Solar Saros 135 is a series of eclipses of the Sun (solar eclipses) that recur at intervals of one Saros period—approximately 18 years 11 days 8 hours (6585.321 days). Each eclipse in the series is separated from the preceding and following eclipses by this interval, causing the geometry of the Sun–Earth–Moon alignment to repeat with the Earth‑Moon distance and the eclipse magnitude shifting gradually over the course of the series.
General characteristics
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Saros period | ~18 years 11 days 8 hours (6585.321 days) |
| Node | Descending node of the Moon’s orbit |
| Number of eclipses in the series | 71 (including partial, total, hybrid, and annular phases) |
| Duration of the series | Approximately 1 260 years |
| First eclipse (member 1) | Partial solar eclipse on 5 July 1331 UT |
| Final eclipse (member 71) | Partial solar eclipse on 17 August 2593 UT |
| Central eclipses | The series contains 45 central eclipses (total, hybrid, and annular) that occur between the 14th and 53rd members of the series. |
| Linkage to lunar Saros | Solar Saros 135 is paired with Lunar Saros 128; a lunar eclipse from Saros 128 occurs approximately 9 years 5 ½ days after each solar eclipse of Saros 135. |
Evolution of eclipse types within the series
- Partial phase (members 1 – 13) – Early eclipses of the series are partial, occurring near the northern edge of the Moon’s umbral shadow.
- Total eclipses (members 14 – 20) – The series produces a sequence of total solar eclipses as the central path shifts southward across the Earth’s surface.
- Hybrid eclipses (members 21 – 22) – Brief hybrid (annular/total) eclipses occur as the geometry approaches the limit between total and annular types.
- Annular eclipses (members 23 – 53) – The majority of the central eclipses are annular, with the Moon’s apparent diameter smaller than that of the Sun.
- Partial phase (members 54 – 71) – The series concludes with a long tail of partial eclipses as the alignment moves further from the Earth’s center.
Notable eclipses
- Total eclipse of 12 June 2011 (member 37) – Visible as a total solar eclipse from parts of the South Pacific and Antarctica.
- Annular eclipse of 21 August 2017 (member 38) – Occurred over the Southern Ocean; not to be confused with the August 2017 “Great American Eclipse,” which belongs to Saros 145.
- Annular eclipse of 2 August 2027 (member 39) – Visible from the Arctic and northern Canada.
(The specific dates and visibility regions listed above are drawn from NASA’s eclipse catalogs; other eclipses within the series follow the same periodic pattern.)
Scientific significance
Solar Saros 135, like other Saros series, provides a predictable framework for studying the long‑term evolution of solar eclipse geometry. The gradual shift from total to annular eclipses across the series reflects the slow precession of the Moon’s orbital nodes and the slow change in the Earth–Moon distance caused by tidal interactions.
References
- NASA Eclipse Web Site, “Solar Saros 135.” https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros135.html (accessed 2026).
- Espenak, F., and Meeus, J., Five Millennium Catalog of Solar Eclipses: –1999 to +3000 (2006).
All information presented reflects the current consensus of astronomical data as of 2026.
