Saros 72

Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 72

Fred Espenak

Introduction

A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the Moon passes through Earth's shadow. At least two lunar eclipses and as many as five occur every year.

The periodicity and recurrence of lunar 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 with the Moon at nearly the same distance from Earth and the same time of year due to a harmonic in three cycles of the Moon's orbit. Thus, the Saros is useful for organizing eclipses into families or series. Each series typically lasts 12 to 15 centuries and contains about 70 to 80 eclipses. Every saros series begins with a number of penumbral lunar eclipses. The series will then produce several dozen partial eclipses, followed by several dozen total eclipses. The later portion of the series produces another set of partial eclipses before ending with a final group of penumbral eclipses.

Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 72

The table below lists the concise characteristics of every lunar eclipse belonging to Saros 72 . The date and time of each eclipse is given for the instant of Greatest Eclipse. For eclipses between the years -1999 to 3000, the calendar date links to a web page containing additional details along with a diagram of the eclipse geometry and a map showing the geographic region of eclipse visibility for that eclipse. A description of each parameter in the catalog table can be found in Key to Saros Catalog of Lunar Eclipses.

Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 72
Seq Num Rel Num Calendar Date TD of Greatest Eclipse ΔT

s
ΔT Sigma
s
Luna Num Ecl Type QSE Gamma Pen Mag Um Mag Pen Dur
m
Par Dur
m
Tot Dur
m
1-34 -0389-Jun-1703:08:59 15268 390 -29543 Nb t- 1.4989 0.1424-0.9261116.1 - -
2-33 -0371-Jun-2709:32:12 14997 384 -29320 N t- 1.4149 0.2967-0.7723165.1 - -
3-32 -0353-Jul-0815:59:13 14733 378 -29097 N t- 1.3331 0.4472-0.6226199.8 - -
4-31 -0335-Jul-1822:33:40 14475 371 -28874 N t- 1.2562 0.5888-0.4822226.0 - -
5-30 -0317-Jul-3005:15:12 14222 365 -28651 N t- 1.1841 0.7218-0.3506246.8 - -
6-29 -0299-Aug-0912:05:01 13976 359 -28428 N t- 1.1178 0.8444-0.2296263.4 - -
7-28 -0281-Aug-2019:04:01 13735 353 -28205 N t- 1.0580 0.9548-0.1208276.6 - -
8-27 -0263-Aug-3102:13:28 13498 347 -27982 Nx t- 1.0060 1.0511-0.0261287.0 - -
9-26 -0245-Sep-1109:33:06 13267 341 -27759 P t- 0.9613 1.1339 0.0551295.0 57.0 -
10-25 -0227-Sep-2117:02:48 13041 335 -27536 P t- 0.9240 1.2030 0.1228301.2 84.2 -
11-24 -0209-Oct-0300:42:42 12819 329 -27313 P t- 0.8941 1.2584 0.1773305.6100.1 -
12-23 -0191-Oct-1308:32:24 12601 323 -27090 P t- 0.8713 1.3005 0.2186308.7110.3 -
13-22 -0173-Oct-2416:29:34 12387 317 -26867 P t- 0.8541 1.3322 0.2503310.6117.2 -
14-21 -0155-Nov-0400:34:35 12178 312 -26644 P h- 0.8424 1.3534 0.2719311.6121.5 -
15-20 -0137-Nov-1508:44:23 11972 306 -26421 P h- 0.8341 1.3681 0.2878312.0124.4 -
16-19 -0119-Nov-2516:58:58 11770 300 -26198 P h- 0.8288 1.3769 0.2984311.8126.2 -
17-18 -0101-Dec-0701:13:37 11571 295 -25975 P h- 0.8229 1.3864 0.3106311.5128.2 -
18-17 -0083-Dec-1709:30:21 11376 289 -25752 P a- 0.8180 1.3937 0.3212311.0129.8 -
19-16 -0065-Dec-2817:44:16 11184 284 -25529 P a- 0.8107 1.4050 0.3366310.7132.2 -
20-15 -0046-Jan-0801:55:39 10994 279 -25306 P a- 0.8002 1.4218 0.3581310.8135.6 -
21-14 -0028-Jan-1910:00:50 10808 273 -25083 P a- 0.7843 1.4485 0.3901311.4140.4 -
22-13 -0010-Jan-2918:01:40 10623 268 -24860 P a- 0.7638 1.4830 0.4304312.5146.2 -
23-12 0008-Feb-1001:55:07 10441 263 -24637 P a- 0.7367 1.5296 0.4832314.2153.2 -
24-11 0026-Feb-2009:41:34 10262 257 -24414 P a- 0.7031 1.5880 0.5481316.4161.0 -
25-10 0044-Mar-0217:20:30 10084 252 -24191 P a- 0.6625 1.6593 0.6258319.1169.4 -
26 -9 0062-Mar-1400:52:48 9907 247 -23968 P a- 0.6152 1.7427 0.7159322.1178.0 -
27 -8 0080-Mar-2408:17:33 9733 242 -23745 P a- 0.5608 1.8393 0.8189325.2186.4 -
28 -7 0098-Apr-0415:36:30 9559 237 -23522 P a- 0.5005 1.9468 0.9327328.3194.4 -
29 -6 0116-Apr-1422:50:05 9386 232 -23299 T a- 0.4346 2.0646 1.0566331.1201.6 36.8
30 -5 0134-Apr-2606:00:23 9215 227 -23076 T a- 0.3649 2.1897 1.1872333.4207.7 64.1
31 -4 0152-May-0613:06:10 9043 222 -22853 T a- 0.2902 2.3241 1.3267335.2212.8 80.5
32 -3 0170-May-1720:11:39 8872 218 -22630 T+ p- 0.2143 2.4611 1.4684336.3216.5 91.2
33 -2 0188-May-2803:15:36 8702 213 -22407 T+ pp 0.1358 2.6030 1.6144336.7218.8 98.0
34 -1 0206-Jun-0810:21:55 8531 208 -22184 T+ pp 0.0585 2.7430 1.7579336.2219.8101.3
35 0 0224-Jun-1817:28:15 8360 204 -21961 T- pp -0.0197 2.8129 1.8307335.0219.5101.8
36 1 0242-Jun-3000:40:06 8188 199 -21738 T- pp -0.0942 2.6750 1.6950333.1217.9 99.7
37 2 0260-Jul-1007:55:21 8017 195 -21515 T- pp -0.1670 2.5405 1.5623330.6215.3 94.9
38 3 0278-Jul-2115:17:27 7844 190 -21292 T- -p -0.2348 2.4156 1.4386327.5211.7 87.9
39 4 0296-Jul-3122:45:23 7671 186 -21069 T -p -0.2984 2.2985 1.3221324.1207.5 78.4
40 5 0314-Aug-1206:22:38 7497 181 -20846 T -p -0.3551 2.1944 1.2183320.6202.8 66.7
Catalog of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 72
Seq Num Rel Num Calendar Date TD of Greatest Eclipse ΔT

