List of solar eclipses in the Middle Ages

Last updated

This is a list of selected solar eclipses in the Middle Ages, in particular those with historical significance.

Contents

Historically significant solar eclipses

Date of
eclipse		Time (UTC)TypeCentral DurationEclipse PathNotes
StartMidEnd
January 27, 632 -06:38-annular01m40s Arabian Peninsula, India, ChinaOccurred at the time of the death of Ibrahim, a 21-month-old son of Muhammad [1]
November 30, 810-12:02-total01m08sSwedenBelieved to be one of multiple signs leading to an inscription on the Rök runestone which speculated a climate crisis of extreme winter. [2]
July 19, 939---total03m28sSouthern EurasiaThe eclipse began in the Atlantic, crossed the Iberian Peninsula from Cape San Vicente to Cape Rosas to enter Principality of Hungary, Sea of Azov, Greater Khorasan and North Indian, ending in Nusantara. The chronicle of the eclipse is not because of the eclipse itself, but because of the surprise it provokes in the two opposing sides in the Battle of Simancas
July 20, 966-17:15-total02m55sArctic, Scandinavia, PolandPartially visible across Western Europe. Andrew of Wyntoun connected the eclipse with the assassination of Dub, King of Scotland. [3]
August 2, 1133 -12:08-total04m38s Canada, Greenland, Scotland, Netherlands, Germany, Byzantium, Israel Also referred to as King Henry's Eclipse. Believed to be a bad omen for several political events and disasters. Mentioned in the Peterborough Chronicle, the Annales Halesbrunnenses [4] and the Codex diplomaticus Falkensteinensis. [5]
May 1, 1185 -13:18-total05m10s Central America, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Kazakhstan Mentioned in the epic poem about Igor Svyatoslavich's army campaign against the Polovtsians. [6] Also recorded in the Laurentian Codex; the description there is the first record of solar prominences. [7]
April 21, 1186-05:32-partialBulgaria, HungaryThis eclipse allowed the Byzantines, led by Isaac II Angelos, to make a counteroffensive against rebels attacking Thrace. [8]

Statistics

Longest total eclipses

Below is a list of all total eclipses longer than 7 minutes that occurred between the 5th and 15th centuries.

Date of eclipseCentral DurationReference
23 May 68107m10s [9]
3 June 69907m17s [9]
13 June 71707m15s [10]
25 June 73507m02s [10]
29 May 104407m12s [11]
9 June 106207m20s [11]
20 June 108007m18s [11]
1 July 109807m05s [11]


Solar eclipses by century

CenturyNo. Eclipse type Longest eclipse [lower-alpha 1] Two-eclipse months [lower-alpha 2] Ref.
Partial (P)Annular (A)Total (T)Hybrid (H)LengthDate
5th233808467210m43s12 November 486August 463 [12]
6th251938765610m41s22 November 504August 528, July 539, May 542 [13]
7th251909067410m31s17 December 689April 618, March 629 [9]
8th233778866210m35s18 December 716 [10]
9th222787464608m35s21 December 884August 463 [14]
10th227768466110m14s1 November 989 [15]
11th241849061611m29s14 December 1061May 1063 [11]
12th2509282611510m27s16 January 1116March 1150 [16]
13th2468781601811m44s29 December 1274March 1215 [17]
14th2297675542411m18s20 January 1311August 463 [18]
15th2227765611909m31s1 December 1415 [19]
  1. ↑ All eclipses listed are annular. See § Longest total eclipses above for longest total eclipses
  2. ↑ Months listed in this column had two eclipses occur during that time period

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006</span> 21st-century total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurred on March 29, 2006. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. It was visible from a narrow corridor which traversed half the Earth. The magnitude, that is, the ratio between the apparent sizes of the Moon and that of the Sun, was 1.052, and it was part of Saros 139.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse</span> Natural phenomenon wherein the Sun is obscured by the Moon

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season in its new moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of the Earth's orbit. In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular eclipses, only part of the Sun is obscured. Unlike a lunar eclipse, which may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth, a solar eclipse can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world. As such, although total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every 18 months on average, they recur at any given place only once every 360 to 410 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of March 20, 2015</span> 21st-century total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurred on March 20, 2015. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with a partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. This total solar eclipse is notable in that the path of totality passed over the North Pole. Totality was visible in the Faroe Islands and Svalbard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010</span> 21st-century annular solar eclipse

