Exeligmos

An exeligmos is a period of 54 years, 33 days that can be used to predict successive eclipses with similar properties and location. For a solar eclipse, every exeligmos a solar eclipse of similar characteristics will occur close to the eclipse before it. For a lunar eclipse the same part of the earth will view an eclipse that is very similar to the one that occurred one exeligmos before it (see main text for visual examples). It is an eclipse cycle that is a triple saros, 3 saroses (or saroi) long, with the advantage that it has nearly an integer number of days so the next eclipse will be visible at locations and times near the eclipse that occurred one exeligmos earlier. In contrast, each saros, an eclipse occurs about 8 hours later in the day or about 120° to the west of the eclipse that occurred one saros earlier.