Astronomical knowledge is an interesting part of the general knowledge necessary for a person to realize what is happening in the environment. We turn our gaze to heaven every time when dreams take hold of the mind. Sometimes some phenomena hit a person to the core. We will talk about such in our article, namely, what is a lunar and solar eclipse.
Although today the disappearance or partial hiding of the stars from our eyes does not cause such a superstitious fear as our ancestors, a special halo of the mystery of these processes remains. Nowadays, science has facts that can be used to explain this or that phenomenon simply and easily. We will try to do this in today's article.
What is a solar eclipse and how does it happen?
A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon that occurs as a result of the fact that the entire solar surface or part of it facing the observers located on the earth eclipses the Earth's satellite. At the same time, it is possible to see it only during the new moon, when the part of the Moon turned to the planet is not completely illuminated, that is, it becomes invisible to the naked eye. What is an eclipse, we understood, and now we learn how it happens.
An eclipse happens when the Moon is not illuminated by the Sun from the side visible on Earth. This is only possible in the growing phase, when the planet’s satellite is located near one of the two lunar nodes (by the way, the lunar node is the point of intersection of the lines of two orbits, the solar and the lunar). Moreover, the lunar shadow on the planet has a diameter of no more than 270 kilometers. Therefore, it is possible to observe the eclipse only in the place of the passing shadow strip. In turn, the Moon, rotating in orbit, adheres to a certain distance between it and the Earth, which at the time of an eclipse can be completely different.
When do we observe a total solar eclipse?
You probably heard about the concept of total eclipse. Here we once again clearly indicate what a total solar eclipse is and what conditions are needed for it.
The shadow of the Moon falling on the Earth represents a certain spot of a certain diameter with a possible change in size. As we have already said, the diameter of the shadow does not exceed 270 kilometers, while the minimum figure approaches zero. If at this moment the observer of the eclipse is in a dark band, he has a unique opportunity to witness the complete disappearance of the Sun. At the same time, the sky becomes dark, with the outlines of stars and even planets. And around the previously hidden from the gaze of the solar disk appears the shape of the crown, which in normal times is impossible to see. A total eclipse lasts no more than a few minutes.
Photos of this unique phenomenon presented in the article will help to see and realize what a solar eclipse is. If you decide to watch this phenomenon live, you must follow safety measures regarding vision.
We finished this information block in which we learned what a solar eclipse is and what conditions are necessary to see it. Next, we have to get acquainted with the lunar eclipse, or, as it sounds in English, lunar eclipse.
What is a lunar eclipse and how does it happen?
Lunar eclipse is a cosmic phenomenon that occurs when the moon enters the shadow of the Earth. Moreover, as with the Sun, events can have several developmental options.
Depending on some factors, a lunar eclipse can be full or partial. Logically, we can well assume what this or that term characterizing a specific eclipse means. We learn what a total lunar eclipse is.
How and when does a planetary satellite become inconspicuous?
Such an eclipse of the moon is usually visible where, at the appropriate moment, it is located above the horizon. The satellite is in the shadow of the Earth, but at the same time a total eclipse is not able to hide the moon completely. In this case, it is only slightly obscured, acquiring a dark, reddish hue. This is because, even being completely in the shade, the lunar disk does not cease to be illuminated by the sun's rays passing through the earth's atmosphere.
Our knowledge was expanded by the facts about what a total eclipse of the moon is. However, this is not all possible options for eclipse of a satellite with an earth shadow. We will talk about the rest later.
Partial lunar eclipse
As in the case of the Sun, the dimming of the visible surface of the Moon often occurs incomplete. We can observe a partial eclipse in the case when in total some part of the Moon appears in the shadow of the Earth. This means that when a part of the satellite is eclipsed, that is, obscured by our planet, its second part continues to be illuminated by the Sun and remains well viewed by us.
The penumbra eclipse, which differs from other astronomical processes, will seem much more interesting and unusual. About what the eclipse of the moon is a partial shade, we will talk further.
Unique penumbra lunar eclipse
This type of eclipse of the Earth’s satellite occurs a little differently than partial. From open sources or from our own experience it is easy to find out that there are areas on the Earth’s surface where the sun’s rays do not completely obscure, and therefore cannot be a shadow. But the passage of direct sunlight is not here. This is a partial shade area. And when the moon, which has fallen into this very place, is in the partial shade of the Earth, we can observe a penumbral eclipse.
