![]() ![]() If it goes all the way in, we see a total lunar eclipse that's preceded and followed by partial phases. Three types of lunar eclipse are possible ( total, partial, and penumbral) depending on how deeply the full Moon plunges into or near the umbra, our planet's dark, central shadow. (The technical name for that, by the way, is syzygy.) These alignments don't happen at every new and full Moon because the lunar orbit is tipped about 5° to Earth's orbital plane - only occasionally do the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up exactly enough for an eclipse to occur. Conversely, a lunar eclipse takes place during full Moon, when our satellite passes through Earth's shadow. Why Do Eclipses Happen? Here's the glorious solar corona, as recorded by Fred Espenak during the total solar eclipse on August 1, 2008.Ī solar eclipse, such as the one pictured at right, occurs only at new Moon, when the lunar disk passes directly between us and the Sun. But both of 2017's solar eclipses are "central" events: one annular and one total. ![]() Neither of the lunar eclipses is total (though we'll have two of those in 2018). The fewest possible is four, as will be the case in for eclipses in 2017. Up to seven of them can take place in one year, though the last time that happened was 1982. on August 21st.Īny list of nature's grandest spectacles would certainly include eclipses of the Sun and Moon. But the solar offerings are much better, with an annular observable from the Southern Hemisphere on February 26th and the Big One - a total solar eclipse crosses the continental U.S. The eclipses in 2017 don't include great lunar eclipses, with a deep penumbral event on February 11th and a partial on August 7th. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |