The rotation of the moon (the path it takes when orbiting Earth) is on a tilt, and that makes it so that we don't always have eclipses. For example, for a lunar eclipse to happen, the moon needs to pass straight through Earth's shadow (this counts for solar eclipses as well, just the moon would need to pass across the sun), and because the moon's rotation is on an angle, it doesn't always pass through Earth's shadow.
They aren't. There are generally two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses each year.
With lunar eclipses, everybody on the night side of the Earth can see it.
Solar eclipses SEEM more rare, because only very small paths on the Earth are affected by each solar eclipse. And since the Earth is 3/4 water, there's a good chance that much of the path of the eclipse will be over water.
For example, the next solar eclipse will be on July 22, 2009. The path of totality will start in northern India, cross China to Shanghai, and cover a path across the Pacific Ocean. But it won't be visible at all in the Americas or in Europe.
The sun, moon, and earth do not orbit in the same plane. Most of the time the moon passes over the sun at new moon, or a few degrees below it. Once in awhile the moon slightly intersects the sunlight, causing a partial eclipse. Only on fairly rare occasions does the new moon happen to pass directly between the earth and sun.
When this occurs when the moon is near perigee (closest approach to earth), the sun is completely blocked, and a total solar eclipse occurs. Otherwise, as is more often the case, an annular eclipse results.
They do; usually twice a year, in fact. Sometimes when the Sun-Earth-Moon alignment is not quite precise, we get partial or penumbral eclipses. With lunar eclipses, a penumbral eclipse is not usually noticeable.
For solar eclipses, the path of the eclipse is so narrow that one location on the Earth will rarely experience another eclipse within a century. But there are still two each year.
Over a substantial period of time, eclipses occur at the average rate
of 2.3 solar ones and 2.3 lunar ones every year.
The Moon's orbit is inclined about 5.3 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic.
That's the reason that we don't have a solar eclipse at every New Moon
and a lunar one at every Full Moon.,
The Moon's orbit around the Earth is not in the same plane as the Earth's orbit around the Sun. In consequence, most of the time the Moon will pass too far north, or too far south, from the point where there would be an eclipse.
The Sun, Moon and Earth have to be lined up for eclipses to happen. That does not happen every month.
because it requires the Earth the Sun and the Moon to all line up just right and at the same time and that is a rare thing
Because most of the time a partial solar eclipse ocuurs. Also because it is only in a certain place.
Actually they don't.
There are two main types of eclipses: solar and lunar. Lunar eclipses occur every 6 months. Solar eclipses occur 2-5 times per year. Eclipses can be partial or total. Partial eclipse covers only part of the sun or moon, while total covers the full entity.
Solar eclipses can only occur at the new moon, while all lunar eclipses happen at the full moon.
No. About 50% of all lunar eclipses are total; the remainder are partial or penumbral.
Because for any given point on Earth, lunar eclipses are visible more often than solar eclipses.
Solar eclipses will occur when sun, earth, and moon are in line with each other and moon is the center on it.
Lunar eclipses occur precisely at the full moon.
yes they do
yes
Eclipses occur when two objects line up in front of a light source in such a way that one is in the shadow of another.
Yes
There are two main types of eclipses: solar and lunar. Lunar eclipses occur every 6 months. Solar eclipses occur 2-5 times per year. Eclipses can be partial or total. Partial eclipse covers only part of the sun or moon, while total covers the full entity.
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon is in the direct path between the Sun and Earth. Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth is in the direct path between the Sun and the Moon.
Every year
Yes.
noo
Solar eclipses can only occur at the new moon, while all lunar eclipses happen at the full moon.
No. About 50% of all lunar eclipses are total; the remainder are partial or penumbral.