Predicting Celestial Events

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How do scientists predict celestial events? I mean, if the solar eclipse is happening today, how do they know it happened XX years ago or that it will happen XX years later?

I am not talking about simply predicting a solar eclipse but rather specifically how long it’s been since this exact same type occured.

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All celestial events occur in cycles, so whenever a cycle is complete, the same events occur again. In case of solar eclipses, the cycle is about 18 years (called a “saros”). This is a period of time in which the Moon and the Sun both complete whole numbers of their own cycles, setting them to repeat the same events all over again.

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