What do the letters in brackets behind the information on eclipses mean?
t – “total” eclipse of the Moon / Sun p – “partial” eclipse of the Moon / Sun u – “penumbra” (Lunar) eclipse, i.e. the Moon enters the half-shadow cone of the Earth but not the core shadow. The “u” was chosen because of the Latin word “umbra” which means “shadow”. It is hard to notice such an eclipse. a – “annular” (Solar) eclipse (ring-formed): the Moon is too far away for its disk to completely cover the Solar disk. At the peak time of the eclipse, a ring of the Sun’s disk is still visible. Most astrologers who work with eclipses do not take their visible quality into account, neither do they consider whether someone is in the path of visibility of a Solar eclipse or far away. All they are concerned with is whether an eclipse has taken place or not.
