So you can't see the lunar eclipse, because the Earth is now in the way. Two weeks later, when the Moon has moved around to the other side of the Earth this means that when you go out at midday, the line is now Moon-Earth-you-Sun. So, say we have a solar eclipse at midday - there's a line between the centre of the Earth, through you, the Moon and the Sun. To make this more complicated, the Earth is rotating so that it takes about 24 hours to go from midday to midday. Since it takes the Moon about 4 weeks to orbit the Earth, it will take it about 2 weeks to go from a lineup of Moon-Earth-Sun to a lineup of Earth-Moon-Sun. For a lunar eclipse, the Earth has to be between the Moon and Sun. These eclipse pairs seem to occur almost exactly at the same time of day.įor a solar eclipse, the Moon has to be between the Earth and Sun. Two weeks before that there was a total lunar eclipse where we could only see the beginning of the eclipse as the Moon was already set when totality occurred. The only exception was when the eclipse happens near the sunrise or sunset.įor example on May 31 in 2003 a partial eclipse could be seen from Hungary at the morning when the Sun rose already partially eclipsed just few minutes before the maximum occultation. Recently the same thing happens in July 2 when there were a total solar eclipse on the other side of Earth, and soon we will see a partial lunar eclipse from my area. Similarly when lunar eclipse is visible in my area, the corresponding solar eclipse is not visible at my area because the Sun is set. However I noticed if there is a solar eclipse in my area then the preceding/following lunar eclipse is not visible from my area because the Moon is set when it happens. They eagerly await a solar eclipse because it helps them to gather more knowledge about the Sun and its position with respect to Earth.Lunar and solar eclipses go in tandem so the two often happens two weeks apart. The effect that an eclipse has on all life on Earth is of particular interest to scientists. In ancient China, a solar eclipse was thought to be the dragon coming to eat the Sun. This is probably because of the importance of the Sun to all life on Earth. You can use a telescope to get a clearer view of the moon during an eclipse and really see what is happening.Ī solar eclipse has always had a more profound effect on humans than a lunar eclipse. It is quite safe to watch a lunar eclipse with the naked eye, while watching a solar eclipse without eyewear protection can seriously damage your eyesight. Solar eclipses, on the other hand, are more rare and when they do happen can only be seen by a very narrow segment of people on Earth, for a short period of time. Also, a lunar eclipse can be seen from a greater portion of the Earth. The Moon is much closer to the Earth (well over 300 times closer than the Sun!), so the Earth has a much greater chance of blocking sunlight to the Moon, compared to the Moon blocking light from the Sun. We can see lunar eclipses more readily than solar eclipses, and it has to do with proximity. The moon's orbit is actually tilted 5 degrees more than that of the Earth otherwise, we would see a lunar eclipse each month. Even though there is a full moon each month, obviously a lunar eclipse does not occur on a monthly basis because the Sun isn't exactly in line with the Earth and the moon. A lunar eclipse can only occur when the moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky a full moon. There are only certain times when either of them can occur. How are a lunar eclipse and solar eclipse different?Ī lunar eclipse occurs at night and a solar eclipse occurs during the day. It will not cover the Sun completely that's when you can see a thin ring of light emerging from the outside rim of the moon. A total solar eclipse is when the moon blocks out the Sun entirely, a partial eclipse is when it blocks out a portion of the Sun, and an annular eclipse is when the moon is at its furthest point in orbit. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking all or a portion of the Sun.Īn eclipse can be total, partial, or annular. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun, and the Earth's shadow obscures the moon or a portion of it. A "lunar eclipse" and a "solar eclipse" refer to events involving three celestial bodies: the Sun ("solar"), the moon ("lunar"), and the Earth.
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