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Why are total solar eclipse a rare phenomenon?
On average there are as many solar eclipses as there are lunar ones. But each lunar eclipse can be seen from half the Earth, while a solar eclipse can only be seen from a relatively small strip of the Earth's surface. So in any one place it seems that solar eclipses are rare.
What is the max number of solar eclipses in a year?
Five is the theoretical maximum number of solar eclipses in one calendar year; generally 4 partial eclipses and one total or annular eclipse. This configuration happens about every 200 years or so. Interestingly, there will be four solar eclipses in 2011; all will be partial eclipses, visible (if at all) only from polar regions. The last time there were five solar eclipses in a year was in 1935; the next time will be in 2206.
Is there ever going to be an Eclipse?
There are generally two lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses each year. Sometimes you will see two partial eclipses instead of one total eclipse; in 2011, there will be four partial solar eclipses, and no total or annular solar eclipses. Since lunar eclipses happen on the Moon, they are visible from the entire night half of the Earth. Solar eclipses, when the Moon's shadow hits the Earth, affect very small areas of the Earth, and so they seem to be more rare. The next total lunar eclipse will happen on December 21, 2010, and will be visible from any point in North America.
Why lunar eclipses are more common than solar eclipses and why so few people get the chance to view a total solar eclipse?
Actually solar eclipses are slightly more common, but a solar eclipse, and especially the total phase, can only be seen in a relatively narrow strip of Earth.
How many total eclipse were there in 2009?
About two per year, since the Moon formed. So, around 4000 solar eclipses (and 4000 lunar eclipses) since the year 1. You can check the list of all eclipses since the year 2000 BC on the NASA Eclipse Web Page at the link below.
Does a lunar eclipse happen more often than a solar eclipse?
Globally, solar eclipses are slightly more frequent. But a lunar eclipse can be seen from any place where the Moon is above the horizon, whereas a solar eclipse can only be seen from a narrow strip of land. So, for any particular fixed observer, solar eclipses - and especially total solar eclipses - are quite rare. During the 100 years of the 20th Century, there were 228 solar eclipses and 229 lunar ones. So over the long term, you can figure on equal numbers, at the rate of around 7 of each every 3 years.
Why does the eclipse happen so late does it happen every years or in the 100s of years?
Both solar eclipses and lunar eclipses are fairly common; there are 1-2 of each every year. ______________________________ Solar eclipses SEEM TO BE rare, because each one affects only a small area on the Earth. For example, the last total solar eclipse had a path across the south Pacific Ocean, including a few atolls in French Polynesia, Easter Island, and the southern tip of South America. If you live in a particular spot and never travel much, you might see one solar eclipse in your lifetime, and you might NOT. It would be rare for one place to see two total solar eclipses in one lifetime. (But not impossible; Carbondale, IL will have two total solar eclipses 8 years apart, in 2017 and 2024. ) On the other hand, if you live in Los Angeles, CA, the next total solar eclipse will be in about 500 years.
What occurs more often- a partial solar eclipse or total solar eclipse?
Partial 35.3%Annular 33.2%Total 26.7%Hybrid 4.8% As you can see from the table above, partial eclipses are most common, followed by annular eclipses. Total solar eclipses are barely more than one-quarter of the total. Total eclipses occur when the Moon is close enough to the Earth for the umbra, the cone of total shadow, to hit the Earth. Annular eclipses occur when the Moon is so far away that the umbra does not reach all the way to the Earth. "Hybrid" eclipses occur when the Moon crosses the dividing line between total and annular DURING the eclipse, so that the eclipse begins as annular and changes to total, or vice versa, during the eclipse.
What year will te next solar eclipse happen?
There are generally between two and five solar eclipses every year. Half or so will be partial or penumbral eclipses, and half of the rest will be annular, meaning that about one quarter of all solar eclipses are total. In 2011, there are four partial solar eclipses. The first was on January 4; the next will be on June 10.
Why do you observe solar and lunar eclipses?
Observing solar and lunar eclipses allows scientists to study the movement and positions of astronomical bodies, understand the Earth's place in the solar system, and gather data on the Sun, Moon, and Earth. It also provides valuable information for predicting future eclipses and understanding celestial phenomena.
Is the total solar eclipse occur quite often?
There are generally two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year. Sometimes there are as little as one; on rare occasions, there can be as many as five, but two is most common. However, in a solar eclipse the shadow of the Moon hits the Earth. There's only a small area of the Earth that's affected by any one eclipse, and you won't see an eclipse if you're not in that small area. So for any particular spot on the Earth, there may be a couple of hundred years between eclipses. Sometimes you can get lucky. There's an area in Missouri which will see two total solar eclipses 7 years apart, in 2017 and 2024.
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.
