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How would solar eclipses be different if the Moon were twice as far from EarthWhy?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
If the Moon were at twice its orbital distance, there would be no total solar eclipses, only annular ones. This is because the umbra, the complete shadow of the Moon, would not reach to the Earth.
I would have to run the numbers to be certain, but I suspect that there would be no total lunar eclipses, either, for the same reason. However, you would probably be able to see the shadow of the Earth passing across the face of the Moon!
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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Does a Solar eclipses occur each month at different locations on Earth?
No, solar eclipses happen about twice a year. (Sometimes instead of one "real" eclipse, we get two "partial" eclipses.) You can look up the dates and locations of solar eclipses starting with the year 2000 BC and going to 3000 AD on the NASA Eclipse web site (linked below).
Why does a solar eclipse occurs only a few times a year?
It does not. There are generally two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year. Because the alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun is rarely precisely right, we sometimes get two partial eclipses instead of a single total eclipse, but on average, two per year.
How often is there a full solar eclipse?
There are generally two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year. Sometimes there are more, or fewer; for example, in 2011, there will be no solar eclipses at all. The maximum possible number is 5 per year, which happens very infrequently.
How many solar eclipses happen each year?
There are generally, on average, two solar eclipses per year. Sometimes there are fewer. In 2011, there will be 4 partial solar eclipses (and two total lunar ones. Sometimes there are more; the maximum possible would be five. But on average, two per year. Of these solar eclipses, about 25% are total and 25% are annular, with the remainder being partial. Lunar eclipses also occur, on average, twice a year. Roughly half are total; the remainder are partial or penumbral. During the 100 years of the 20th Century (1901 - 2000), there were 228 solar eclipses and 229 lunar ones, for an average of about 2.3 per year. Any one year may have 2 - 5 of each.
Is it true that a solar eclipse happen every 370 years?
Pick any year that has a solar eclipse, and there's a darn good chancethat there'll be one 370 years later.There are typically 1 - 4 of them every year.In the 100 years from 1901 to 1000, there were 228 solar eclipses,for an average of 2.28 per year.
How often do total solar eclipses occur?
About twice a year.
Does a Solar eclipses occur each month at different locations on Earth?
No, solar eclipses happen about twice a year. (Sometimes instead of one "real" eclipse, we get two "partial" eclipses.) You can look up the dates and locations of solar eclipses starting with the year 2000 BC and going to 3000 AD on the NASA Eclipse web site (linked below).
Why does a solar eclipse occurs only a few times a year?
It does not. There are generally two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year. Because the alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun is rarely precisely right, we sometimes get two partial eclipses instead of a single total eclipse, but on average, two per year.
When might an eclipse happen?
Lunar eclipses happen about twice a year at the full moon. Solar eclipses happen about twice a year at the new moon.The link below to the NASA Eclipse Site lists details about every eclipse from 2000 BC to 3000 AD.
How often is there a full solar eclipse?
There are generally two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year. Sometimes there are more, or fewer; for example, in 2011, there will be no solar eclipses at all. The maximum possible number is 5 per year, which happens very infrequently.
How would solar eclipses be different if the moon were twice as far from the earth?
At that time, total solar eclipses will not happen; they will be a thing of the past. That time is coming; the moon is very slowly moving farther and farther from earth. There would be no Total Solar eclipse if the moon were twice as far from the earth, the reason is that the earth would never fall in the umbra, which is the place where sunlight is completely blocked. Even to this day only a small portion of our earth will ever get to see a total solar eclipse. however a very small portion of earth located right behind the shadow will see a annular solar eclipse, in which a ring of sunlight surrounds the disk of the moon. The ring would be much bigger if the moon was twice the distance.
How many solar eclipses happen each year?
There are generally, on average, two solar eclipses per year. Sometimes there are fewer. In 2011, there will be 4 partial solar eclipses (and two total lunar ones. Sometimes there are more; the maximum possible would be five. But on average, two per year. Of these solar eclipses, about 25% are total and 25% are annular, with the remainder being partial. Lunar eclipses also occur, on average, twice a year. Roughly half are total; the remainder are partial or penumbral. During the 100 years of the 20th Century (1901 - 2000), there were 228 solar eclipses and 229 lunar ones, for an average of about 2.3 per year. Any one year may have 2 - 5 of each.
Is it true that a solar eclipse happen every 370 years?
Pick any year that has a solar eclipse, and there's a darn good chancethat there'll be one 370 years later.There are typically 1 - 4 of them every year.In the 100 years from 1901 to 1000, there were 228 solar eclipses,for an average of 2.28 per year.
When will the next solar eclipse occur over NZ?
While solar eclipses happen about twice per year, they are typically observable only within limited areas. So solar eclipses are rarely seen in a particular location. For Auckland, NZ, there will be no total solar eclipses visible for the next thousand years. Partial eclipses occur two or three times per decade. The next partial solar eclipse will be 2012-Nov-14, and the Sun will be about 85% occulted.
Is it true that a lunar eclipse happen every 400 years?
No. There are generally two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year. This year, 2013, has two solar eclipses and three lunar eclipses. However, the area of the Earth affected during a solar eclipse is pretty small, so there are long periods between two eclipses in the same location. But it isn't a uniform period. For example, there will be total eclipses of the Sun twice in 7 years, in 2017 and 2024, in an area around Carbondale, Illinois. For other locations, there haven't been any total solar eclipses in a couple of hundred years. You can see the 5,000 year catalog of all eclipses between 2000 BCE and 3000 AD on the NASA Eclipse web page at the link below.
How often will a solar eclipse happen?
Solar eclipses happen about twice a year, on average. Depending on the precise alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth, we sometimes get two partial eclipses instead of one total or annular eclipse. However, because a solar eclipse affects a very small area of the Earth, it's rare to have two solar eclipses in the same area less than about 60 years apart. However, there will be a total eclipse with a path of totality across the USA from west to east in 2017, and a total eclipse that will track from southwest to northeast in 2024. The paths cross at Carbondale, IL, and within about 30 miles of there one would experience two total solar eclipses only 7 years apart.
Why are you less likely to see a total solar eclipse?
Solar eclipses and lunar eclipses each happen about twice a year. However, a lunar eclipse can be seen from the entire night-side of the Earth, while a solar eclipse is visible across only a narrow path across the planet. And since 3/4 of the Earth is covered by water, many eclipses are never seen by anybody! For example, the next solar eclipse is on July 11, 2010. The path of totality begins deep in the South Pacific Ocean, and covers a few scattered atolls in French Polynesia, Easter Island, and the southern tips of Chile and Argentina.