An annular solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of the orbit on January 15, 2010, with a magnitude of 0.91903. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring). An annular eclipse appears as a partial eclipse over a region of the Earth thousands of kilometres wide. It was the longest annular solar eclipse of the millennium, and the longest until December 23, 3043, with the length of maximum eclipse of 11 minutes, 7.8 seconds, and the longest duration of 11 minutes, 10.7 seconds. This is about 4 minutes longer than total solar eclipses could ever get.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of June 13, 2132</span> Future total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will occur at the Moon's ascending node of the orbit on June 13, 2132. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. This is one of the solar eclipses occurring on Friday the 13th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of March 18, 1988</span> 20th-century total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurred on March 18, 1988. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Totality was visible in Indonesia and southern Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of February 25, 1952</span> 20th-century total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurred on February 25, 1952. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. The path of totality crossed Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of December 4, 2021</span> Total solar eclipse in Antarctica

A total solar eclipse took place on Saturday, December 4, 2021, when the Moon passed between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. This eclipse was unusual as the path of the total eclipse moved from east to west across West Antarctica, while most eclipse paths move from west to east. This reversal is only possible in polar regions. Its path across Antarctica crossed near Berkner Island, traversed an arc over the continent and passed over Shepard Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of July 16, 2186</span> Astronomical event

A total solar eclipse will occur on July 16, 2186, which will be the longest total eclipse for thousands of years. The eclipse will pass over the southern Galápagos Islands, the northern tip of Ecuador, central Colombia, central Venezuela, and northern Guyana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of June 25, 2150</span> Future total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will occur on June 25, 2150. It will be the longest total eclipse since the 11th century. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of July 5, 2168</span> Future total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will occur on July 5, 2168. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. Lasting a maximum of 7 minutes, 26 seconds, it will surpass the longest eclipse of the 11th century, which lasted 7 minutes and 20 seconds, though be surpassed by the solar eclipse of July 16, 2186 and the next occurrence. This is the largest total solar eclipse of Saros 139. Greatest Eclipse occurs 1,468 km north of the Equator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of June 3, 2114</span> Future total solar eclipse

There will be a total solar eclipse on June 3, 2114. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of December 22, 1889</span> Total solar eclipse December 22, 1889

A total solar eclipse occurred on December 22, 1889. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. It was visible from Cuba, to the coast of Brazil, and across southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar eclipse of May 1, 1185</span> Total Solar eclipse of May 1, 1185

The solar eclipse of 1 May 1185 was a total solar eclipse visible in Central America, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Kazakhstan. The eclipse is number 30 in the Solar Saros 115 series. The eclipse shadow on the Earth's surface was at its greatest at 13:18:02 Universal Time. The sun was in Taurus at this time.

This article contains information and statistics about solar eclipses occurring after the modern era, from the 22nd century to the 30th century.

References

  1. ↑ Eclipse Wise
  2. ↑ Holmberg, Per; Gräslund, Bo; Sundqvist, Olof; Williams, Henrik (2020). "The Rök Runestone and the End of the World" (PDF). Futhark: International Journal of Runic Studies. 9–10: 7–38. doi: 10.33063/diva-401040 .
  3. ↑ Hudson, Benjamin T. (February 14, 1996). "Prophecy of Berchán: Irish and Scottish High-kings of the Early Middle Ages". Greenwood Publishing Group – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Stephenson, F.R. (1969). "The Date of the Book of Joel". Vetus Testamentum. 19 (2): 224–229. doi:10.2307/1516413. JSTOR   1516413.
  5. ↑ "The Codex Falkensteinensis (BayHStA KL Weyarn 1)". www.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Sviatoslav Hordynsky; Marko Robert Stech (2004). "Slovo o polku Ihorevi". Encyclopedia of Ukraine . Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "1185: The first description of solar prominences" (PDF). History of Solar Physics: A Time Line of Great Moments. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  8. ↑
  9. 1 2 3 "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0601 to 0700". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0701 to 0800". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1001 to 1100". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0401 to 0500". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0501 to 0600". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0801 to 0900". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 0901 to 1000". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1101 to 1200". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1201 to 1300". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1301 to 1400". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 1401 to 1500". NASA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.