![]() It happens because the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky when the Moon is Full.įull Moon also has special significance with regard to eclipses. None of the Moon's other phases have this unique characteristic. When the Moon is Full, it rises at sunset and is visible all night long.Īt the end of the night, the Full Moon sets just as the Sun rises. The Full Moon is popularly known as the phase of love and romance. In comparison, the Full Moon phase occurs mid-way through the lunar month. ![]() The New Moon phase is uniquely recognized as the beginning of each calendar month just as it is the beginning on the Moon's monthly cycle. The Hebrew, Muslim and Chinese calendars are all lunar calendars. ![]() In fact, some calendars are synchronized to the phases of the Moon. Many early civilizations used the Moon's monthly cycle to measure the passage of time. The rest of the phases are familiar to all of us as the Moon cycles through them month after month.ĭid you realize that the word month is derived from the Moon's 29.5 day period? The phase known as New Moon can not actually be seen because the illuminated side of the Moon is then pointed away from Earth. Waning Gibbous > Last Quarter > Old Crescent > New Moon (again) New Moon > New Crescent > First Quarter > Waxing Gibbous> Full Moon >.The Moon orbits Earth about once every 29 and a half days.Īs it circles our planet, the changing position of the Moon with respect to the SunĬauses our natural satellite to cycle through a series of phases: It has no light of its own but shines by sunlight reflected from its surface. The Moon is a cold, rocky body about 2,160 miles (3,476 km) in diameter. You'll learn the answers to these questions and more in MrEclipse's primer on lunar eclipses. How often do eclipses happen and when is the next eclipse of the Moon? Total Solar Eclipses 1900-2199 Partial Solar EclipsesĪ partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon only partially covers the disk of the Sun.Īll Partial Solar Eclipses 1900-2199 Annular Solar EclipsesĪn annular solar eclipse occurs when the New Moon covers the Sun's center, leaving its outer edges to form a “ring of fire” or annulus.Īll Annular Solar Eclipses 1900-2199 Hybrid Solar EclipsesĪ hybrid solar eclipse is a rare form of a solar eclipse, which changes from an annular to a total solar eclipse, and vice versa, along its path.What is an eclipse of the Moon? What causes eclipses and why? The only way to safely watch a solar eclipse is to wear protective eclipse glasses or project an image of the eclipsed Sun using a DIY Pinhole Projector. Looking at a solar eclipse without any protective eyewear can severely harm your eyes. Areas outside this track may be able to see a partial eclipse of the Sun. Totality during such an eclipse can only be seen from a limited area, shaped like a narrow belt, usually about 160 km (100 mi) wide and 16,000 km (10,000 mi) long. Total Solar EclipsesĪ total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun, as seen from Earth. There is also a rare hybrid that is a combination of an annular and a total eclipse. ![]() There are three kinds of solar eclipses: total, partial, and annular. There are between two and five solar eclipses every year. Solar eclipses can only occur during a New Moon when the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun, and the three celestial bodies form a straight line: Earth–Moon–Sun. In recent centuries, scientists and astronomers follow eclipses in order to study and examine our natural world.Įclipses and Transits 1900-2199 Solar Eclipses In ancient times, eclipses were seen as phenomena to be feared – many cultures came up with stories and myths to explain the temporary darkening of the Sun or the Moon. The term eclipse also finds its roots in ancient Greek-it comes from the word ékleipsis, meaning to fail or to abandon.Įclipses, solar and lunar, have fascinated scientists and laypeople for centuries. Astronomers call this a syzygy, from the ancient Greek word syzygia, meaning to be yoked together or conjoined. These occur when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon align in a straight or almost straight configuration. ©/Hans-Walter Untch Types of Eclipsesįrom Earth, we can see two types of eclipses-eclipses of the Sun (solar eclipses) and eclipses of the Moon (lunar eclipses).
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