Some eclipse facts could blow your mind! Did you know that the core of a total solar eclipse is completely dark? Of course, you knew that solar eclipses take place when the Moon gets in between us and the sun. You also probably learned how long they last and when they happen. But did you know what would happen if no clouds or trees were obstructing you from viewing a total solar eclipse? To find out more about this fantastic event, keep reading on for some fascinating.
What is an Eclipse?
An eclipse is a celestial event that takes place when one celestial object is hidden by another. It can be the Moon, earth, or sun. Eclipses can be scary to some people as they do not know what is happening. Eclipses make the sky dark, sometimes so dark that it will seem as if the sun has completely disappeared. During a total solar eclipse, the only light that you can see is coming from the Moon. If there are no clouds to dim the view, a total solar eclipse can last for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Solar Eclipse Facts:
- On average, there are four total solar eclipses each year. They are called solar eclipses because they occur when the Moon blocks out the sun, and a solar eclipse can last up to 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
- A total solar eclipse can only happen in the middle of a moon’s cycle, called a “dark moon.” A dark moon is when there is no new moon during the month of March.
- The sun has to be very close to the Moon for a total solar eclipse, and the Moon can block the sun for up to 1/3 of its diameter.
- Because solar eclipses happen when the Moon is far from the earth, the sky will look the same during an eclipse as it does on the day after a total solar eclipse.
- Solar eclipses happen when the Moon’s shadow blocks the sun’s light. This happens because of one of the largest natural forces on earth: gravity.
- The Moon makes a shadow because the sun is so far from earth, about 385,000 kilometers away! The Moon’s gravity is not enough to keep the earth in orbit around the sun when you are that far away. The earth also rotates once a day. At this point, you can see the earth’s shadow on the Moon as it turns during the eclipse.
- The sun’s light casts a shadow on the Moon. The earth is not large enough to cast a shadow on the Moon, and it is only the force of gravity from the Moon is doing this.
- The Moon has a thick layer of rocks and minerals on its surface. It is not a perfect sphere. The Moon has a large iron core and has cooled over millions of years. Small rock balls, or pebbles, are broken up and arranged in layers on their surface. These are not very big. They are only about 1 inch in diameter. There are some big ones, too, which we call the “moon rocks.” The Moon is made of two parts. One part is the upper crust and that’s about 5 to 10 miles thick. The other part is the iron core. The Moon’s iron core is 4,000 miles long.
- The ocean on the Moon has a lower pressure than that of the atmosphere on earth, and it’s about one-twentieth of what we experience on earth. It is also very dry, with only 2% of the water vapor that our atmosphere has. The high mountains of the Moon are mostly smooth and rocky. That’s because they cooled off too quickly, so that there is no liquid water. The Moon doesn’t have any weather like we do on earth. It has some tiny meteors, just like those that hit the Moon itself.
- There is no life on the Moon. Many people have tried to cultivate it with mirrors and plastic, but to no avail. The Moon doesn’t have the right temperature, oxygen, water, or biological life.
General facts about solar and lunar eclipses
Solar eclipses are relatively rare events, but every lunar eclipse is preceded by a solar eclipse. Solar eclipses are comparatively rare, but every lunar eclipse is preceded by a solar eclipse. There are solar eclipses, but they aren’t eclipses at all. They are what we call perigees, which are meteors passing through the atmosphere and giving you a close look at their fiery path. In fact, we see the sun during an eclipse! You see our star during the eclipse through a pinhole in your hand (through which you can view the sun as it is about 1/150th of an inch in diameter). How you see the sun during an eclipse depends on the position of the earth in its orbit around the sun. When the earth is at a point called the perigee, it’s about the same size as the sun and appears to be smaller. You see the Moon during a solar eclipse as a black dot when it’s in front of the sun.
These are all facts about the eclipse…