Solar eclipses are nothing new.
These are merely parts of the machinations from the magnificent rig that is the cosmos.
Eclipse vs. Occultation vs.
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Transit
The vocabulary here can get a little confusing.
Technically, an occultation is what happens when one thing blocks another occludes it from view.
What we know as solar eclipses are actuallysolar occultations.
The reason being, the moon is too small to physically eclipse the sun.
It is big enough, on the other hand, to occlude it from view.
Lunar eclipses are true eclipses, since the larger Earth is blocking the smaller moon from the sun.
Real eclipses are when a larger body entirely blocks a smaller one.
Therefore in a total solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun from the Earth.
Eclipses can be total or partial, and will vary widely based on where youre viewing them from.
So, Whys It Called an Eclipse?
Many people considered eclipses to be religious signs, usually ill omens or dark portents.
Total eclipses occur when one bodytotally blocks anotherfrom view.
Eclipses only last for a few minutes, with the longest being 7 minutes and 12 seconds.
That one will occur on June 25th of 2522.
For example, the 2017 eclipse has a twin that will occur on September 2nd of 2035.
To those in the path of totality, it feels like an odd,rapid nightfallthat ends in twilight.
All you need for that is nighttime, so that you could see the moon in the sky.
Luckily, theres lots of safe ways toview a solar eclipse, which are laid out by NASA.
