A solar eclipse occurs when a portion of the earth is covered in a shadow cast by the Moon, which fully or partially blocks sunlight. A solar eclipse happens because the distance between the sun and the earth is about 400 times the moon's distance from the sun and the sun's diameter is approximately 400 times larger than the moon's. Interesting na...so, let's discover some lesser know and interesting facts about solar eclipse...
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There are 4 types of solar eclipse: total solar eclipse, partial solar eclipse, annular solar eclipse, and hybrid eclipse.
Total solar eclipse: A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely covers the sun.
Partial solar eclipse: A partial solar eclipse is when the moon does not line up completely with the sun.
Annular solar eclipse: An annular solar eclipse is when the moon doesn't cover the entire sun even if the moon's completely centered in front of it. This happens because the moon's orbit is an ellipsis, and the moon is closer to the earth.
Hybrid solar eclipse: A hybrid eclipse is a combination of a total and annular eclipse.
- A total solar eclipse can last as long as 7.5 minutes.
- On average, there are no less than 2 and no more than 5 solar eclipses per year.
- Almost identical eclipses occur after 18 years and 11 days, known as a saros cycle.
- Earth is the only planet in the solar system subject to the total solar eclipse.
- If you are at the north or south poles, you cannot view a total solar eclipse.
- Looking directly at a solar eclipse can cause total blindness.
- Temperature is expected to drop 15-13 degrees Fahrenheit during the time of the eclipse.
- The glow around a total solar eclipse is known as solar corona. It can only be seen during a total solar eclipse.
- In ancient times, people thought a solar eclipse was a sign that gods were angry.
- A solar eclipse always occurs weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
- A solar eclipse can only occur when the moon is in its "new moon" phase. This is because the moon has to be between the sun and the earth for the eclipse to happen. The only lunar phase when that happens is a new moon.
- Though eclipse happens during the new moon, they don't happen at every new moon. Because the moon's orbit tilts at 5 degrees to earth's orbit around the sun. Eclipse only happens when the earth, sun, and moon paths intersect. This intersection is called a node.
- Eclipse totality is varied in length. This is because the earth is not always at the same distance from the sun, and the moon isn't always the same distance from the earth.
- Strange things happen during the eclipse; as totality nears, you might experience strange things all around the horizon. You'll see lighter areas than the sky around the sun shadows that look different; birds will stop chirping.
- In about a million years, the solar eclipse won't be noticeable because the moon is slowly drifting away from earth.
- The shadow of the eclipse is broken into 3 parts Umbra, Penumbra, and Antumbra.
- The width of the path of the totality is usually about 160 km across and can sweep across an area of earth's surface about 10000 miles long.
- Total solar eclipses are rare, happening only once every 18 months.
- The moon's shadow travels across the earth's surface at up to 5000 miles per hour.
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