What blocks the sun during an eclipse. Solar eclipse - what is it and how does it happen? Glare, silence and temperature drop
There will be a total solar eclipse on March 20 this year, blocking up to 90 percent of the sun. The eclipse will be the largest event in 16 years. On this day, the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, casting a shadow on the Earth. A solar eclipse could cause temporary power outages across Europe. The eclipse will occur on the afternoon of March 20 on Friday and will begin at 7:41 UTC (UT) and end at 11:50 UTC.
Start of solar eclipse: 12:13 Moscow time
Maximum phase of the solar eclipse: 13:20 Moscow time
· The end of the solar eclipse: 14:27 Moscow time
Maximum obscuration of the solar disk: 58 percent
In the east of Greenland, in Iceland, in the Svalbard archipelago and in the Faroe Islands, a total eclipse will be observed. There will be a partial solar eclipse in Russia, Europe, northern and eastern Africa and northern and eastern Asia.
The last total solar eclipse of this magnitude occurred on August 11, 1999, and the next one will take place in 2026. In addition, an eclipse can disrupt solar power supplies and lead to power outages.
Remember not to look directly at the Sun during , as this can cause permanent eye damage. For observation, you need to use special solar filters.
The eclipse falls on the day of the equinox and the new moon, and the Moon will reach lunar perigee - the closest point to the Earth in its orbit. The spring equinox occurs on March 20, 2015 at 22:45 UTC (March 21, 1:45 Moscow time). It represents the moment when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. On the day of the equinox, the duration of the night and day is the same and is 12 hours.
March's new moon will be a supermoon that, although not visible, will have a greater than normal effect on Earth's oceans. An eclipse occurs when a celestial body, such as the Moon or a planet, passes into the shadow of another body. There are two types of eclipses on Earth: solar and lunar.
During a solar eclipse, the Moon's orbit passes between the Sun and the Earth. When this happens, the Moon blocks the Sun's light and casts a shadow on the Earth.
There are several types of solar eclipse:
Full - it is visible in certain areas of the Earth, which are located in the center of the lunar shadow falling on the Earth. Sun, Moon and Earth are in a straight line.
Partial - This eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are not exactly in line, and the observers are located in the penumbra.
Ring-shaped - occurs when the moon is at its farthest point from the earth. As a result, it does not completely block the solar disk, but looks like a dark disk, around which a bright ring is visible.
Surely, almost everyone has heard of solar eclipses, and sometimes personally observed this phenomenon, which horrified people a few centuries ago. And although astronomers have unraveled the mystery of this phenomenon, there are many interesting facts about solar eclipses, and these facts may surprise even those who were a diligent student in astronomy classes.
1. Shadow of the Moon
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun and casts a shadow on the Earth. This is due to the fact that the distance between the Sun and the Earth is about 400 times the distance of the Moon from the Sun. The diameter of the Sun is also about 400 times that of the Moon. Because of this, the Sun and Moon are the same size when viewed from Earth. When the Moon passes in front of the Sun, it blocks its light from Earth.
2. Partial, annular and general
There are three different types of solar eclipse: partial, annular and total. A partial solar eclipse is when the Moon is not "perfectly aligned" with the Sun. An annular solar eclipse is when the Moon and the Sun are on the same line, but either the Moon is currently further from the Earth, or the Earth is closer to the Sun. In this situation, the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun, resulting in a bright ring surrounding the dark Moon. A total eclipse is when the Moon completely covers the Sun.
3. Stars by day
Stars appear in the daytime sky. Since the eclipse causes the day to become darker, planets and stars will be visible in the sky, usually hidden by the light of the Sun. First of all, it is worth looking for Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus.
4. Eye protection
You can't watch an eclipse without eye protection. If you look directly at the sun without protecting your eyes, it is very dangerous. It can even lead to blindness.
5. Only on a new moon
A solar eclipse only occurs during a new moon. This is because the Moon must be between the Sun and the Earth for an eclipse to occur. The only lunar phase when this happens is the new moon.
6. Exception at 5°
Although eclipses occur during new moons, they do not occur during every new moon. This is because the Moon's orbit is tilted 5 degrees relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Eclipses occur only when the "paths" of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon intersect (this intersection is called a "node"). Usually the Sun is above or below the "node", so there is no eclipse.
7. Glare, silence and temperature drop
During an eclipse, strange things happen. As the eclipse approaches, strange phenomena can be encountered. For example, across the horizon, you can see areas that are lighter than the sky around the sun, shadows that look different. Birds also stop chirping, and there is a drop in temperature of about 1-5 degrees.
8. Oracle Bones
China has published the first known records of solar eclipses. These data on solar eclipses were imprinted on pieces of bone, which were later called "Oracle Bones". They date from about 1050 BC.
9. No moon - no eclipses
In about a million years, solar eclipses will not be visible. This will happen because the Moon is slowly moving away from the Earth.
10 Lucky Campbell
Canadian astronomer and famed eclipse hunter John Wood Campbell traveled the world for 50 years trying to see 12 different eclipses. And every time he came across an overcast sky.
