Eclipse
An eclipse happens when a planet or a moon gets in the way of the sun’s light. Here on Earth, we can experience two kinds of eclipses: solar eclipses and lunar eclipses.
SOLAR ECLIPSE
- It happens when the moon gets in the way of the sun’s light and casts its shadow on the Earth.
- A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun, as seen from Earth. 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. Areas outside this track may be able to see a partial eclipse of the Sun.
- A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon only partially covers the disk of the Sun.
- An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon appears smaller than the Sun as it passes centrally across the solar disk and a bright ring, or annulus, of sunlight remains visible during the eclipse.
- A hybrid solar eclipse is a rare form of solar eclipse, which changes from an annular to a total solar eclipse, and vice versa, along its path.
LUNAR ECLIPSE
- The Moon does not have its own light. It shines because its surface reflects the Sun’s rays. During a lunar eclipse, Earth gets in the way of the sun’s light hitting the moon. That means that during the night, a full moon fades away as Earth’s shadow covers it up. The moon can also look reddish because Earth’s atmosphere absorbs the other colour while it bends some sunlight toward the moon.
There are 3 kinds of lunar eclipses:
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A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth’s umbra – the central, dark part of its shadow – obscures all of the Moon’s surface.
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A partial lunar eclipse can be observed when only part of the Moon’s surface is obscured by Earth’s umbra.
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A penumbral lunar eclipse happens when the Moon travels through the faint penumbral portion of Earth’s shadow.