s
ΔT Sigma
s
Luna Num Ecl Type QSE Gamma Pen Mag Um Mag Pen Dur
m
Par Dur
m
Tot Dur
m
41 6 0332-Aug-2214:07:46 7322 177 -20623 T -p -0.4060 2.1011 1.1248317.0197.9 51.8
42 7 0350-Sep-0222:01:32 7146 173 -20400 T -a -0.4506 2.0194 1.0427313.5193.0 31.0
43 8 0368-Sep-1306:04:33 6969 168 -20177 P -a -0.4881 1.9510 0.9736310.3188.4 -
44 9 0386-Sep-2414:16:52 6792 164 -19954 P -a -0.5185 1.8956 0.9175307.5184.3 -
45 10 0404-Oct-0422:38:10 6614 160 -19731 P -a -0.5422 1.8525 0.8737305.1180.9 -
46 11 0422-Oct-1607:06:41 6436 156 -19508 P -a -0.5604 1.8194 0.8400303.1178.0 -
47 12 0440-Oct-2615:43:18 6257 152 -19285 P -a -0.5725 1.7974 0.8176301.6176.0 -
48 13 0458-Nov-0700:25:34 6079 148 -19062 P -a -0.5803 1.7829 0.8031300.4174.5 -
49 14 0476-Nov-1709:12:36 5902 144 -18839 P -a -0.5845 1.7751 0.7956299.5173.7 -
50 15 0494-Nov-2818:02:23 5726 140 -18616 P -a -0.5868 1.7705 0.7917298.8173.1 -
51 16 0512-Dec-0902:54:17 5549 137 -18393 P -a -0.5876 1.7686 0.7909298.3172.8 -
52 17 0530-Dec-2011:45:29 5373 133 -18170 P -a -0.5893 1.7647 0.7886297.6172.5 -
53 18 0548-Dec-3020:34:55 5198 129 -17947 P -a -0.5927 1.7575 0.7834296.8171.9 -
54 19 0567-Jan-1105:21:09 5024 126 -17724 P -a -0.5989 1.7447 0.7731295.8170.9 -
55 20 0585-Jan-2114:03:38 4852 122 -17501 P -a -0.6082 1.7262 0.7574294.5169.5 -
56 21 0603-Feb-0122:39:11 4681 118 -17278 P -a -0.6238 1.6961 0.7303292.6167.1 -
57 22 0621-Feb-1207:08:47 4511 115 -17055 P -a -0.6445 1.6565 0.6939290.2163.8 -
58 23 0639-Feb-2315:30:34 4343 112 -16832 P -a -0.6720 1.6044 0.6451287.1159.2 -
59 24 0657-Mar-0523:46:03 4176 108 -16609 P -a -0.7048 1.5427 0.5865283.4153.2 -
60 25 0675-Mar-1707:51:46 4012 105 -16386 P -a -0.7458 1.4658 0.5127278.6144.9 -
61 26 0693-Mar-2715:51:47 3849 102 -16163 P -a -0.7917 1.3803 0.4299272.9134.4 -
62 27 0711-Apr-0723:42:52 3688 98 -15940 P -a -0.8454 1.2806 0.3327265.8119.9 -
63 28 0729-Apr-1807:28:35 3530 95 -15717 P -a -0.9032 1.1734 0.2275257.5100.7 -
64 29 0747-Apr-2915:06:25 3374 92 -15494 P -a -0.9676 1.0547 0.1102247.4 71.3 -
65 30 0765-May-0922:41:01 3220 89 -15271 N -a -1.0343 0.9317-0.0119235.8 - -
66 31 0783-May-2106:10:22 3070 86 -15048 N -a -1.1054 0.8012-0.1420221.8 - -
67 32 0801-May-3113:37:17 2923 83 -14825 N -a -1.1781 0.6679-0.2756205.5 - -
68 33 0819-Jun-1121:02:08 2779 80 -14602 N -a -1.2522 0.5324-0.4121186.3 - -
69 34 0837-Jun-2204:27:05 2639 77 -14379 N -a -1.3260 0.3980-0.5483163.4 - -
70 35 0855-Jul-0311:52:29 2503 74 -14156 N -a -1.3988 0.2655-0.6831135.4 - -
71 36 0873-Jul-1319:19:34 2370 72 -13933 N -a -1.4698 0.1366-0.8149 98.5 - -
72 37 0891-Jul-2502:50:12 2241 69 -13710 Ne -a -1.5376 0.0140-0.9411 31.9 - -