When it enters the penumbral region, the lunar disk changes its brightness, becoming a little darker. True, such a phenomenon with the naked eye to notice and recognize is almost impossible. For this, special devices will be needed. It is also interesting that from one edge of the moon’s disk, blackout may be more noticeable.
So we have finished the second main block of our article. Now we can easily explain for ourselves what a lunar eclipse is and how it occurs. But interesting facts about the solar and lunar eclipses do not end there. We continue the topic by answering some questions related to these amazing phenomena.
What eclipses are more frequent?
After all that we learned from the previous parts of the article, the question naturally arises: which of the eclipses do we have a better chance of seeing in our lives? We will also say a few words about this.
It is incredible, but true: the number of eclipses of the Sun is greater, even though the Moon is smaller in size than the diameter of the Earth. Indeed, knowing what an eclipse is and why it occurs, one might think that the shadow from a larger object is likely to overlap a smaller one, rather than vice versa. Based on this logic, the size of the Earth allows you to hide the lunar disk in two counts.
Nevertheless, it is the eclipses of the sun on the planet that happen more. According to statistics from astronomers and observers, seven eclipses account for only three lunar, solar, respectively, four.
The reason for the amazing statistics
The disks of the closest heavenly bodies, the Sun and the Moon, in the sky in diameter are almost the same. It is for this reason that solar eclipses can occur.
Usually the eclipses of the Sun fall during the new moon, that is, when the Moon approaches its orbital nodes. And since the moon’s orbit is not perfectly round, and the nodes of the orbit move along the ecliptic, in favorable periods the disk of the moon in the celestial sphere can be either larger, smaller, or even equal to the solar disk.
In this case, the first case contributes to a total eclipse. The decisive factor is the angular size of the moon. At maximum size, an eclipse can last up to seven and a half minutes. The second case involves total shadowing for only seconds. In the third case, when the moon’s disk is smaller than the solar one, a very beautiful eclipse occurs - a ring-shaped one. Around the dark disk of the moon we see a radiant ring - the edges of the solar disk. Such an eclipse lasts 12 minutes.
Thus, we supplemented our knowledge of what a solar eclipse is and how it occurs with new details worthy of amateur researchers.
Eclipse factor: the location of the stars
An equally important cause of the eclipse is the uniform distribution of celestial bodies. The shadow of the moon may or may not hit the earth. And sometimes it happens that only a penumbra from an eclipse hits the Earth. In this case, you can observe a partial, that is, incomplete eclipse of the Sun, which we already spoke about, even when we talked about what the eclipse of the Sun is.
If a lunar eclipse can be observed from the entire night surface of the planet, from which the circumference of the lunar disk is visible, then the solar eclipse can only be observed when you are in a narrow strip with an average width of 40-100 kilometers.
How often can you see eclipses?
Now that we know what an eclipse is and why some are more numerous than others, another exciting question remains: how often can one observe these amazing phenomena? Indeed, in our life, each of us has heard only one news about the eclipse, a maximum of two, someone - not a single …
Despite the fact that a solar eclipse occurs more often than a lunar eclipse, it can still be seen in the same area (remember the strip with an average width of 40-100 kilometers) only once every 300 years. But a complete lunar eclipse, a person can observe several times in his life, but only if the observer has not changed his place of residence throughout his life. Although today, knowing about the dimming, you can get anywhere and by any means of transport. Those who know what a lunar eclipse are, for sure, will not stop in front of a hundred or two kilometers of path for an incredible sight. There are no problems with this today. And if suddenly you received information about the next eclipse in some place, do not be lazy and do not spare money to get to the place of maximum visibility at the moment when you can observe the eclipse. Believe me, no distance can be compared with the received impressions.
Nearest visible eclipses
The frequency and schedule of the occurrence of eclipses can be found in the astronomical calendar. In addition, significant events such as a total eclipse will certainly be talked about in the media. The calendar says that the next eclipse of the Sun seen in the Russian capital will take place on October 16, 2126. Recall also that the last eclipse in this territory could be observed more than a hundred years ago - in 1887. So the residents of Moscow will not have to observe a solar eclipse for many more years. The only way to see this amazing phenomenon is to go to Siberia, to the Far East. There you can observe a change in the brightness of the Sun: it will only darken a little.
