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The phenomena of eclipses and solar eclipses are considered among the oldest natural phenomena that man has known and interacted with. They are out of the ordinary and occur at specific times, conditions, and locations, as a result of the Earth and the Moon’s rotation in their orbits. One of them blocks the sunlight from the other, and then it seems to the observer that the sun has lost some of its light. Or the moon gave up some of its light.
Lunar eclipse…its definition and causes
The phenomenon of a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth blocks sunlight from the Moon. That is, a lunar eclipse occurs due to the Earth's shadow falling on its surface. The lunar eclipse may be total, partial, or semi-eclipse.
Types of eclipses
Total eclipse
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun and the moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. Although the Moon is completely in the Earth's shadow, some of the sun's rays reach it through the Earth's atmosphere, which removes most of the short-wave rays such as blue and violet, while red rays pass through. With its long wave, the moon appears red in color and is called the “blood moon.”
Because the Earth's diameter is 4 times the diameter of the Moon, its shadow is much larger, so a lunar eclipse can last for more than 100 minutes in its extreme states.
Partial eclipse
A partial eclipse occurs when only part of the moon enters the Earth's shadow. Depending on the degree of the eclipse, a bright red shadow may appear on the dark part of the moon's surface. Although a total lunar eclipse is a rare phenomenon, partial lunar eclipses may occur at least twice a year.
Almost eclipse
This phenomenon occurs when the Earth casts a very light shadow on the Moon, and therefore, in this case, the eclipse is so weak that it is difficult to observe it with the naked eye. Visibility depends on the size of the part that enters the light shadow area. The smaller the size, the more difficult it is to see the eclipse. This is why these eclipses are not mentioned in calendars, except scientific ones.
Solar eclipse…its definition and causes
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon – during its rotation – passes between it and the Earth, thus blocking sunlight from areas on the Earth. That is, the moon casts its shadow on the surface of the Earth, thus causing one of three types of eclipses, which differ among themselves in the way the moon blocks the sun’s rays and the size of this.
Types of eclipses
Total eclipse
The phenomenon of a total solar eclipse occurs when it intersects with the Earth and the Moon in such a way that the Moon completely blocks the sun's rays, and in a few moments, which may extend to minutes sometimes, the sky becomes dark to a degree resembling the darkness of night.
The phenomenon of a total solar eclipse is rare, as the diameter of the sun is 400 times larger than the diameter of the moon, and it is 400 times farther from the Earth than the distance that separates us from the moon. When the alignment of the three objects is precise and complete, the moon completely blocks the sunlight, resulting in a total solar eclipse.
The line that parallels the moon's shadow on the Earth's surface is called the “total path,” and only in this narrow space can an individual witness the phenomenon of complete darkness. However, on both sides of the path and for thousands of kilometers, the eclipse can be partially seen. The further we get from the “holistic path” space, the smaller the part of the sun that is obscured by the moon.
The duration of the phenomenon's continuation depends on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun, the position of the moon in relation to the Earth, and the part of the Earth's surface that is affected by darkness. Theoretically, the longest total eclipse could last 7 minutes and 32 seconds.
As for the frequency of occurrence of the total eclipse phenomenon, it is not as rare as some might think, as it occurs approximately once every 18 months, but what is very rare is observing the phenomenon in the same place on Earth, which is something that only occurs every 375 years on average.
Annular eclipse
The farther the moon is from the Earth, the smaller it appears to the observer. Therefore, it does not completely cover the surface of the sun, but rather a part of the sun, similar to a ring, remains visible around the moon. This phenomenon is called an annular solar eclipse.
As in the phenomenon of total eclipse, in this case a “ring path” is formed in which the eclipse can be seen in the form of a ring. Whenever there is a shift from this path, there will be an area where the phenomenon can be seen partially on all sides of the “ring path”.
According to the US Space Agency (NASA), this type of eclipse lasts for longer periods than a total eclipse, as in some cases the sun's ring can be seen for more than 10 minutes, but in general it does not last for more than 5 or 6 minutes.
Hybrid eclipse
It is a phenomenon that occurs when the moon is at a distance where it is able to completely obscure the sun, but when it moves away on its same comprehensive path, it stops completely obscuring the sun, and the eclipse then turns into an annular eclipse.
It could also be the opposite, so the eclipse begins as an annular eclipse, but as the moon approaches the Earth at a short distance, it turns into a total eclipse.
Hybrid eclipses are rare, as they constitute only about 4% of solar eclipses, according to the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands.
Situations in which eclipses and eclipses occur
The phenomenon of eclipse can only occur when the moon is a full moon, in the middle of the lunar month. It is also impossible for the phenomenon of a solar eclipse to occur except when the moon is set at the end of the lunar month.
While the vision of a solar eclipse depends on the geographical location of the observer, a lunar eclipse can be seen from any location on the surface of the Earth, where the moon is above the horizon at the time of the eclipse.
Eclipses in other star systems
The phenomenon of occultation is not limited to the moon and the sun only, but may include some distant stars as well, as the Chilean astronomer “Pemen” states that 50% of the stars are located in groups consisting of two or more stars, and since our galaxy contains huge numbers of stars, Some binary stars, that is, a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around a common physical center, rotate in precisely aligned axes, such that one passes in front of the other during their rotation, obscuring it from the eyes of observers. These stars are called “occulting binary” stars.
