Astronomy Stack Exchange
Astronomy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [solar-eclipse]

Questions about the complete or partial blocking of the sun by the moon.

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Counting from the 21st century forward, what place on Earth will be last to experience a total solar eclipse?

All coordinates on Earth are equally likely to experience a solar eclipse, so it's just a matter of luck where the Moon's shadow happens to fall. But some place has to draw the short straw and be the last in line to experience a total solar eclipse.…
user177107
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How do I know it is safe to remove eclipse glasses when viewing a total solar eclipse?

I know this sounds like a really stupid question. But since I have never seen one or even used solar eclipse glasses I assume when I can no longer see the sun through the glasses then it is safe to remove them in order to see the sun's corona. OR…
Sedumjoy
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Why can't we see a solar eclipse every month?

In every lunar revolution around Earth, the Moon is at a point between the Earth and the Sun. Then why can't we see a solar eclipse once every lunar month? Is it because of a tilted orbit of the Moon around the Earth? Is the orbit of the Moon some…
Akshat
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Is it safe to watch solar eclipse's reflection in water?

There will be a solar eclipse soon at my area... naturally I want to watch this with my son. Is it safe for us to watch the solar eclipse's reflection in the water? There is a swimming pool near my house and I plan to watch it there.. is it safe to…
Rosdi Kasim
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During a total solar eclipse is it possible to see solar flares with the naked eye?

I read that it might be possible but I am wondering can I actually see small flames jetting from the surface around the circumference of the eclipse assuming they are active at the time? There is a total solar eclipse in 2024 that I will be able to…
Sedumjoy
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What does a solar eclipse at 99% totality look like?

People smarter than me say the sun will be 99% covered during the 2017 solar eclipse where I live (Portland, OR metro). I am curious to know what it might look like (photo or drawing). Does this photo approximate 99% coverage? Or will there be…
iMerchant
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What is a 'hybrid' eclipse?

As mentioned on the NASA eclipse website the eclipse on the 3rd of November 2013 will be a "Hybrid" eclipse. I have looked at the diagram on that page but can't see what is different about the eclipse that would explain the word hybrid. This…
Rory Alsop
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Dark enough to see stars during total solar eclipse?

I was fortunate enough to see totality during the eclipse of 2017 August 21. It did leave me wondering about the 1919 Eddington experiment, though. During totality, it only got dark enough to see a few of the brightest objects like Venus and…
wrschneider
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Can all areas on Earth experience a total solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse only puts part of Earth at a time in shadow, so I'm not talking about a solar eclipse that casts a shadow over all of Earth. What I mean is: are there any areas on Earth where, no matter how Sol, Earth and Luna are aligned, a total…
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The darkness that is equivalent to the block of 99.5% of the sun

In the incoming April total eclipse in North America, if a city's sun is said to be 99.5% blocked, What darkness can it reach compared to the period of dawn or dusk or evening? I ask this question because I live in a city where the sun is said to be…
E Zhang
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How often do partial solar eclipses of 90% of totality occur in same place?

I know that the mean interval between total eclipses in a single place is about 375 years, which is not surprising given the small band of area of the totality. However, the penumbra of the eclipse partially shadows a much larger area than the…
Tyler Durden
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Is the sun any brighter during a solar eclipse

I keep hearing that you can go blind during a solar eclipse. Is the sun actually any brighter during a solar eclipse? This is how the media seems to frame it, and they suggest you need special glasses to view the eclipse. But after some reading, it…
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How rare are earth-like solar eclipses?

Solar eclipses on the earth are so spectacular because the moon has roughly the same size as the sun when viewed from the earth's surface. This is an incredible coincidence, and my guess is that it is a very uncommon phenomenon in the universe. Is…
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What is the difference between a solar eclipse seen from Earth, the Moon, and from 1 one of Jupiter's Galilean moons (ex. Io)?

A solar eclipse viewed from Earth reveals the sun's corona and you can only see the brightest stars from Earth. However a solar eclipse viewed from the moon would show the red ring around Earth. I have not seen an image / video of what a solar…
InfinitySwordofDiamond
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Spacing (2422 days) between solar eclipses - unrelated saros numbers

I just made an observation that is very puzzling. The observation concerns total solar eclipses and their spacing in time. I know that the saros cycle dictates recurrence of same saros eclipses roughly every 18 yrs 11 days apart. However, the two…
Mike
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