Saros cycle of 18.03 years

18.03 x 365.2424 = 6585.3632 days

(or 18 years + 11 days)

18 circles (arranged around center in ratio 6:12)

11 spheres (contained within 19th central circle )

The Saros cycle keeps track of the pattern of eclipses over a period of roughly 6585.36 days or 18.03 years. It is able to do this because after that amount of time 3 of the lunar cycles resynchronize (varying by 0.22 days):

242 draconic cycles = 242 x 27.21222 = 6585.36

239 elliptical cycles = 239 x 27.55455 = 6585.54

223 synodic cycled = 223 x 29.53059 = 6585.32

242 x 27.21222 = 6585.35724 days *(to 5 decimal places)

As the Saros cycle lasts 0.35724 days longer (measurement based on the draconic/nodical cycle) than 6585 whole days, the occurrence of the next eclipse will be (360 degree x 0.35724) = 128.6 degrees west (roughly) of the previous one.

Also within the Saros is a sub cycle pattern for Eclipses called the Eclipse year

19 x 346.62 = 6585.78 days

example below is of 2 eclipses ~ 1 Saros cycle apart (or 6585 whole days)

*visible sky is at midday over Edinburgh on the day of the eclipse ~ that's why the Moon isn't totally aligned with Sun

13-14 Nov 2012 @ 22:11:38 (5 Ik/6 Akbal~ 13 Moon/1 Dog)

Longitude = 161.29 W

link for NASA's page for this eclipse:- TSE2012

25 Nov 2030 @ 06:49:59 (13 Lamat ~ 4 Monkey)

Longitude = 71.33 E

link for NASA's page on this eclipse:- TSE2030

~:~

(180 - 161.29 = 18.71)

(180 - 71.33 = 108.67)

~:~

18.71 + 108.67 = 127.38 degrees shifted

{1.22 degrees from approximate of 128.6}

~:~

1440 minutes per day

360 degrees around equator

1440 / 360 = 4

4 x 1.22 = 4.88 minutes off

~:~

or actually using this answer...

127.38 / 360 = 0.3538333...

+ 6585 = 6585.3538333...

/ 242 = 27.212206 days

= average length of draconic/nodical cycle between 2012-2030

interesting external link: eclipse-geometry

p.s. (updated 2012)

In addition going back 6585 days from the eclipse of 13-14 Nov 2012 we reach the date of:-

3rd Nov 1994 @ 13:39:03 (11 Caban ~ 11 Moon)

Latitude = 34.22 W

(161.29 - 34.22 = 127.07 degrees shifted)

This is 8 days before my brother Ormungandr created

The Torch of Life ~ on 11/11/1994 (6 Chicchan ~ 6 Earth)

(Which was also when the A.S.P. count began, today :- 22/11/2012 -: it is 6585 days (1 Saros) since that date)

here is his website for more info:- Torch of Life

In lak'ech

Ra:ah