The Solar Eclipse of the Century and The Eclipse of July/August 2009

The Solar Eclipse of the Century and The Eclipse of July/August 2009
by Daniel Giamario


When determined by length (six minutes 39 seconds) and centrality (the umbra only 275 miles north of the center of the earth) the total solar eclipse of July 21 through July 22 is rightly called the Solar Eclipse of the Century. None will surpass it until 2114. This solar eclipse is part of Saros Cycle 136 that has produced the longest eclipses over the last several hundred years. The term Saros refers to a “family” of eclipses that repeat about every 18 years and 11 days. This particular Saros began in June of 1360 and finishes up in July of 2622, a total of 71 eclipses over 1262 years. This Saros cycle gave us the longest total solar eclipses of the last century, including the only three eclipses over seven minutes long in 1937, 1955 and 1973. Every eclipse in this family from 1901 until 2063 is over six minutes, a length justifying the title “Great Eclipse”.
It is interesting writing this from Hawaii, as I had the opportunity to co-facilitate a two week event on the Big Island for the Great Eclipse of 1991 that covered parts of Hawaii before tracking across Mexico. On July 21, those of us in Hawaii will be able to see a 15% partial eclipse, but North America misses the show. The central track of totality stretches from India, across Bhutan, over China and Japan and then out into the Pacific. Hundreds of millions of people will have an opportunity to experience this Great Eclipse of the Sun, total and partial. Interestingly, the central track of totality just barely misses the top of Mount Everest. Many websites and publications offer detailed data on the exact track of the eclipse.

THE ECLIPSE SEASON
Eclipse seasons happen twice a year spaced around six months apart, and last August over four weeks. The centrality of this total solar eclipse places July 21 through July 22 right at the center of the eclipse season, producing the relatively rare situation of three eclipses within one season, in this case rather minor penumbral lunar eclipses, two weeks before and after the total solar. There has been surfacing some alarmists and sensationalized material recently with regard to this triple eclipse season, much of which has been coming out of India. The research presents the case that a lunar-solar-lunar sequence is connected with great wars and turmoil. Maybe so, but the situation is not really all that rare. In fact, three eclipses in one season occurs around eight times ever 28 years, averaging every 3.5 years, or eight of every 59 eclipse seasons. Here are the most recent and next ones (note capital L for Lunar or capital S for Solar indicates that a lunar or solar eclipse starts the triple sequence):

L 1998
S 2000
L 2002
L 2009
S 2011
L 2013
L 2020

One thing is sure. If there is anything to the dire predictions, we will find out soon, due to the extreme centrality of the solar eclipse. Consider the following: a really long total solar eclipse requires three things

1) The syzygy Sun and Moon line up(New Moon)
2) A nodal close conjunction at syzygy
3) Maximum perigee -closest approach of the Moon to the Earth.

In this case the perigee is just 6.3 hours before the New Moon Solar Eclipse and is the nearest perigee of the Moon this year, just 222,128 miles. The next closest doesn’t occur until November 14, 2016. The high tides phenomena and the possible connection to earthquakes is well known, plus visually the Moon is really big especially as it is rising. Then just 75 minutes before exact syzygy, the Sun reaches the exact south node, almost exactly in the precise center of the eclipse season. These factors together create the most central eclipse of the century, not to be equaled until 2114.

SHAMANIC

Wow fascinating stuff!!!!