s
08791  06  1701 Aug 04  09:31:44      8  -3691   T   -0.4559  1.0521   9.4S  33.7E  63  193  05m06s
08836  07  1719 Aug 15  16:59:51     10  -3468   T   -0.5243  1.0466  16.8S  81.1W  58  181  04m27s
08882  08  1737 Aug 26  00:32:08     11  -3245   T   -0.5886  1.0407  24.4S 162.5E  54  167  03m44s
08928  09  1755 Sep 06  08:09:46     14  -3022   T   -0.6478  1.0342  32.1S  44.3E  49  150  03m00s
08973  10  1773 Sep 16  15:52:23     16  -2799   T   -0.7020  1.0275  39.9S  75.5W  45  130  02m18s
09019  11  1791 Sep 27  23:42:30     16  -2576   T   -0.7492  1.0206  47.6S 162.4E  41  106  01m38s
09064  12  1809 Oct 09  07:38:42     12  -2353   T   -0.7905  1.0137  55.1S  38.4E  37   77  01m02s
09109  13  1827 Oct 20  15:42:05      8  -2130   H   -0.8251  1.0070  62.3S  87.6W  34   43  00m30s

09153  14  1845 Oct 30  23:51:58      6  -1907   H   -0.8538  1.0005  69.1S 144.5E  31    3  00m02s
09196  15  1863 Nov 11  08:09:03      7  -1684   A   -0.8760  0.9943  75.4S  15.1E  28   42  00m22s
09238  16  1881 Nov 21  16:31:10     -5  -1461   A   -0.8931  0.9887  81.2S 114.5W  26   90  00m43s
09280  17  1899 Dec 03  00:57:28     -3  -1238   A   -0.9061  0.9836  86.6S 121.5E  25  140  01m01s
09323  18  1917 Dec 14  09:27:20     20  -1015   A   -0.9157  0.9791  88.0S 124.7E  23  189  01m17s
09366  19  1935 Dec 25  17:59:52     24   -792   A   -0.9228  0.9752  83.5S   9.4E  22  234  01m30s
09407  20  1954 Jan 05  02:32:01     31   -569   A   -0.9296  0.9720  79.1S 120.8W  21  278  01m42s
09447  21  1972 Jan 16  11:03:22     42   -346   A   -0.9365  0.9692  74.9S 107.7E  20  321  01m53s
09486  22  1990 Jan 26  19:31:24     57   -123   A   -0.9457  0.9670  71.0S  22.2W  18  373  02m03s
09525  23  2008 Feb 07  03:56:10     66    100   A   -0.9570  0.9650  67.6S 150.5W  16  444  02m12s

09565  24  2026 Feb 17  12:13:06     75    323   A   -0.9743  0.9630  64.7S  86.8E  12  616  02m20s
09605  25  2044 Feb 28  20:24:39     88    546   As  -0.9954  0.9600  62.2S  25.6W   4   -   02m27s
09646  26  2062 Mar 11  04:26:16    118    769   P   -1.0238  0.9331  61.0S 147.1W   0             
09687  27  2080 Mar 21  12:20:15    157    992   P   -1.0578  0.8734  60.9S  85.9E   0             
09728  28  2098 Apr 01  20:02:31    198   1215   P   -1.1005  0.7984  61.0S  38.1W   0             
09769  29  2116 Apr 13  03:36:55    242   1438   P   -1.1487  0.7138  61.3S 160.2W   0             
09809  30  2134 Apr 24  10:59:59    287   1661   P   -1.2052  0.6147  61.8S  80.5E   0             
09851  31  2152 May 04  18:14:02    333   1884   P   -1.2679  0.5044  62.3S  36.8W   0             
09893  32  2170 May 16  01:18:33    372   2107   P   -1.3371  0.3831  63.0S 151.9W   0             
09937  33  2188 May 26  08:15:53    414   2330   P   -1.4109  0.2538  63.8S  94.6E   0             

09982  34  2206 Jun 07  15:05:59    457   2553   Pe  -1.4894  0.1166  64.7S  17.3W   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