2 Eclipse frequency and cause

Total and annular eclipses both occur when the Moon lines up with the Sun exactly, but since the Moon's orbit is not perfectly circular it is sometimes farther away from Earth and doesn't always cover the entire solar disc from an Earthly vantage point.

A solar eclipse can only be seen in a band across the Earth as the Moon's shadow moves across its surface, while a total or annular eclipse is actually total or ring-formed in only a small band within this band (the eclipse path), and partial elsewhere (total eclipse takes place where the umbra of the Moon's shadow falls, whereas a partial eclipse is visible where the penumbra falls). The full band is generally around 100 km in width. The eclipse path will be widest if the Moon happens to be at perigee, in which case the eclipse path alone can reach 270 km in width.

Total solar eclipses are rare events. Although they occur somewhere on the Earth approximately every 18 months, it has been estimated that they recur at any given spot only every 300 to 400 years. And after waiting so long, the total solar eclipse only lasts for a few minutes, as the Moon's umbra moves eastward at over 1700 km/h. Totality can never last more than 7 min 40 s, and is usually a good deal shorter. During each millennium there are typically fewer than 10 total solar eclipses exceeding 7 minutes. The last time this happened was June 30, 1973. Those alive today probably won't live to see it happen again — on June 25, 2150. The longest total solar eclipse during the 8,000-year period from 3000 BC to 5000 AD will occur on July 16, 2186, when totality will last 7 min 29 s. (eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC.)

For astronomers, a total solar eclipse forms a rare opportunity to observe the corona (the outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere). Normally this is not visible because the photosphere is much brighter than the corona.

3 Calculating the date of a solar eclipse

If you know the date and time of a solar eclipse, you can predict other eclipses using eclipse cycles. Two well-known eclipse cycles are the Saros cycle and the Inex cycle. The Saros cycle is probably the most well known, and one of the best, eclipse cycles. The Inex cycle is itself a poor cycle, but it is very convenient in the classification of eclipse cycles. After a Saros cycle finishes, a new Saros cycle begins 1 Inex later (hence its name: in-ex).

4 Historical solar eclipses

In the Odyssey, XIV, 151, Homer states that Odysseus will return to his home, and take vengeance on the suitors of Penelope, at the failing of the old moon and the coming of the new. Later in the Odyssey (XX, 356-357 and 390), Homer adds that the Sun vanished out of heaven and an evil gloom covered all things about the hour of the midday meal, during the celebration of the new moon. A total eclipse of the Sun was visible from the Greek island of Ithaca on April 16, 1178 BC . This would be six years after the end of the Trojan War, as traditionally dated ( 1184 BC), though within the Odyssey narrative it's supposed to be ten years after it.

Path of the total eclipse of 763 BC described in an Assyrian text

A solar eclipse of June 16, 763 BC mentioned in an Assyrian text is important for the Chronology of the Ancient Orient.

A double (solar and lunar) eclipse took place 23 years after the ascension of king Shulgi of Babylon. This has been identified with eclipses that occurred on 9 May (solar eclipse) and 24 May (lunar eclipse), 2138 BC . This identification is however much less commonly accepted than the eclipse of 763 BC. See also Chronology of Babylonia and Assyria.

On June 4, 780 BC a solar eclipse was recorded in China

Herodotus wrote that Thales of Milete predicted an eclipse which occurred during a war between the Medians and the Lydians. Soldiers on both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. Exactly which eclipse was involved has remained uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BC, probably near the Halys river in the middle of modern Turkey.

An annular eclipse of the Sun occurred at Sardis on February 17, 478 BC, while Xerxes was departing for his expedition against Greece, as Herodotus, VII, 37 recorded ([Hind and Chambers, 1889: 323] considered this absolute date more than a century ago). Herodotus (book IX, 10, book VIII, 131, and book IX, 1) reports that another solar eclipse was observed in Sparta during the next year, on August 1, 477 BC. The sky suddenly darkened in the middle of the sky, well after the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, after the departure of Mardonius to Thessaly at the beginning of the spring of ( 477 BC) and his second attack on Athens, after the return of Cleombrotus to Sparta. Note that the modern conventional dates are different by a year or two, and that these two eclipse records have been ignored so far.

The foundation of Rome took place 437 years after the capture of Troy ( 1182 BC), according to Velleius Paterculus (VIII, 5). It took place shortly before an eclipse of the Sun that was observed at Rome on June 25, 745 BC and had a magnitude of 50.3%. Its beginning occurred at 16:38, its middle at 17:28, and its end at 18:16. Varro may have used the consular list with its mistakes, calling the year of the first consuls "245 ab urbe condita" (a.u.c.). A new study claims that the Varronian date has been superseded. Its correctness has not been proved scientifically but it is used worldwide.

