87 Edu-Taining Facts About Eclipses And The Phenomenon Behind Them
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Be it a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse; eclipses have always captured the imagination of humans.
An eclipse is an astronomy event in which an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily covered by passing into the shadow of eclipsing body or bypassing between it and the spectator. Eclipses on the Earth are observed based on the alignment of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun.
A syzygy is defined as the alignment of three celestial objects. When a spacecraft reaches a position from which it can observe two perfectly aligned heavenly bodies, the term eclipse is used in addition to syzygy. An eclipse is caused by an occultation (totally veiled) or transit of the Sun (partially eclipsed).
Read on to know more about the types of eclipses and the science behind them. Afterward, also check out 79 Best moon puns that eclipse all others and 55+ Best moon jokes that aren't cheesy.
Types Of Eclipses
Eclipses occur when the Sun-Earth and the Moon are aligned in a straight or nearly straight arrangement. This is known as a syzygy, which comes from the ancient Greek word syzygial, which means 'to be yoked together or conjoined.'
Solar Eclipses
Only under a New Moon can a solar eclipse occur when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, making a straight line between the three celestial bodies: Earth–Moon–Sun. Every year, there are two total or partial solar eclipses.
Five solar eclipses can occur in a year in scarce circumstances. The last time this event happened was in 1935, and in the near future, it will happen 2206.
Total, partial, annular, and hybrid eclipses are the four types of solar eclipses.
Total Solar Eclipses
When the Moon covers the Sun as seen from Earth, it is called a total solar eclipse. Totality may only be observed from a small area during an eclipse, typically formed like a narrow belt and around 100 mi (160.9 km) wide and 10,000 mi (16,093.4 km) long.
A partial eclipse of the Sun may be visible in areas outside this track.
It would be best if you never watched a solar eclipse without protective eye-wear that can do severe damage to your eyes. Wearing protective eclipse glasses or using a DIY Pinhole Projector to project a picture of the eclipsed Sun is the only way to see a solar eclipse safely.
Partial solar eclipses
When the Moon cannot completely cover the Sun, it is known as a partial solar eclipse. Only a piece of the Sun is hidden because the Moon passes off-center.
The Moon, the Sun, and the Earth do not align precisely straight during a partial solar eclipse, and the Moon only throws the penumbra, or outer part of its shadow, on Earth. In this vast space, we are, it looks like the Moon has bitten the Sun.
Annular Solar Eclipses
Even if the Moon is perfectly centered in front of the Sun, an annular eclipse will occur when the Moon cannot cover it entirely. This happens because the Moon's orbital plane is elliptical, and the Moon is closer to the Earth. During this eclipse, the bright ring surrounding the Moon is called the 'ring of fire.'
Hybrid Solar Eclipses
The rarest of all solar eclipses is the hybrid kinds that transition from an annular to a total eclipse and back again as it travels across the sky.
Lunar Eclipses
The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical orbit. As the Earth orbits the Sun, the Earth passes in between the Moon and the Sun. The Earth will block the sunlight that the Moon would typically reflect at this juncture. (The Moon shines because of this sunshine.)
The Earth's shadow then falls on the Moon in place of light hitting its surface. This is known as a lunar eclipse. This type of eclipse can only take place during the full Moon.
Total, partial, and penumbral lunar eclipses are the three forms of lunar eclipses.
Total lunar eclipses
When the Moon and the Sun are on Earth's different sides, a total lunar eclipse occurs. The Moon receives some sunlight despite being in the shadow of the Earth. Most of the blue light is filtered off as the sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere. The Moon appears red to people on Earth as a result of this.
Partial Lunar Eclipses
When a section of the Moon enters the shadow of the Earth, it is known as a partial lunar eclipse. The Earth's shadow appears quite dark on the side of the Moon facing Earth during a partial eclipse. The Sun, Earth, and Moon alignment determines what people see from Earth during such an eclipse.
Penumbral Lunar Eclipses
When the Moon passes through the penumbra, the faint, outside section of Earth's shadow, a penumbral lunar eclipse happens. This eclipse is not as impressive as other lunar eclipses, and it is frequently mistaken for a typical Full Moon.
How often do lunar eclipses occur?
If the date and timing of an eclipse are known, an eclipse cycle, such as the saros, can predict future eclipses occurrences. You can catch the next solar eclipse, and with the right gear, you can do some eclipse photography.
Two solar eclipses, two lunar eclipses, and no Mercury transited in 2021. From areas of North America, three eclipses will be visible.
On May 26, 2021, there was a Total Eclipse of the Moon. From North America, the eclipse is just partially visible. Western North America will have the finest views. However, the eclipse will also be visible from Hawaii.
On June 10, 2021, there was an annular eclipse of the Sun. Beginning at 4:12 a.m. EDT and finishing at 9:11 a.m. EDT, the eclipse will be visible from northern and northeastern North America.
November 19, 2021, a partial eclipse of the Moon took place. North America and Hawaii will be able to see the eclipse.
On December 4, 2021, a Total Eclipse of the Sun took place. The Falkland Islands, the southernmost tip of Africa, Antarctica, and south-easternmost Australia will all see it.
The Phenomenon Behind Eclipses
A solar eclipse happens when the Sun's light is blocked by the Moon like it did on August 21, 2017. When the Moon slips behind the Earth and into its shadow, it is called a lunar eclipse.
As the Moon goes directly behind the Earth, the Sun's light will be refracted through the Earth, giving the Moon a red-orange tinge.
Eclipses of the Sun
The visible disc of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun when the Sun is closest to Earth, and the Moon is at its maximum distance. If the Sun is eclipsed at this time, the Moon's disc passing over the Sun's disc will not cover it, leaving the Sun's rim visible all around it.
An annular eclipse is a name for this kind of eclipse. Central eclipses include total and annular eclipses.
Eclipses of the Moon
The Moon passing through Earth's shadow will dim slightly but remain noticeable. A lunar eclipse can only happen during the full Moon when the Moon is on the side of the Earth opposite the Sun since the Earth's shadow is directed away from the Sun.
It appears nearly identical at all sites on Earth where a lunar eclipse can be seen.
Unknown Facts About Solar And Lunar Eclipses
A total solar eclipse is not visible until the Moon has covered the Sun by more than 90%.
Daytime lighting resembles local twilight with 99% coverage.
Every eclipse begins at dawn at some point along its path and ends around sunset halfway around the world.
Up to 3,000 mi (4,828 km) away from the path of totality, partial solar eclipses can be seen.
From the North and South Poles, only partial solar eclipses can be seen.
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Sun is at one of the lunar orbit nodes, and the Moon is at apogee at the same node.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for eclipses, then why not take a look at 79 Best moon puns that eclipse all others or 55+ Best moon jokes that aren't cheesy?
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Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
Oluwatosin MichaelBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
With a Bachelor's in Microbiology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oluwatosin has honed his skills as an SEO content writer, editor, and growth manager. He has written articles, conducted extensive research, and optimized content for search engines. His expertise extends to leading link-building efforts and revising onboarding strategies.
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