SOLAR ECLIPSE

1
SOLAR ECLIPSE
One consequence of the Moon's orbit about the
Earth is that the Moon can shadow the Sun's light
as viewed from the Earth
(2)
2
The small tilt of the Moon's orbit with respect
to the plane of the ecliptic and the small
eccentricity of the lunar orbit make such
eclipses much less common than they would be
otherwise, but partial or total eclipses are
actually rather frequent.
3
Frequency of Eclipses
For example there will be 18 solar eclipses from
1996-2020 for which the eclipse will be total on
some part of the Earth's surface.
The common perception that eclipses are
infrequent is because the observation of a total
eclipse from a given point on the surface of the
Earth is not a common occurrence.
4
Solar eclipses can happen only near a nodal
alignment which happens 173.31 days.
Question The eclipse season for a solar eclipses
is 34 days??? this counts total, annular, and
partial.
Will there be at least a partial solar eclipse
every nodal alignment?
Remember the mean lunar month is about 29.5 days.
5
Because the lunar month is shorter than the
eclipse season, the Moon will be new at some time
during the eclipse season.
So yes, there can even be two partial eclipses
Two partial eclipses can occur if one happens
right at the beginning of the eclipse season. The
Moon can races around the Earth and gets back to
new Moon before the eclipse season is over
Two partials is a rare event, but one such event
will happen in 2036
6
Geometry of Solar Eclipses
7
Types of Solar Eclipses
1. Total Solar Eclipses occur when the umbra of
the Moon's shadow touches a region on the surface
of the Earth.
Because of the relative sizes of the Moon and
Sun and their relative distances from Earth, the
path of totality is usually very narrow (hundreds
of kilometers across).
8
2. Partial Solar Eclipses occur when the penumbra
of the Moon's shadow passes over a region on the
Earth's surface.
9
3. Annular Solar Eclipses occur when a region on
the Earth's surface is in line with the umbra,
but the distances are such that the tip of the
umbra does not reach the Earth's surface.
10
In the Path of Totality (the track of the umbra
on the Earth's surface) the eclipse will be
total, in a band on either side of the path of
totality the shadow cast by the penumbra leads to
a partial eclipse, and in some eclipses the path
of totality extends into a path associated with
an annular eclipse because for that part of the
path the umbra does not reach the Earth's
surface.
11
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http//csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/eclip
ses.html
2. http//aida.astroinfo.org/nies/index.php/solar-
eclipse-2003-05-31.jpg.php