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What is a Solar Eclipse
What is a Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. On the other hand, lunar eclipses happen when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.
The main difference between these two types of eclipses is whether the Moon or Earth passes in the middle. If the Moon is in the middle, then it’s a solar eclipse because the Sun is obscured from our line of light. If the Earth is at the center, then it’s a lunar eclipse. The Earth blocks the light from the Sun, thus casting its shadow on the Moon.
Before we dive right into the detail, here’s some bite size Solar Eclipse facts to get you started!
Each year there are between 2 and 5 solar eclipses.
The total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely obscures the Sun and leaves only the faint solar corona, is known as a Totality.
Total solar eclipses are rare, happening only once every 18 months.
There is another type of solar eclipse, known as a hybrid eclipse, which shifts between a total and annular eclipse depending on where you view it from on Earth. These are comparatively rare.
The speed of the Moon as it moves across the Sun is approximately 2,250 km (1,398 miles) per hour.
From either the North or South Pole, only a partial solar eclipse is able to be viewed.
A total solar eclipse can last a maximum of 7 minutes and 30 seconds.
269 km is the maximum width of the path of totality.
Almost identical eclipses occur after 18 years and 11 days – known as the Saros Cycle.
Vocabularly
Umbra The umbra is the dark core of the shadow of the Moon. It gets smaller as it approaches the Earth. People in the location where the umbra falls will witness a total solar eclipse.
Umbra The umbra is the dark core of the shadow of the Moon. It gets smaller as it approaches the Earth. People in the location where the umbra falls will witness a total solar eclipse.
Penumbra The penumbra is the lighter part of the Moon’s shadow. Unlike umbra, it becomes bigger as it reaches the Earth. People will experience a partial solar eclipse where the Moon’s penumbra falls.
Penumbra The penumbra is the lighter part of the Moon’s shadow. Unlike umbra, it becomes bigger as it reaches the Earth. People will experience a partial solar eclipse where the Moon’s penumbra falls.
Antumbra Antumbra is also a lighter part of the Moon’s shadow, but it is more like the extension of the umbra. This happens when the Moon is farthest from the Earth (apogee). Because of the distance, the umbral shadow does not reach the Earth. What reaches us instead is the Moon’s antumbra which causes an annular solar eclipse.
Antumbra Antumbra is also a lighter part of the Moon’s shadow, but it is more like the extension of the umbra. This happens when the Moon is farthest from the Earth (apogee). Because of the distance, the umbral shadow does not reach the Earth. What reaches us instead is the Moon’s antumbra which causes an annular solar eclipse.
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