sun moon 2014Eclipses

Solar Eclipse 2014

Solar Eclipse Frequency and Future Eclipses

During the five thousand year period 2000 BCE to 3000 CE, planet Earth experiences 11,898 solar eclipses as follows:

Solar Eclipses: 2000 BCE to +3000 CE
Eclipse Type	Symbol	Number	Percent
All Eclipses	-	11898	100.0%
Partial	P	4200	35.3%
Annular	A	3956	33.2%
Total	T	3173	26.7%
Hybrid	H	569	4.8%

This works out to an average 2.4 eclipses each year. Actually, the number of solar eclipses in a single year can range from 2 to 5. Nearly 3/4 of the time there are 2 eclipses in a year. On the other hand, it is quite rare to have 5 solar eclipses in a single year. The last time it happened was in 1935 and the next time is 2206. Typically there is 1 total eclipse every 1 to 2 years. Although it is possible to have 2 total eclipses in a single year, it is quite rare. Examples of years containing 2 total eclipses are 1712, 1889, 2057 and 2252.

The table below lists every solar eclipse from 2009 through 2015. Click on the eclipse Calendar Date to see a global map showing where the eclipse is visible from. The Eclipse Type link opens a window showing the path of total and annular eclipses plotted on Google Maps. The Eclipse Magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter covered by the Moon at greatest eclipse. For total and annular eclipses, this value is actually the ratio of the apparent diameters of the Moon to the Sun. The Central Duration lists the duration of totality or annularity at greatest eclipse. The link produces a table of geographic coordinates of the eclipse path. The last column is a brief description of the geographic regions of eclipse visibility. The descriptions in bold are for the paths of total or annular eclipses.

Eclipses of the Sun: 2009 - 2015
Calendar Date	Eclipse Type	Eclipse Magnitude	Central Duration	Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility
(Link to Global Map)	(Link to Google Map)		(Link to Path Table)
2009 Jan 26	Annular	0.928	07m54s	s Africa, Antarctica, se Asia, Australia [Annular: s Indian, Sumatra, Borneo]
2009 Jul 22	Total	1.080	06m39s	e Asia, Pacific Ocean, Hawaii [Total: India, Nepal, China, c Pacific]
2010 Jan 15	Annular	0.919	11m08s	Africa, Asia [Annular: c Africa, India, Malymar, China]
2010 Jul 11	Total	1.058	05m20s	s S. America [Total: s Pacific, Easter Is., Chile, Argentina]
2011 Jan 04	Partial	0.858	-	Europe, Africa, c Asia
2011 Jun 01	Partial	0.601	-	e Asia, n N. America, Iceland
2011 Jul 01	Partial	0.097	-	s Indian Ocean
2011 Nov 25	Partial	0.905	-	s Africa, Antarctica, Tasmania, N.Z.
2012 May 20	Annular	0.944	05m46s	Asia, Pacific, N. America [Annular: China, Japan, Pacific, w U.S.]
2012 Nov 13	Total	1.050	04m02s	Australia, N.Z., s Pacific, s S. America [Total: n Australia, s Pacific]
2013 May 10	Annular	0.954	06m03s	Australia, N.Z., c Pacific [Annular: n Australia, Solomon Is., c Pacific]
2013 Nov 03	Hybrid	1.016	01m40s	e Americas, s Europe, Africa [Hybid: Atlantic, c Africa]
2014 Apr 29	Annular	0.987	-	s Indian, Australia, Antarctica [Annular: Antarctica]
2014 Oct 23	Partial	0.811	-	n Pacific, N. America
2015 Mar 20	Total	1.045	02m47s	Iceland, Europe, n Africa, n Asia [Total: n Atlantic, Faeroe Is, Svalbard]
2015 Sep 13	Partial	0.787	-	s Africa, s Indian, Antarctica

Geographic abbreviations (used above): n = north, s = south, e = east, w = west, c = central

Lunar Eclipse Frequency and Future Eclipses

Penumbral eclipses are of little interest because they are hard to see. If we consider only partial and total lunar eclipses, how often do they occur?

During the five thousand year period from 2000 BCE through 3000 CE, there are 7,718 eclipses of the Moon (partial and total). This averages out to about one and a half eclipses each year. Actually, the number of lunar eclipses in a single year can range from 0 to 3. The last time that 3 total lunar eclipses occurred in one calendar year was in 1982. Partial eclipses slightly outnumber total eclipses by 7 to 6.

The table below lists every lunar eclipse from 2009 through 2015. Click on the eclipse Date to see a diagram of the eclipse and a world map showing where it is visible from. Although penumbral lunar eclipses are included in this list, they are usually hard to see because they are faint.

The Umbral Magnitude is the fraction on the Moon's diameter immersed in the umbra at maximum eclipse. For values greater than 1.0, it is a total eclipse. For negative values, it is a penumbral eclipse. The Eclipse Duration column lists the length of the partial eclipse in hours and minutes. If it is a total eclipse, two values are given. The first is the amount of time between the start and end of the partial phases while the second (in bold) is the length of the total eclipse.

Eclipses of the Moon: 2009 - 2015
Date	Eclipse Type	Umbral Magnitude	Eclipse Duration	Geographic Region of Eclipse Visibility
2009 Feb09	Penumbral	-0.088	-	e Europe, Asia, Aus., Pacific, w N.A.
2009 Jul07	Penumbral	-0.913	-	Aus., Pacific, Americas
2009 Aug06	Penumbral	-0.666	-	Americas, Europe, Africa, w Asia
2009 Dec31	Partial	0.076	01h02m	Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus.
2010 Jun26	Partial	0.537	02h43m	e Asia, Aus., Pacific, w Americas
2010 Dec21	Total	1.256	03h29m 01h12m	e Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas, Europe
2011 Jun 15	Total	1.700	03h40m 01h40m	S.America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus.
2011 Dec 10	Total	1.106	03h32m 00h51m	Europe, e Africa, Asia, Aus., Pacific, N.A.
2012 Jun 04	Partial	0.370	02h07m	Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas
2012 Nov 28	Penumbral	-0.187	-	Europe, e Africa, Asia, Aus., Pacific, N.A.
2013 Apr 25	Partial	0.015	00h27m	Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus.
2013 May 25	Penumbral	-0.934	-	Americas, Africa
2013 Oct 18	Penumbral	-0.272	-	Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia
2014 Apr 15	Total	1.291	03h35m 01h18m	Aus., Pacific, Americas
2014 Oct 08	Total	1.166	03h20m 00h59m	Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas
2015 Apr 04	Total	1.001	03h29m 00h05m	Asia, Aus., Pacific, Americas
2015 Sep 28	Total	1.276	03h20m 01h12m	e Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa, w Asia

Geographic abreviations (used above): n =north, s = south, e = east, w = west, c = central