Statistics for Lunar Eclipses of Saros 72

Lunar eclipses of Saros 72 all occur at the Moon’s ascending node and the Moon moves southward with each eclipse. The series will begin with a penumbral eclipse near the northern edge of the penumbra on -0389 Jun 17. The series will end with a penumbral eclipse near the southern edge of the penumbra on 0891 Jul 25. The total duration of Saros series 72 is 1280.14 years.

Summary of Saros 72
First Eclipse -0389 Jun 17
Last Eclipse 0891 Jul 25
Series Duration 1280.14 Years
No. of Eclipses 72
Sequence 8N 20P 14T 22P 8N

Saros 72 is composed of 72 lunar eclipses as follows:

Lunar Eclipses of Saros 72
Eclipse Type Symbol Number Percent
All Eclipses - 72100.0%
PenumbralN 16 22.2%
PartialP 42 58.3%
TotalT 14 19.4%

The 72 lunar eclipses of Saros 72 occur in the order of 8N 20P 14T 22P 8N which corresponds to the following.

Sequence Order of Lunar Eclipses in Saros 72
Eclipse Type Symbol Number
Penumbral N 8
Partial P 20
Total T 14
Partial P 22
Penumbral N 8

The longest and shortest eclipses of Saros 72 as well as largest and smallest partial eclipses appear below.

Extreme Durations and Magnitudes of Lunar Eclipses of Saros 72
Extrema Type Date Duration Magnitude
Longest Total Lunar Eclipse 0224 Jun 1801h41m50s -
Shortest Total Lunar Eclipse 0350 Sep 0200h30m59s -
Longest Partial Lunar Eclipse 0098 Apr 0403h14m23s -
Shortest Partial Lunar Eclipse -0245 Sep 1100h57m02s -
Longest Penumbral Lunar Eclipse -0263 Aug 3104h46m59s -
Shortest Penumbral Lunar Eclipse 0891 Jul 2500h31m57s -
Largest Partial Lunar Eclipse 0368 Sep 13 - 0.97358
Smallest Partial Lunar Eclipse -0245 Sep 11 - 0.05514

Links to Additional Lunar Eclipse Predictions

  • Home - home page of EclipseWise with predictions for both Solar and lunar eclipses

Eclipse Publications

by Fred Espenak

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Calendar

The Gregorian calendar (also called the Western calendar) is internationally the most widely used civil calendar. It is named for Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in 1582. On this website, the Gregorian calendar is used for all calendar 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..

Eclipse Predictions

The eclipse predictions presented here were generated using the JPL DE406 solar and lunar ephemerides. The lunar coordinates have been calculated with respect to the Moon's Center of Mass.

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 -2999 to +3000. The uncertainty in ΔT over this period can be estimated from scatter in the measurements.

Acknowledgments

Some of the content on this web site is based on the books Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000 and Thousand Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1501 to 2500. All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy.

Permission is granted to reproduce eclipse data when accompanied by a link to this page and an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, www.EclipseWise.com"

The use of diagrams and maps is permitted provided that they are NOT altered (except for re-sizing) and the embedded credit line is NOT removed or covered.