Eclipses 2003

Retrograde windows run from the station-retrograde day to the station-direct day, both counted, in UTC — the same windows as the 2003 retrograde calendar.

Eclipses and times of greatest eclipse are computed with astronomy-engine and checked against NASA’s eclipse catalog; see the method.

01When are the eclipses in 2003?

Total lunar: 16 May 2003, 24° Scorpio; Annular solar: 31 May 2003, 9° Gemini; Total lunar: 9 Nov 2003, 16° Taurus; Total solar: 23 Nov 2003, 1° Sagittarius. Times of greatest eclipse are on this page, in UTC.

02When is eclipse season in 2003?

2 May 2003 to 8 Jun 2003 (north node); 26 Oct 2003 to 1 Dec 2003 (south node). A season here is every UTC day on which the Sun stands within 18.5° of one of the Moon’s nodes.

03Which planets were retrograde during the 2003 eclipses?

Total lunar eclipse on 16 May: Retrograde that day: Mercury, Neptune and Pluto. It falls on day 21 of a 25-day Mercury retrograde. Annular solar eclipse on 31 May: Retrograde that day: Neptune and Pluto. Total lunar eclipse on 9 Nov: Retrograde that day: Saturn. Total solar eclipse on 23 Nov: Retrograde that day: Saturn.

04What is an eclipse season?

The Moon’s orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Sun’s path, so most new and full moons pass above or below the Sun or Earth’s shadow. Twice a year, for about five weeks, the Sun stands near one of the two points where the orbits cross, the nodes; any new or full moon then is close enough to the node to cast or catch a shadow. Every season has at least two eclipses, a solar and a lunar, and sometimes three.