Research on Zhongkang Solar Eclipse Based on Modern Astronomical Planetary Ephemeris

Historical record on the Zhongkang solar eclipse may be the earliest record of solar eclipse in human history. Unfortunately, the date of the solar eclipse wasn't given in the record. The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project thought that the eclipse may occur on October 3, 2043 BCE, December 6, 2019 BCE, November 5, 1970 BCE, or October 26, 1961 BCE. The authors use the modern astronomical planetary ephemeris released by the NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to calculate distribution of the Zhongkang solar eclipse path and visibility of the eclipse in Zhenxun, capital of the Xia dynasty. The visibility in Zhenxun supports the possible occurrence time of the eclipse given by the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project. This work also provides a certain reference for the further study of the Zhongkang solar eclipse.