- Monday, February 24, 2025
When the moon entirely blocks the sun, the areas at the centre of the moon’s shadow then witness a total solar eclipse.
By: indiaweekly.biz Staff
ON Monday (8), several parts of the North American continent will witness a total solar eclipse, moving over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
A total solar eclipse is so rare a natural phenomenon that a location that saw a total solar eclipse will have to wait for 400 years to go through the experience again, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.
But why is a total solar eclipse so rare?
Before knowing the answer, let’s understand what an eclipse is in the first place.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, blocking the giant star’s light, either fully or partially, casting consequently a huge shadow on some parts of the world.
Read: Texas man, 105, is keen to watch his 13th total solar eclipse: ‘I had to see them all’
There are four different types of solar eclipses — total solar eclipse, annular solar eclipse, partial solar eclipse and hybrid solar eclipse.
When the moon entirely blocks the sun, the areas at the centre of the moon’s shadow then witness a total solar eclipse. The sky becomes dark and people who are in the path of a total solar eclipse can get to see the sun’s corona — its outer atmosphere — which is otherwise not visible due to its blazing face.
When the moon passes in front of the sun but is at or near the farthest point from the Earth, an annular solar eclipse takes place. Here, the moon covers the sun in such a way that only the periphery of the latter remains visible — looking like a ring of fire.
Read: As US prepares for total solar eclipse, HERE ARE MOODS IN PICS
A partial solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks the sun partially, leading to a formation of a crescent shape. In case of the annular and partial eclipses, the region outside the area covered by the umbra of the moon — the middle and darkest part of the lunar shadow — will witness only a partial solar eclipse. Such eclipses are the most common type.
The hybrid solar eclipse, considered the rarest type of solar eclipse, occurs when the eclipse transitions between annular and total phases as the moon’s shadow traverses the Earth. Consequently, certain regions of the Earth experience a total solar eclipse while others witness an annular solar eclipse.
Now, coming to the question as to why total solar eclipses are very rare, they happen about once every 18 months or so. When this is compared with two and five solar eclipses every year, this indeed is rare. As mentioned above, a particular place on Earth witnesses a total eclipse once in 400 years and this is because a total eclipse can be seen if one is standing in the umbra (as against the penumbra which is less dark).
The umbral shadow is remarkably compact, enveloping merely a fraction of the Earth’s surface. In reality, the entire trajectory of the umbral shadow during a solar eclipse encompasses less than one per cent of the globe. Consequently, only a select few will have the opportunity to witness a total eclipse at any given moment.
