Keys to the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses
1999 to +3000

Column

Heading

Definition/Description

1

Catalog Number

Sequential number of the eclipse in the catalog links to the map published in the Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses: -1999 to +3000.

2

Canon plate

Group of 20 consecutive Solar eclipses

Calendar Date

Calendar Date at instant of Greatest Eclipse. Gregorian Calendar is used for dates after 1582 Oct 15. Julian Calendar is used for dates before 1582 Oct 04.

3

Year

Year of the Julian-Gregorian calendar, following the astronomers’ convention, i.e. there is a year 0

4

Month

Month name of the Julian-Gregorian calendar

5

Date

Day number of the Julian-Gregorian calendar

6

TD of Greatest Eclipse

Dynamical Time (TD) of Greatest Eclipse, the instant when the axis of the Moon's shadow cone passes closest to Earth's center

7

Standard date

String that expresses the Calendar Date under Open Office’s convention. Here the year after the minus follows the historians’ convention, i.e. year 1 comes just after year -1

8

Milesian date

Complete date (with time) following the Milesian calendar at instant of Greatest Eclipse, in dynamical time (TD)

9

Julian day

Decimal julian day that matches the TD date

10

M-year

Year part of the Milesian date (it always follows the astronomers’ convention)

11

M-month

Month part of the Milesian date, a month number without “m”

12

M-date

Day number part of the Milesian date, a number 1 to 31

13

ΔT

Delta T (ΔT) is the arithmetic difference between Dynamical Time and Universal Time. It is a measure of the accumulated clock error due to the variable rotation period of Earth. Subtract ΔT from Dynamical time to get UTC time.

14

Luna Num

Lunation Number is the number of synodic months since New Moon of 2000 Jan 06 (M2000-01-16). The Brown Lunation Number can be determined by adding 953.

15

Saros Num

Saros series number of eclipse. (Each eclipse in a Saros is separated by an interval of 18 years 11.3 days.)

16

Ecl. Type

 Eclipse Type where:

P = Partial Eclipse.

A = Annular Eclipse.

T = Total Eclipse.

H = Hybrid or Annular/Total Eclipse.

Second character in Eclipse Type:

"m" = Middle eclipse of Saros series.

"n" = Central eclipse with no northern limit.

"s" = Central eclipse with no southern limit.

"+" = Non-central eclipse with no northern limit.

"-" = Non-central eclipse with no southern limit.

"2" = Hybrid path begins total and ends annular.

"3" = Hybrid path begins annular and ends total.

"b" = Saros series begins (first eclipse in series).

"e" = Saros series ends (last eclipse in series).

17

Gamma

 Distance of the shadow cone axis from the center of Earth (units of equatorial radii) at the instant of greatest eclipse.

18

Ecl. Mag.

Eclipse magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured by the Moon.

For annular, total and hybrid eclipses, this value is actually the diameter ratio of Moon/Sun.

19

Lat.

Latitude where greatest eclipse is seen (counted towards North).

20

Long.

Longitude where greatest eclipse is seen (counted towards East).

21

Sun Alt

Sun's altitude at greatest eclipse (degrees)

22

Sun Azm

Sun's azimuth at greatest eclipse.

23

Path Width

Width of the path of totality or annularity at greatest eclipse (kilometers).

24

Central Dur.

Central Line Duration of total or annular phase at greatest eclipse.