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Archaeology * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- October 26, 2025 report The GIST How the Mayans were able to accurately predict solar eclipses for centuries by Paul Arnold, Phys.org [paul] Paul Arnold contributing writer Meet our staff & contributors Learn about our editorial standards edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan [Gaby] Gaby Clark scientific editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process [Robert] Robert Egan associate editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread New research reveals how the Mayans were able to accurately predict solar eclipses for centuries Eclipse table of the Dresden Codex. Credit: Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt9039 The Maya Civilization, from Central America, was one of the most advanced ancient civilizations, known for its significant achievements in astronomy and mathematics. This includes accurate calendars and detailed celestial records, but scientists don't fully understand all the details of their calculations. However, new research is shedding light on how they predicted future eclipses with remarkable accuracy. A study published in the journal Science Advances analyzes the Dresden Codex, the most famous surviving record of Mayan astronomy. In particular, researchers focused on the eclipse prediction table which spans 405 lunar months. Previous studies were unable to fully explain the table's underlying structure or the mechanism Mayans used to keep it updated for centuries. This paper fills in those missing details. The research overturns a long-held assumption that the table's 405-month length meant it was created solely for predicting eclipses. Instead, the paper's authors state that it was first designed as a lunar calendar to align with the Maya's 260-day astrological calendar. They used modeling and statistics to show that the 405-month cycle's length of 11,960 days aligns with the 260-day calendar (46 x 260 = 11,960) much more closely than it aligns with the cycles of solar and lunar eclipses. "Mayan calendar specialists anticipated solar eclipses by correlating their occurrences with dates in their 260-day divinatory calendar," wrote the researchers in their paper. "The 405-month eclipse table had emerged from a lunar calendar in which the 260-day divinatory calendar commensurated the lunar cycle." In other words, the Mayan model for predicting solar eclipses grew directly out of their model for tracking the moon and harmonizing their calendars. [INS::INS] Incredible accuracy The researchers also solved the mystery of how the Mayans were able to be so accurate with their predictions. Previously, it was thought that once one table finished, they would start a new one. But the latest study shows that to maintain correct predictions for over 700 years, the Mayans used a system of overlapping tables. Instead of starting a new table, they would reset the next table to precise internals of 223 or 358 months before the previous table ended to correct for small astronomical errors that accumulate over time. The research team reached this conclusion by mathematically modeling the table's predictions against a historical database of actual solar eclipses visible to the Maya between 350 and 1150 CE. Updating the table this way ensured that it could predict every observable solar eclipse for centuries. Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan--this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. More information: John Justeson et al, The design and reconstructible history of the Mayan eclipse table of the Dresden Codex, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt9039 Journal information: Science Advances (c) 2025 Science X Network Citation: How the Mayans were able to accurately predict solar eclipses for centuries (2025, October 26) retrieved 3 November 2025 from https://phys.org/news/ 2025-10-mayans-accurately-solar-eclipses-centuries.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. 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They maintained accuracy over centuries by resetting overlapping tables at specific intervals, correcting for accumulated errors and ensuring reliable long-term eclipse forecasts. This summary was automatically generated using LLM. Full disclaimer Let us know if there is a problem with our content Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request [-- please select one -- ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Your message to the editors [ ] Your email (optional, only if you'd like a response) [ ] Send Feedback Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors. Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. 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