During the 50 century period -1999 to 3000 (i.e.: 2000 BCE to 3000 CE), Earth experiences 12186 lunar eclipses as follows:
All Eclipses = 12186 = 100.0% Penumbral (N) = 4468 = 36.7% Partial (P) = 4213 = 34.6% Total (T) = 3505 = 28.8%
The following catalog contains predictions for every lunar eclipse occurring during the five thousand year interval -1999 through 3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE). The eclipses during this period are arranged into 100 year long tables where each table includes data described as follows.
The date and Universal Time[1] of the instant of greatest eclipse[2] are found in the first two columns. The eclipse type is given (T=Total, P=Partial, or N=Penumbral) along with the Saros series. Gamma is the distance of the Moon's center from the shadow axis of Earth at greatest eclipse (in Earth radii). The eclipse magnitude is defined as the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured at greatest eclipse. The penumbral and umbral magnitudes of the eclipse are defined as the fractions of the Moon's diameter obscured by each shadow at greatest eclipse. The semi-durations of the partial and total phases of the eclipse are given to the nearest minute. Finally, the Greenwich Siderial Time at 00:00 U.T., along with the Moon's Geocentric Right Ascension and Declination at greatest eclipse complete each record.
The individual columns in each table are described in greater detail in the Key to Lunar Eclipse Catalogs. Each of the 100 year tables contains approximately 25 kilobytes of ASCII text.
For any eclipse in the catalog, the start and end times of the partial eclipse phases can be calculated by respectively subtracting and adding the partial semi-duration (S.D. Par) to the instant of greatest eclipse. Likewise, the start and end times of the total eclipse can be calculated by respectively subtracting and adding the total semi-duration (S.D. Tot) to the instant of greatest eclipse. For a detailed example, see Contact Times for Lunar Eclipses.
To determine whether an eclipse is visible from a specific geographic location, it is a relatively simple matter of calculating the Moon's altitude and azimuth during each phase of the eclipse. The calculations can be performed on any pocket calculator having trig functions (SIN, COS, TAN). Armed with the latitude and longitude of the location, the lunar eclipse catalog provides all the additional information needed to make the calculations. For the equations and an example of how to calculate the Moon's altitude for a specific location, see Altitudes for Lunar Eclipses.
[1] For most practical purposes, Universal Time (UT) is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
[2] Greatest eclipse is defined as the instant when the Moon passes closest to the axis of Earth's shadows. This marks the instant when the Moon is deepest in Earth's shadow(s).
Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses | ||||
Century Interval | Number of Eclipses | Number of Penumbral Eclipses | Number of Partial Eclipses | Number of Total Eclipses |
-1999 to -1900 | 248 | 91 | 94 | 63 |
-1899 to -1800 | 256 | 98 | 97 | 61 |
-1799 to -1700 | 254 | 94 | 99 | 61 |
-1699 to -1600 | 247 | 92 | 88 | 67 |
-1599 to -1500 | 228 | 82 | 59 | 87 |
-1499 to -1400 | 231 | 87 | 60 | 84 |
-1399 to -1300 | 245 | 87 | 92 | 66 |
-1299 to -1200 | 258 | 99 | 99 | 60 |
-1199 to -1100 | 253 | 97 | 95 | 61 |
-1099 to -1000 | 241 | 90 | 84 | 67 |
-0999 to -0900 | 229 | 79 | 62 | 88 |
-0899 to -0800 | 230 | 81 | 65 | 84 |
-0799 to -0700 | 243 | 91 | 89 | 63 |
-0699 to -0600 | 255 | 94 | 101 | 60 |
-0599 to -0500 | 257 | 98 | 99 | 60 |
-0499 to -0400 | 244 | 90 | 88 | 66 |
-0399 to -0300 | 231 | 81 | 60 | 90 |
-0299 to -0200 | 229 | 80 | 63 | 86 |
-0199 to -0100 | 243 | 87 | 87 | 69 |
-0099 to 0000 | 253 | 94 | 98 | 61 |
0001 to 0100 | 255 | 96 | 101 | 58 |
0101 to 0200 | 242 | 87 | 87 | 68 |
0201 to 0300 | 229 | 83 | 62 | 84 |
0301 to 0400 | 230 | 78 | 70 | 82 |
0401 to 0500 | 249 | 88 | 94 | 67 |
0501 to 0600 | 255 | 98 | 94 | 63 |
0601 to 0700 | 257 | 99 | 100 | 58 |
0701 to 0800 | 241 | 85 | 87 | 69 |
0801 to 0900 | 228 | 78 | 61 | 89 |
0901 to 1000 | 232 | 84 | 70 | 78 |
1001 to 1100 | 247 | 88 | 96 | 63 |
1101 to 1200 | 259 | 98 | 101 | 60 |
1201 to 1300 | 253 | 97 | 96 | 60 |
1301 to 1400 | 233 | 82 | 73 | 78 |
1401 to 1500 | 229 | 81 | 63 | 85 |
1501 to 1600 | 239 | 87 | 75 | 77 |
1601 to 1700 | 250 | 92 | 97 | 61 |
1701 to 1800 | 259 | 101 | 98 | 60 |
1801 to 1900 | 252 | 92 | 97 | 63 |
1901 to 2000 | 230 | 83 | 66 | 81 |
2001 to 2100 | 230 | 87 | 58 | 85 |
2101 to 2200 | 239 | 82 | 87 | 70 |
2201 to 2300 | 254 | 96 | 97 | 61 |
2301 to 2400 | 256 | 98 | 98 | 60 |
2401 to 2500 | 240 | 85 | 85 | 70 |
2501 to 2600 | 228 | 82 | 59 | 87 |
2601 to 2700 | 233 | 82 | 71 | 80 |
2701 to 2800 | 248 | 92 | 92 | 64 |
2801 to 2900 | 261 | 102 | 102 | 57 |
2901 to 3000 | 253 | 93 | 97 | 63 |
All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Some of the information presented in these tables is based on data originally published in Fifty Year Canon of Lunar Eclipses: 1986 - 2035.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:
"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC"