Saros Cycles in Astrology
Every solar eclipse belongs to a Saros family, a lineage of eclipses separated by roughly 18 years that share a common astrological theme. Understanding which Saros series an eclipse belongs to reveals the deeper story it carries for your chart and for the collective. Browse all 40 currently active series below.
Quick Facts
Active Series
40
Cycle Period
~18 years
Series Lifespan
~1,200 to 1,500 years
Eclipses per Series
~70 to 73
Browse All Series
Saros 10 North
Strong emphasis on communication with frustrating or inhibiting events
Next: 2044 in Pisces
Saros 10 South
Breaking out of a very negative situation to a more positive space with many options
Next: 2026 in Leo
Saros 11 North
Sudden changes in group associations through travel or ideas, with positive outcomes
Next: 2027 in Aquarius
Saros 11 South
Need to make sudden reforms as old ideas or methods fail
Next: 2027 in Leo
Saros 12 North
Opportunities to accept greater responsibilities that come suddenly
Next: 2028 in Aquarius
Saros 12 South
Successful outcomes to long-term worries or illness
Next: 2028 in Cancer
Saros 13 North
Large, ambitious group projects requiring separation or breaking of an existing bond
Next: 2029 in Capricorn
Saros 14 North
Confusion in personal relationships, unexpected financial happenings, and possible illness
Next: 2029 in Gemini
Saros 13 South
Expansive energy with underlying frustration, inhibitions, and separation
Next: 2029 in Sagittarius
Saros 15 North
Joy through commitment, with good news entailing responsibilities
Next: 2030 in Gemini
Saros 14 South
Success after long periods of hard work, with an obsessive idea finally accepted
Next: 2030 in Sagittarius
Saros 16 North
Inspiration or illumination of ideas with insight from the unconscious
Next: 2031 in Taurus
Saros 15 South
Release of tension as a lingering situation suddenly clears
Next: 2031 in Scorpio
Saros 17 New North
Impulsive energy with hectic socializing and passionate motivation
Next: 2032 in Taurus
Saros 16 South
Wasted energy or misdirected motivation, particularly with groups
Next: 2032 in Scorpio
Saros 18 North
High stress level with events requiring great expenditure of effort
Next: 2033 in Aries
Saros 17 South
Sudden success in group projects or personal relationship matters
Next: 2033 in Libra
Saros 19 North
Realism and coming down to earth, seeing an old situation for what it truly is
Next: 2034 in Pisces
Saros 18 South
Endings or separations, partings from friends or loved ones
Next: 2034 in Virgo
Saros 19 South
Pleasant surprises bringing sudden happiness, a lucky break or win
Next: 2035 in Pisces
Saros 1 North
Unexpected events involving friends or groups place pressure on personal relationships
Next: 2035 in Virgo
Saros 1 South
Ideas and their enthusiastic expression bring a flood of options
Next: 2036 in Pisces
Saros 2 Old North
Unfortunate news concerning friendships or relationships, but fast action brings good results
Next: 2036 in Leo
Saros 2 South
Involvement with unusual groups concerned with healing, the arts, or humanitarianism
Next: 2037 in Capricorn
Saros 3 North
News involving young people or transformative information that may cause obsessiveness
Next: 2037 in Cancer
Saros 3 South
Sudden ending of associations or relationships with traumatic transformation
Next: 2038 in Capricorn
Saros 4 South
Strong emotional feelings concerning relationships or money with a sense of fatedness
Next: 2038 in Cancer
Saros 4 North
Restriction, inhibition, restraint, separation, and illusions that seem to block the individual
Next: 2038 in Capricorn
Saros 5 New South
Good news, falling in love, a joyful peak experience
Next: 2039 in Gemini
Saros 5 North
Sudden flashes of ideas with a psychic or unconscious flavor
Next: 2039 in Sagittarius
Saros 6 South
Being forceful and taking power, with sudden events in the relationship area
Next: 2040 in Taurus
Saros 6 North
Relationship to authority figures and the need to take responsibility and control
Next: 2040 in Scorpio
Saros 7 South
Huge obstacles suddenly clear or a pending crisis moves through life very rapidly
Next: 2041 in Taurus
Saros 7 North
Sudden sexual passions and lust to birth and procreative drives
Next: 2041 in Scorpio
Saros 8 South
Separation and loss; finishing something and feeling sad at its completion
Next: 2042 in Taurus
Saros 8 North
Inventiveness and flashes of genius that pull the person away from their social life
Next: 2042 in Libra
Saros 9 New South
Long-term worries about loved ones, health, or communication issues surface
Next: 2043 in Aries
Saros 9 New North
Physically expressive events including accidents, great effort, or sudden physical activity
Next: 2043 in Libra
Saros 2 New North
Sudden collapse of plans or lifestyles leading to rebuilding and transformation
Next: 2054 in Leo
Saros 9 Old South
Constructive energy focused on reuniting loved ones or artistic endeavors
Understanding Saros Families
Think of the Saros system as a forest of eclipse families. Each family (or “series”) is a single tree, born when a tiny partial eclipse first appears near one of the Earth's poles. Over the course of roughly 1,200 to 1,500 years, that tree grows through a sequence of 70 or more eclipses, each one shifting about 10 degrees of longitude and migrating slowly from pole to equator and back again. Every individual eclipse is a leaf on that tree, carrying the genetic imprint of the family while expressing it in a new zodiacal context.
The astrological character of a Saros family is set at its birth. The planetary aspects present in the sky when the very first eclipse of the series occurs become the “birth chart” of that family. Every subsequent eclipse in the series carries the themes encoded in those birth aspects, even centuries later. This is why two eclipses in the same year can feel radically different: they belong to different Saros families with different ancestral imprints.
Knowing which Saros family an eclipse belongs to gives you a narrative thread. Instead of treating each eclipse as an isolated event, you can trace its story back through previous occurrences in the same series and recognize familiar patterns. The eclipse that fell in 1999 and the one in 2017, for example, both belong to Saros 1 North and share the same core themes of unexpected group dynamics pressuring personal relationships.
How to Use Saros Cycles
To work with Saros cycles practically, start by identifying which series the current or upcoming eclipse belongs to. Read the family's theme and birth aspects to understand the broad narrative. Then look at which house and planets the eclipse activates in your natal chart. The Saros theme tells you what kind of story is unfolding; the house and aspect contacts tell you where in your life it plays out.
You can also look backward. Find the previous eclipse in the same series (roughly 18 years ago) and reflect on what was happening in your life at that time. The current eclipse often picks up that earlier thread and advances it. Our Saros Cycle calculator makes it easy to identify the series for any eclipse and explore its full history.
Explore eclipse families in your chart
Use our Saros Cycle calculator to find which eclipse families have shaped your life story.