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.
a total lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere on earth where the moon is visible so you are more likely to see a total lunar eclipse than a total solar eclipse
A solar eclipse can only be seen along a narrow strip of Earth's surface. A lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere where the Moon is above the horizon - i.e., about half of the Earth.
People are much less likely to see a solar eclipse. They are rare and can only be viewed by a small amount of people for a short amount of time.
It is much more likely to see a lunar eclipse than a solar eclipse because a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon. This can happen from anywhere on the nighttime side of Earth. In contrast, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth. However, the path of totality for a solar eclipse is much narrower, making it less likely for any specific location to experience a solar eclipse.
A total solar eclipse is visible only across a narrow path of the Earth's surface; generally no more than 200 miles across, and sometimes much less. A total lunar eclipse occurs on the Moon itself, and is visible from the entire night side of the Earth.
A total solar eclipse is visible only across a narrow path of the Earth's surface; generally no more than 200 miles across, and sometimes much less. A total lunar eclipse occurs on the Moon itself, and is visible from the entire night side of the Earth.
A lunar eclipse can be seen from about half the Earth - wherever the Moon is visible when the eclipse occurs.A solar eclipse can only be seen wherever the Moon's shadow falls on Earth. Note that the Moon is quite a bit smaller than the Earth.
Because a total lunar is seen from half the Earth simultaneously. A total solar is only seen along a strip of the Earth's surface that is less than 50 miles wide, which contains fewer people.
Actually, globally solar eclipses are about as common as lunar eclipses, perhaps even a bit more common. However, they can only be seen from a narrow strip of Earth - especially if you want to see it as a total eclipse, while a lunar eclipse can be seen from half the Earth, more or less.
That's a truly difficult question to answer, because its central hypothesis is wrong. The truth is exactly the opposite ... you are far more likely to see a lunar eclipse than a solar one. The reason is that a lunar eclipse is visible to everybody on Earth's night side while it's in progress, but a solar one is visible only from locations that are within a strip that's a few hundred miles wide.
It is more common to see a lunar eclipse than a solar eclipse because a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon. This can happen multiple times a year because the Earth is larger than the Moon and can block its light more frequently. On the other hand, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun's light. Solar eclipses are less common because the Moon is smaller and its shadow is narrower, making it less likely to align perfectly with the Earth and the Sun.
A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere on the dark half of the Earth. A solar eclipse can be seen only from a strip 3000 miles wide, approximately the diameter of the Moon. So it seems that solar eclipses are less frequent.