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Interesting! It depends on how you think about it.

If you stand on one spot on the earth then the period of totality for a solar eclipse will be a maximum of about 7 mins. while from the same spot the period of totality for a lunar eclipse will last about 50 mins.

However, during a solar eclipse the shadow of the moon races across the face of the earth from west to east, and while any one spot is only in totality for a few minutes, the shadow is present on the planet for (3 -3.5 hours), much longer than a lunar eclipse lasts.

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15y ago
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14y ago

It isn't; the umbra of the Earth's shadow is always about the same size. But you only notice a shadow when something moves into the shadow; other than the Moon, there isn't anything else out there that's really big that you'd notice moving into shadows.

If you watch the Space Shuttle or ISS (they are very easy to see as they pass over your city, if you know when to look up) you can frequently see the very bright ISS disappear abruptly - as it moves from sunlight to shadow. This is the same thing.

So, the umbra - and the penumbra - of the Earth's shadow are pretty much constant. But we don't often notice it.

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13y ago

It isn't; the umbra of the Earth's shadow is always about the same size. But you only notice a shadow when something moves into the shadow; other than the Moon, there isn't anything else out there that's really big that you'd notice moving into shadows.

If you watch the Why_is_the_umbra_larger_during_a_lunar_eclipseor ISS (they are very easy to see as they pass over your city, if you know when to look up) you can frequently see the very bright ISS disappear abruptly - as it moves from sunlight to shadow. This is the same thing.

So, the umbra - and the penumbra - of the Earth's shadow are pretty much constant. But we don't often notice it.

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13y ago

The umbra of the Earth's shadow during lunar eclipse is larger than the umbra of the Moon's shadow during a solar eclipse because the Earth is much larger than the Moon is; so, the Earth's shadow is bigger than the Moon's shadow.

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11y ago

The umbra is larger during a lunar eclipse.

This is because when a solar eclipse occurs, the Moon is in between the Sun and Earth. Therefore causing the Moon to cast its shadow over Earth, this shadow focuses on one part of Earth and where the shadow is darker is called the umbra. During a lunar eclipse it is the opposite. Earth is in between the Sun and the Moon, and because Earth is so much bigger than the Moon, it casts a much greater shadow over it.

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11y ago

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon gets in between the Sun and the Earth; the Moon's shadow hits the Earth, and in a small area, the Sun isn't visible.

In an lunar eclipse, the Earth is in between the Sun and the Moon, and the Earth's shadow darkens all or most of the Moon.

Since the Earth is much larger than the Moon, the Earth's shadow is larger than the Moon's shadow.

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11y ago

The Earth is much larger than the Moon is, so the shadow of the Earth is larger than the shadow of the Earth. In a lunar eclipse, it's the Earth's shadow dimming the Moon, and that shadow is much larger than the Moon itself; we can see that the entire Moon is often mostly darkened during lunar eclipse.

In a solar eclipse, it's the Moon's shadow hitting the Earth, and the Moon's shadow isn't big enough to cover the whole Earth; in fact, a solar eclipse only covers at most an area about 400 miles in diameter!

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12y ago

Those words refer to regions within a shadow.

The 'umbra' is the region of total shadow, from within which none of the light source is visible.

In the umbra of the moon's shadow, none of the sun is visible, and you're witnessing a 'total'

solar eclipse.

The penumbra is the area of partial shadow, from within which part but not all of the light source

is visible. In the penumbra of the moon's shadow, part but not all of the sun is visible, and you're

witnessing a 'partial' solar eclipse.

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15y ago

The Umbra is larger during a lunar eclipse.

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13y ago

solar ecplises

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Q: Which lasts longer a lunar eclipse or a solar eclipse?
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What lasts longer a solar or lunar eclipse?

The lunar eclipse lasts longer than a solar one


A lunar eclipse is longer than a solar eclipse?

Yes.


Do eclipses happen often?

every 6 months For a lunar eclipse. solar eclipse take a lot longer.


What are the advantages of lunar eclipse?

what are advantages and disadvantage of solar an lunar eclipse


When do the solar and the lunar eclipse occurs in 2013?

Eclipses of 2013: --------------------- April 25 - partial lunar eclipse May 10 - annular solar eclipse May 25 - penumbral lunar eclipse October 18 - penumbral lunar eclipse November 3 - hybrid solar eclipse

Related questions

What lasts longer a solar or lunar eclipse?

The lunar eclipse lasts longer than a solar one


Why does a lunar eclipse lasts longer than a solar eclipse?

Because in a lunar eclipse the earth blocks the moon from the sun, and the earth is bigger. Solar eclipses are when the moon blocks the earth from the sun, and the moon is smaller, thus taking less time than a lunar eclipse.


A lunar eclipse is longer than a solar eclipse?

Yes.


Why are solar eclipses visible from a much smaller part of earth then lunar eclipse?

It's because of the relative sizes of the Sun, moon and Earth. the moon - being the smallest of the three - casts a small shadow - and thus a solar eclipse rarely lasts more than a few minutes. The shadow cast by the Earth in a lunar eclipse is much larger - and thus the lunar eclipse lasts much longer.


How many years apart are the lunar and the solar eclipse?

4.1 Solar eclipse; 4.2 Lunar eclipse


Is a lunar or solar eclipse more common?

lunar eclipse.


Did Hipparchus predict a lunar eclipse or a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse.


Do eclipses happen often?

every 6 months For a lunar eclipse. solar eclipse take a lot longer.


How do eclipses show that the moon is closer to us then the sun?

During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between Earth and the Sun, which is the most obvious way. Another is that only a small part of the Earth is affected by a total solar eclipse, but during a total lunar eclipse, all of the Moon is affected. The complete part of a solar eclipse only lasts about 7 minutes. The complete part of a lunar eclipse lasts over 2 hours.


What is a solar eclipse what is a lunar eclipse?

Interesting! It depends on how you think about it. If you stand on one spot on the earth then the period of totality for a solar eclipse will be a maximum of about 7 mins. while from the same spot the period of totality for a lunar eclipse will last about 50 mins. However, during a solar eclipse the shadow of the moon races across the face of the earth from west to east, and while any one spot is only in totality for a few minutes, the shadow is present on the planet for (3 -3.5 hours), much longer than a lunar eclipse lasts.


Why is there a solar eclipse and lunar eclipse?

There is a solar eclipse when the moon blocks the sun from the Earth. A lunar eclipse is when the earth block the sun from the moon.


Is eclipse different from solar eclipse?

eclipse is of two kinds- solar eclipse and lunar eclipse