Solar eclipse of October 12, 1996

• A total lunar eclipse on April 4.
• A partial solar eclipse on April 17.
• A total lunar eclipse on September 27.
• A partial solar eclipse on October 12.

This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit.[1]

Solar eclipse series sets from 1993–1996
Descending node				Ascending node
Saros	Map	Gamma		Saros	Map	Gamma
118	1993 May 21 Partial	1.13720		123	1993 November 13 Partial	-1.04114
128	1994 May 10 Annular	0.40771		133 Totality at Bolivia	1994 November 3 Total	-0.35216
138	1995 April 29 Annular	-0.33821		143 Totality at Dundlod, India	1995 October 24 Total	0.35176
148	1996 April 17 Partial	-1.05796		153	1996 October 12 Partial	1.12265

The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly the same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node.

22 eclipse events between December 24, 1916 and July 31, 2000
December 24–25	October 12–13	July 31-Aug 1	May 18–20	March 7–8
91	93	95	97	99
December 23, 1878	October 12, 1882	July 31, 1886	May 18, 1890	March 7, 1894
101	103	105	107	109
December 23, 1897	October 12, 1901	August 1, 1905	May 19, 1909	March 8, 1913
111	113	115	117	119
December 24, 1916	October 12, 1920	July 31, 1924	May 19, 1928	March 7, 1932
121	123	125	127	129
December 25, 1935	October 12, 1939	August 1, 1943	May 20, 1947	March 7, 1951
131	133	135	137	139
December 25, 1954	October 12, 1958	July 31, 1962	May 20, 1966	March 7, 1970
141	143	145	147	149
December 24, 1973	October 12, 1977	July 31, 1981	May 19, 1985	March 7, 1989
151	153	155	157	159
December 24, 1992	October 12, 1996	July 31, 2000	May 19, 2004	March 7, 2008
161	163	165	167	169
December 24, 2011	October 13, 2015	August 1, 2019	May 19, 2023	March 8, 2027