Eclipse occurs when a celestial body such as the moon or planet moves into the shadow of another celestial body. There are two main types of eclipses namely lunar eclipses and solar eclipses.
Lunar eclipses and solar eclipses are still divided into several types. Find out the explanation!
Lunar eclipse
The moon moves in an orbit around the Earth. At the same time, the Earth also orbits the Sun.
Sometimes the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon. When this happens, the Earth blocks sunlight that would normally be reflected by the Moon.
Thus, the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. This is what is called a lunar eclipse.
Quoting NASA, lunar eclipses only occur when the moon is full.
Lunar eclipses can be seen from Earth at night. The following are the types of lunar eclipses:
1. Total lunar eclipse
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. Even though the Moon is in the shadow of the Earth, some of the sun’s rays still reach the Moon.
When this happens, sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and filters out most of the blue light. This process causes the Moon to appear red to people on Earth.
2. Partial lunar eclipse
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when part of the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow. When this process occurs, Earth’s shadow appears very dark on the Earth-facing side of the Moon.
What people can see from Earth during this phenomenon depends on how the Sun, Earth and Moon line up.
Lunar eclipses usually last a few hours. It also occurs at least twice a year, unlike total lunar eclipses which are rare.
Solar eclipse
Sometimes when the Moon orbits the Earth, these celestial bodies move between the Sun and the Earth. When this happens, the Moon blocks sunlight from reaching the Earth.
This process causes a solar eclipse. As this event takes place, the Moon casts a shadow on the Earth.
The following are the types of solar eclipses:
1. Total solar eclipse
Eclipse The total sun can be seen from a small area on Earth. Those who witnessed it were in the middle of the Moon’s shadow when it touched the Earth.
The moment this happened, the sky became extremely dark as if it were night. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon, Earth and Sun are in a straight line.
2. Partial solar eclipse
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are not aligned. The sun will cast a dark shadow on a small part of its surface when this phenomenon occurs.
3. Solar eclipse ring
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is at its furthest point from the Earth, so the celestial body also appears smaller.
An annular solar eclipse causes the Moon to appear as a dark circle above the Sun’s largest disk. For this reason, the circle around the Moon looks like a ring.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon casts two shadows on the Earth, namely:
- Umbra: A shadow that gets smaller as it reaches the Earth. A person standing in the shadows will see a total eclipse.
- Penumbra: The penumbra becomes larger as it reaches the Earth. A person standing in dim light will see a partial eclipse.
Eclipse The sun occurs every 18 months somewhere on Earth. However, a solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes and cannot be viewed directly.
Watch a video “ Moment of a partial solar eclipse across the Eiffel Tower“
[Gambas:Video 20detik]
(nah/gas)
