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An eclipse is caused by shadows. A Solar eclipse is the moon's shadow on the Earth, while a lunar eclipse is the Earth's shadow on the moon.

The Earth is much larger than the Moon, so the Earth casts a bigger shadow, which lasts longer.
In a solar eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow on the Earth; in a lunar eclipse, the Earth casts a shadow on the Moon. The Earth is much bigger and its shadow completely covers the Moon and quite a bit more. The Moon's shadow only completely blocks the Sun over a small bit of Earth's surface.

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What are the key differences between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun's light.


Which type of eclipse may be visible to all the people on one side of Earth?

A solar eclipse covers a very narrow path on the Earth, so usually not many people get a chance to see one. It doesn't help that the Earth is 75% water, and some solar eclipses never touch land at all. Lunar eclipses happen on the Moon, not on the Earth, so the entire night-side of the Earth can see it. As for how long the eclipse lasts, solar eclipses last longer because the Earth is bigger than the Moon is. However, the path of totality travels quickly over the Earth, and if you're standing on the Earth watching the eclipse, the eclipse will be over - for YOU - quickly, because the Moon's shadow has moved on. If you could be in a supersonic aircraft keeping up with it, you would be able to see that it actually lasts longer, but from one spot on Earth, a solar eclipse comes and goes VERY quickly.


What happen during a luner eclipse?

During a lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the Earth's shadow causing the moon to darken and take on a reddish tinge. A total lunar eclipse can last up to two hours.


Why an lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is between the sun and moon?

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.


Which are more frequent - eclipse of the sun or the moon?

According to Fred Whipple's book 'Earth, Moon and Planets', page 102-104, Solar eclipses are fairly numerous, about 2 - 5 per year, but the area on the ground covered by totality is only a few miles wide. In any given location on Earth, a total eclipse happens only once every 360 years. Eclipses of the Moon by the Earth's shadow are actually less numerous than solar eclipses, however each eclipse covers about 1/2 the surface of the Earth. At any given location you can have up to 3 lunar eclipses per year, but some year there may be none. In any one calendar year, the maximum number of eclipses is 4 solar and 3 lunar, from some locations on the Earth. 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.

Related Questions

What lasts longer a solar or lunar eclipse?

The lunar eclipse lasts longer than a solar one


When was the last lunar and solar eclipse?

As of 11/15/12 . . . Most recent solar eclipse . . . . . 13 November Most recent lunar eclipse . . . . . 04 June


A lunar eclipse is longer than a solar eclipse?

That's correct. A lunar eclipse can last for several hours, while a solar eclipse typically lasts only a few minutes at any given location. This is because a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, leading to a longer period of the Moon being in Earth's shadow.


Why do solar or lunar eclipses always occur during a full or new mon?

Solar and lunar eclipses occur during a full or new moon because this is when the alignment of the Earth, moon, and sun is such that the moon's shadow can fall on Earth during a solar eclipse, or Earth's shadow can fall on the moon during a lunar eclipse.


Why does lunar eclipse last longer than a solar eclipse?

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon is in the Earth's shadow, with the Earth blocking the Sun's light. During a solar eclipse, it is the Earth that is in the shadow of the moon, with the moon blocking the Sun's light from striking a small area of the Earth. The Moon is much much smaller than the Earth, and so has a smaller shadow. This means the smaller lunar shadow results in a shorter solar eclipse. Ancient astronomers used to use the short time of the solar eclipse as a measuring device in the time before clocks existed.


Why does a total eclipse of the moon last longer at a place than a total eclipse of the sun?

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon casts a shadow on Earth. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth casts a shadow on the moon. Since Earth is larger than the moon, it casts a larger shadow, resulting in a longer eclipse.


How lond does a lunar eclipse last?

a lunar eclipse can last about half an hour


When the last lunar eclipse occur?

2009.... there was one this year.... check youtube write 2009 solar eclipse... it was the longest eclipse of the 21st century


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 does a lunar eclipse last longer than solar eclipse?

a lunar eclipse is when the earth's shadow is cast over the moon, while a solar eclipse is when the moon's shadow is cast over the earth. the earth is a lot bigger than the moon (obviously), so it will have a larger shadow that cover the moon, therefore lasting longer -- on the other hand, the moon (being much smaller than the earth) will cast a smaller shadow over the earth (not even covering the entire earth)


What are good questions to ask about an eclipse?

why? What purpose does it serve? 1.Why does it happen 2.When does it happen 3.What is the difference between a solar and lunar eclipse 4.When is the next eclipse 5.When is the next total lunar/solar eclipse 6.When was the last eclipse 7.When was the last lunar/solar eclipse 8.When have eclipses landed on important dates and what type 9.When did people stop thinking eclipses were bad omens 10.How do animals react to eclipses 11.Who discovered what an eclipse was 12.How can an eclipse damage your vision 13.Do/which certain ethnic groups celebrate or cherish eclipses 14.Do/which certain ethnic groups fear or loath eclipses 15.Do lunar or solar eclipses differ in how animals respond to it


When was the last total lunar eclipse?

the date of the last solar eclipse is in august 2002, located at the WEST ofsouth America, which is Chile