A solar eclipse occurs when the new Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth. There are three types of solar eclipses: annular, partial, and total.
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Sun and the Moon are not quite lined up. In this case, the Moon covers only a section of the Sun. This kind of eclipse usually goes unnoticed by most people on Earth because the sunlight is scarcely dimmed.
A total solar eclipse, however, is much more spectacular. At totality, the disc of the Sun is completely obscured by the new Moon, and only the ghostly solar corona and perhaps gigantic solar flares are visible around the edges of the Moon. Those parts of the Earth experiencing totality become very dark and it is possible to see stars in the sky.
An annular solar eclipse is similar to a total eclipse except that the new Moon is near apogee and its disc appears slightly smaller than that of the Sun. Thus, a bright ring or annulus of the solar disc remains at maximum eclipse, and the sky does not become dark.
There are at least two and sometimes as many as five solar eclipses every year. Why don't we have a solar eclipse during every new Moon? This is because the Moon's orbit around the Earth is at an angle to the ecliptic. The new Moon usually passes above or below the Sun as seen from the Earth and thus there is no eclipse. The proper alignment for a solar eclipse occurs only a few times a year.
Another kind of eclipse is a lunar eclipse which occurs when the Moon passes through the shadow cast by the Earth. A lunar eclipse only occurs when the Moon is full and for the same reasons given above, happens only two or three times a year.
A lunar eclipse may be total, partial or penumbral. A total lunar eclipse causes the full Moon to slowly darken as it enters the umbra of the Earth and at totality, the Moon may take on a dark coppery colour. During a partial lunar eclipse, the Moon does not fully enter the umbra of the Earth. A penumbral lunar eclipse is likely to go unnoticed as the Moon passes through the Earth's penumbra and does not dim a great deal.
WARNING! Never look at the Sun with the naked eye!
Use proper solar filters or better yet, project the image of the Sun onto a white piece of paper. However, it is completely safe to view a lunar eclipse with the naked eye.
| Total Lunar Eclipse : 3-4 March | |
|---|---|
| The entire eclipse will be visible from Africa, the Middle East, western Asia and Europe. Virtually all of Asia (except the farthest eastern portion) and western Australia will see the beginning of the eclipse whilst South America plus most of North America (except Alaska) will see it end. | |
| (3 March) 20:16 UT | The penumbral eclipse begins. |
| (3 March) 21:30 UT | The partial eclipse begins. |
| (3 March) 22:44 UT | The total eclipse begins. |
| (3 March) 23:18 UT | Full Moon. |
| (3 March) 23:21 UT | Greatest eclipse: umbral magnitude = 1.24. |
| (3 March) 23:58 UT | The total eclipse ends. |
| (4 March) 01:12 UT | The partial eclipse ends. |
| (4 March) 02:25 UT | The penumbral eclipse ends. |
| Partial Solar Eclipse : 19 March | |
| WARNING! Never look at the Sun with the naked eye! | |
| The partial eclipse will be visible from most of Asia and Alaska. | |
| 00:38 UT | The partial eclipse begins. |
| 02:32 UT | Greatest eclipse: magnitude = 0.88. |
| 02:42 UT | New Moon. |
| 04:25 UT | The partial eclipse ends. |
| Total Lunar Eclipse : 28 August | |
| The entire eclipse will be visible from most of the Pacific, including the west coast of Canada and the United States, Alaska, New Zealand and southeastern Australia. The rest of North America plus all of the South America will be able to witness the beginning of the event whilst India and parts east will see the end of the eclipse. The eclipse is not visible from Europe or Africa. | |
| 07:52 UT | The penumbral eclipse begins. |
| 08:51 UT | The partial eclipse begins. |
| 09:52 UT | The total eclipse begins. |
| 10:35 UT | Full Moon. |
| 10:37 UT | Greatest eclipse: umbral magnitude = 1.48. |
| 11:23 UT | The total eclipse ends. |
| 12:24 UT | The partial eclipse ends. |
| 13:23 UT | The penumbral eclipse ends. |
| Partial Solar Eclipse : 11 September | |
| WARNING! Never look at the Sun with the naked eye! | |
| This eclipse will be visible from parts of Antarctica, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. | |
| 10:26 UT | The partial eclipse begins. |
| 12:31 UT | Greatest eclipse: magnitude = 0.75. |
| 12:44 UT | New Moon. |
| 14:37 UT | The partial eclipse ends. |
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