According to Lucius Tarrutius of Firmum, Romulus was conceived in the womb on the 23rd day of the Egyptian month Choiac , at the time of a total eclipse of the Sun. This eclipse occurred on June 15, 763 BC, with a magnitude of 62.5% at Rome. Its beginning took place at 6:49, its middle at 7:47 and its end at 8:51. He was born on the 21st day of the month of Thoth. The first day of Thoth fell on March 2 in that year (Prof. E. J. Bickerman, 1980: 115). That implies that Rhea Silvia's pregnancy lasted for 281 days. Rome was founded on the ninth day of the month Pharmuthi , which was April 21, as universally agreed. The Romans add that, about the time Romulus started to build the city, an eclipse of the Sun was observed by Antimachus, the Teian poet, on the 30th day of the lunar month. This eclipse (see above) had a magnitude of 54.6% at Teos, Asia Minor. It started at 17:49 and was still eclipsed at sunset, at 19:20. Romulus vanished in the 54th year of his life, on the Nones of Quintilis (July), on a day when the Sun was darkened. The day turned into night, which sudden darkness was believed to be an eclipse of the Sun. It occurred on July 17, 709 BC, with a magnitude of 93.7%, beginning at 5:04 and ending at 6:57. All these eclipse data have been calculated by Prof. Aurél Ponori-Thewrewk, retired director of the Planetarium of Budapest. Plutarch placed it in the 37th year from the foundation of Rome, on the fifth of our month July, then called Quintilis, on "Caprotine Nones". Livy (I, 21) also states that Romulus ruled for 37 years. He was slain by the Senate or disappeared in the 38th year of his reign. Most of these have been recorded by Plutarch (Lives of Romulus, Numa Pompilius and Camillus), Florus (Book I, I), Cicero (The Republic VI, 22: Scipio's Dream), Dio (Dion) Cassius and Dionysius of Halicarnassus (L. 2). Dio in his Roman History (Book I) confirms these data by telling that Romulus was in his 18th year of age when he founded Rome. Therefore, three eclipse records prove that Romulus reigned from 746 BC to 709 BC.

5 Simultaneous Occurrence of Solar Eclipse and transit of a Planet

In principle, the simultaneous occurrence of a Solar eclipse and a transit of a planet is possible. But these events are extremely rare. The next anticipated simultaneous occurrence of a Solar eclipse and a transit of Mercury will be on July 5th, 6757 , and of a Solar eclipse and a transit of Venus is expected on April 5th, 15232 .

Only 5 hours after the transit of Venus on June 4, 1769 there was a total solar eclipse, which was visible in Northern America, Europe and Northern Asia as partial solar eclipse. This was the lowest time difference between a transit of a planet and a solar eclipse in the historical past.

6 Solar eclipses by artificial satellites

Artificial satellites can also get in the line between earth and Sun. But these events are difficult to watch, because the zone of visiblity is very small. The satellite passes the Sun in one second. Like a transit of a planet it will not get dark. [1]

7 Longest solar eclipses between 0 and 3000

7.1 Total Solar Eclipses

Date	Duration
July 16, 2186	7m29s
July 5, 2168	7m26s
June 27, 363	7m24s
July 27, 2204	7m22s
July 8, 381	7m22s
June 9, 1062	7m20s
June 20, 1080	7m18s
June 16, 345	7m17s
June 3, 699	7m16s
June 13, 717	7m15s
June 1, 132	7m14s
June 24, 2150	7m14s
May 29, 1044	7m12s
June 25, 2522	7m12s
June 12, 150	7m12s
July 19, 399	7m11s
July 3, 2885	7m11s
June 14, 2504	7m10s
June 23, 2867	7m10s
May 23, 681	7m09s
June 20, 1955	7m08s
August 8, 2222	7m06s
May 22, 114	7m05s
July 1, 1098	7m05s
June 8, 1937	7m04s
June 30, 1973	7m04s
July 5, 2540	7m04s
July 16, 2903	7m04s
June 6, 327	7m03s
June 22, 168	7m02s
June 25, 735	7m02s
June 12, 2849	7m00s

The greatest duration of the total phase of a total solar eclipse in the 21st century will occur at the eclipse on July 22, 2009 with 6m39s.

7.2 Annular Solar Eclipses

Date	Duration
December 7, 150	12m24s
November 25, 132	12m16s
December 17, 168	12m15s
December 14, 1955	12m09s
January 14, 3080	12m09s
January 24, 3098	12m05s
December 24, 1973	12m03s
December 25, 1628	12m02s
December 2, 1937	12m00s

The greatest duration of the annular phase of an annular solar eclipse in the 21st century will occur at the eclipse on January 15, 2010 with 11m08s.

8 See also

• Eclipse
• Lunar eclipse

9 External links

• NASA's Eclipse Home Page
• Photographs
  • APOD 8/30/99 - Solar eclipse viewed from Mir Space Craft
• World Atlas of Solar Eclipse Paths by Fred Espenak

Solar system

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