HOW, WHEN, WHERE & WHY

How a solar eclipse occurs:

A solar eclipse is a phenomenon that is seen from Earth, but not visible from most other planets (Seeds, 2007, p. 33). The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon and it is about 390 times farther away (Seeds, 2007, p. 33). Therefore the Sun and Moon have nearly equal angular diameters of about 0.5 degrees. Due to this the Moon is therefore just the right size to cover the disk of the sun and from Earth a solar eclipse can be seen (Seeds, 2007, p. 33). When the Moon covers the entire disk of the Sun this is known as a total solar eclipse. If the Moon only covers part of the sun this is known as a partial eclipse. Whether one sees a total or partial eclipse depends on whether you are in the umbra or the penumbra of the Moons shadow on Earth. The umbra is the region of total shadow. The umbra barely reaches Earth and casts a small circular shadow which is never larger than 270 km in diameter (Seeds, 2007, p. 33). The penumbra is the region of partial shadow (Seeds, 2007, p. 32). Please refer to the diagram 1 below for an illustration of these Moon shadows.

When a solar eclipse occurs:

By identifying the movement of the Earth, Sun and Moon it would seem that solar eclipses would occur once a month. However the Moon does not orbit around the Earth on the same plane as the Sun and Earth, so therefore eclipses are not so frequent (Devereux, 2000, p. 208). There is an average of 2.4 solar eclipses every year which occur during the new moon phase when the moon is passing between Earth and the Sun (ABC Science). When you are standing in that umbral spot you would be in total shadow without being able to see any part of the Suns surface and the solar eclipse would be total (Seeds, 2007, p. 33). However when standing in the penumbra one would be able to see part of the Sun peeking out from the edge of the Moon. In this case the eclipse would be partial. If one is outside of the penumbra, no eclipse would be seen at all (Seeds, 2007, p. 33). When the umbra of the Moons shadow moves over you, you are able to see a total solar eclipse. Total solar eclipses occur every one to two years (ABC Science). Please refer to diagram 2 below for a timetable of total and annular eclipses of the Sun.

Where a solar eclipse occurs:

Solar eclipses are only seen in certain parts of the Earth (Devereux, 2000, p. 209). The reason for this is because of the different sizes of the Earth, Sun and Moon. Therefore eclipses are only possible when the Moon is at certain positions on its route around the Earth (Devereux, 2000, p. 209). Please refer to diagram 3 below to identify these positions. Eclipses are only possible at points B and D in diagram 2 and only when the Moon is in one of the positions indicated by the solid circle (Devereux, 2000, p. 209). Due to the orbital motion of the moon and the rotation of Earth the

Moons shadow sweeps quickly across Earth in a long and narrow path of totality. One must be in this path of totality in order to see a total solar eclipse (Seeds, 2007, p. 33).

Why a solar eclipse occurs:

A solar eclipse occurs because the Moon rotates around the Earth and at certain points it crosses in front of the Suns disk. When this occurs the Earth is passing through the Moons shadow which creates a solar eclipse. It takes about an hour for the moon to cover the whole sun and when it does it becomes dark within a few seconds (Seeds, 2007, p. 33). However this darkness lasts only a few minutes because the umbra is never more than 270 km in diameter. It moves across the Earths surface very quickly and therefore the Sun cannot stay totally eclipsed for very long. The average time period that a total eclipse lasts is about two or three minutes (Seeds, 2007, p. 34).