2025/02/03 by Patrick Hartigan, Hartigan, Patrick
Physics and Astronomy · Social Sciences · #Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) #FOS: Physical sciences #Historical Astronomy and Related Studies #Historical Geography and Cartography #History and Developments in Astronomy
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2502.01019
openalex publication_date 2025/02/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The total lunar eclipse on March 14, 2025 UT occurs nearly exactly 521 years (one Hypersaros) after a similar eclipse on March 1, 1504 UT that is renowned for its importance to the voyage of Columbus to Jamaica. Eclipses separated by a Hypersaros have similar depths, appear very close to the same location in the sky, and occur at nearly the same time of year. This paper summarizes the results from a search for analogous cycles within the Five Millennium Catalogs of Lunar and Solar Eclipses. Under the two simple constraints of similar eclipse dates relative to the vernal equinox and similar paths of the Moon through the Earth's shadow, the most common time intervals between lunar eclipses separated by less than 1000 years are the 521-year Hypersaros and a 633-yr period of the Icosa-Inex-Triple-Saros (IITS). Notable cycles at longer periods occur at 1154, 1284, 1787, 1917, and 2308 years.