Calendars and time
Draconic Year
Direct answer
Draconic Year: A Draconic Year is the interval for the Sun to return to the same node of the Moon orbit, also called an eclipse year.
A Draconic Year is the Sun node-to-node return period used in eclipse cycles.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Related
- Anomalistic Year, Synodic Month, Calendar, Julian Date
A Draconic Year is the Sun node-to-node return period used in eclipse cycles.
A cycle or timeline schematic for comparing the named timekeeping concept.
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The story behind Draconic Year
Ancient eclipse prediction improved as observers recognized repeating relations among lunations, nodes, and anomaly.
Why Draconic Year matters
Eclipses require the Sun to be near a lunar node, so this roughly 346.6-day period helps organize eclipse seasons.
Draconic Year in practice: an example
Two eclipse seasons occur within most draconic years as the Sun crosses the two lunar-node regions.
Where readings of Draconic Year go wrong
The usual misreading is to confuse the draconic year with the shorter draconic month or with a civil year.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical Almanac Glossary - Reference definitions for astronomical periods, coordinates, dates, and time scales.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Follow the eclipse-year geometry
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More in Calendars & Timekeeping
- Golden Number
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- Local Mean Solar Time
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- Solar Calendar
- UT1
- Astronomical Year Numbering
- Civil Calendar
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Common questions
What is a Draconic Year?
A Draconic Year is the interval for the Sun to return to the same node of the Moon orbit, also called an eclipse year.
What do people get wrong about a Draconic Year?
The usual misreading is to confuse the draconic year with the shorter draconic month or with a civil year.
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