Because the shadow of the Moon is only so big, and the Earth spins at almost a thousand miles per hour at the equator. And the 7-minute number is only for a solar eclipse that happens at perigee, when the Moon is as close as it ever comes to the Earth.
When the Moon is farther from the Earth, the Moon's shadow on the Earth is smaller, and the eclipse lasts a shorter time.
Actually, a solar eclipse lasts for three or four HOURS; that's quite a while.
Of course, for you to see that much of it would require that you were traveling about as fast as the Earth rotates; depending on your latitude, from 700 to 1000 miles per hour. If you are in ONE SPOT on the Earth, you will experience anywhere from a few seconds to up to 7.5 minutes of totality, because the Earth is moving, the Earth is SPINNING, and the Moon is moving all at the same time, the Moon's shadow on the Earth is zipping right along.
The sun and moon appear to be the same size from earth, and the moon moves fast.
This is because the moon quickly moves out of line
An eclipse is defined as an astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another, partially or fully obscuring it from view. An eclipse on Earth occurs when the Sun, the Earth and the moon are all in a line together. The two primary types of eclipses seen from Earth are the solar eclipse and the lunar eclipse. These two types of eclipses can then be broken down into four different types; a total eclipse, partial eclipse, annular eclipse or hybrid eclipse. The term solar eclipse describes the occurrence of when the moon travels between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun's light from the Earth in the middle of the day, and generally giving the appearance of a ring of light in the darkened sky. During a lunar eclipse, the moon moves into the shadow of the Earth during night time hours, gradually blocking the view of the moon form the Earth. Eclipses have also been known to occur on other planets as well. On Earth, there can be anywhere from four to seven eclipses of varying degrees within any given year. For more eclipse information on both lunar and solar eclipses, simply select any eclipse article, eclipse picture or other interactive eclipse feature below.
The exact length of a total eclipse depends on the position of the Moon, and what part of the Earth the shadow falls on. It varies also by whether you measure only the time the Sun is completely covered, or the time from first to last contact. The longest periods of totality are about 12 minutes, but the entire process can take up to 2 hours.http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/catalog.html
I believe totality can last a maximum of seven minutes a few seconds, but totalities of as much as four minutes are actually rare. 2 1/2 to 3 minutes is more typical.
The differnence between a total solar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse is that a total solar eclipse you can see the moon appear to cover the sun completely and then the sky becomes dark that you can see the stars and a total solar eclipse lasts no longer than about seven minutes. The partial solar eclipse is similar to a total solar eclipse except that the moon never completely covers the sun. From- Amanda amondo
It is possible to find the relative location.
A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the Moon passes through some portion of the Earth's shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, there is always a full moon the night of a lunar eclipse. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes. The next total lunar eclipse occurs on December 21, 2010.
The "total" phase of a solar eclipse only lasts for a few minutes; seven, tops. The eclipse of July 22, 2009 is very long, with a totality of 6 minutes 30 seconds or so.
about seven minutes
An eclipse is defined as an astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another, partially or fully obscuring it from view. An eclipse on Earth occurs when the Sun, the Earth and the moon are all in a line together. The two primary types of eclipses seen from Earth are the solar eclipse and the lunar eclipse. These two types of eclipses can then be broken down into four different types; a total eclipse, partial eclipse, annular eclipse or hybrid eclipse. The term solar eclipse describes the occurrence of when the moon travels between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun's light from the Earth in the middle of the day, and generally giving the appearance of a ring of light in the darkened sky. During a lunar eclipse, the moon moves into the shadow of the Earth during night time hours, gradually blocking the view of the moon form the Earth. Eclipses have also been known to occur on other planets as well. On Earth, there can be anywhere from four to seven eclipses of varying degrees within any given year. For more eclipse information on both lunar and solar eclipses, simply select any eclipse article, eclipse picture or other interactive eclipse feature below.
The exact length of a total eclipse depends on the position of the Moon, and what part of the Earth the shadow falls on. It varies also by whether you measure only the time the Sun is completely covered, or the time from first to last contact. The longest periods of totality are about 12 minutes, but the entire process can take up to 2 hours.http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/catalog.html
Of course. Bit it only lasts for a few minutes - about seven, tops! - and you wouldn't want to miss it getting dark in the middle of the day - and then bright again just 7 minutes later. The ONLY dangerous thing about a solar eclipse is the idiots who look directly at the Sun.
1. An ellipse is an oval shape. The orbits of planets are elliptical, i.e. oval shaped. The period of rotation of different planets in their respective elliptical orbits around the sun differs from planet to planet. The period of time that planet Mercury takes to complete its elliptical orbit around the sun is about 88 sidereal days, compared to 365.2564 sidereal days for the Earth. 2. An eclipse is when light from one celestial body is obscured by another celestial body. A solar eclipse is when the sun's light is blocked from the earth by the moon. This eclipse can be total or partial, depending on where on the earth the observer is situated. And the duration of the eclipse varies slightly according to the time of year and respective relative positions of the three celestial bodies involved. A total solar eclipse can be about seven to seven and a half minutes long. Partial eclipses are not as long. Planets other than the earth also experience eclipses as their moons cause shadows on their surfaces. A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's light from the moon and darkening its appearance. A total lunar eclipse can last over an hour, but if we include the partial eclipse time, the overall period/duration of the eclipse can be over three hours. For more information, see Related links below this box
I believe totality can last a maximum of seven minutes a few seconds, but totalities of as much as four minutes are actually rare. 2 1/2 to 3 minutes is more typical.
seven
The Seven Minutes was created in 1969.
The differnence between a total solar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse is that a total solar eclipse you can see the moon appear to cover the sun completely and then the sky becomes dark that you can see the stars and a total solar eclipse lasts no longer than about seven minutes. The partial solar eclipse is similar to a total solar eclipse except that the moon never completely covers the sun. From- Amanda amondo
Seven minutes in heaven was created in 1953.