Recently, astronomy has ceased to be a compulsory subject at school; hopes are pinned on this publication for the possibility of filling in the forced gaps in education with the help of the Internet ...
First of all, let's turn to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia in order to take advantage of the time-tested and, undoubtedly, outstanding scientists definition of the subject of our conversation: An eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon, consisting in the fact that the Sun, Moon, planet, satellite of the planet or star cease to be visible to the earth observer in whole or in part.
Eclipses occur due to the fact that either one celestial body covers another, or the shadow of one non-luminous body falls on another such body. An eclipse of the Sun is observed when it is covered (obscured) by the Moon.Solar Eclipses Always Occur on the New Moon.
A solar eclipse is a unique event every time.
What are eclipses?
We are so used to our moon that we don’t even suspect how lucky we are with it! And we were lucky with her twice. First, our Moon is not some shapeless cobblestone like Phobos or Deimos, but a neat little round mini-planet! Second, the Moon is now quite far from the Earth and there are no daily earthquakes and huge waves, once in the past caused by the tidal forces of the Moon (in our time, the Moon is moving away from the Earth at a speed of 4 cm per year - in earlier eras it happened faster). The Moon is now so far away that its apparent angular size is close to that of the even more distant Sun. And once the Moon was so close to the Earth that solar eclipses happened every new moon, although there was still no one to look at them at that time ...
Each solar eclipse is unique in its own way, how exactly the eclipse will look for an earthly observer is determined by 3 factors (in addition to weather): the angular diameters (sizes) of the Sun visible from the observation point α and moon β and the trajectory of the Moon relative to the Sun and stars (Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. The angular diameters of the Sun visible from the Earth's surface ( α ) and the Moon ( β ), the trajectory of the movement of the Moon in the starry sky (dotted line).
Due to the fact that the Moon and the Earth move in elliptical orbits (the Moon is either closer or further away from the Earth, and the Earth, in turn, is either closer or further away from the Sun), the apparent angular diameter of the Moon, depending on the orbital position, can vary from 29 .43" to 33.3" (minutes of arc), and the apparent angular diameter of the Sun is from 31.6" to 32.7". At the same time, their average statistical visible diameters, respectively, are for the Moon: 31"05" and for the Sun: 31"59".
Depending on whether the visible trajectory of the Moon passes through the center of the Sun, or crosses its visible area in an arbitrary place, as well as various combinations of the visible angular dimensions of the Moon and the Sun, three types of solar eclipses are traditionally distinguished: partial, total and annular eclipses .
Partial solar eclipse
If the observed trajectory of the Moon does not pass through the center of the Sun, then the Moon, as a rule, cannot completely obscure the Sun (Fig. 3) - an eclipse in which the Moon covers the Sun is not completely called partial (private from the word "part" with the meaning "partial eclipse"). Such an eclipse can occur for any possible combination of apparent angular diameters of the Moon and the Sun.
Most of the solar eclipses that occur on Earth are partial eclipses (approximately 68%).
total solar eclipse
If at any point on the Earth's surface, observers can see that the Moon completely covers the Sun, then such an eclipse is called a total solar eclipse. Such an eclipse occurs when the apparent path of the Moon passes through or very close to the center of the Sun and the apparent diameter of the Moon is β must be greater than or at least equal to the apparent diameter of the Sun α (Fig. 4).
Rice. 4. Total solar eclipse, March 20, 2015 at 12:46 observed near the North Pole.
A total solar eclipse can be observed within very small areas of the earth's surface, as a rule, it is a band up to 270 km wide, delineated by the shadow of the Moon - observers in the areas adjacent to the shaded areas see only a partial solar eclipse (Fig. 5).
Rice. 5. Total solar eclipse, the shadow from the Moon on the surface of the Earth, the dark dotted line indicates the trajectories of the movement of the shadow area
For each specific area, a total solar eclipse is a rarity. In Moscow, for example, the last total solar eclipse was in August 1887 (08/19/1887), and the next one is expected on 10/16/2126. So, sitting in one place, you can never see a total solar eclipse in your life ( however, in August 1887, Muscovites did not see him anyway due to bad weather). Therefore: "If you want to experience an event, do your best to make it happen!" /Slogan of Enthusiasts/
Thank God, in general, total eclipses on the Earth's surface do not happen so rarely, on average, once every one and a half years and make up almost 27% of all eclipse options.
annular solar eclipse
If the trajectory of the Moon passes near the center of the Sun, but the apparent angular diameter of the Moon is less than the solar β < α , then at the moment of alignment of the centers, the Moon cannot completely obscure the Sun and a glow is created around it in the form of a ring, such an eclipse is called an annular eclipse (Fig. 6), but in oral speech, traditionally striving to express the meaning as briefly as possible, the expression annular eclipse was established, i.e. . "annular solar eclipse" is a term, and "annular eclipse" is just jargon so far...
Rice. 6. An annular solar eclipse someday...
Annular (annular) solar eclipses are currently the rarest type of eclipses, accounting for only 5%. But, as we know, the Moon is gradually moving away from the Earth and annular eclipses will happen more and more often.
Why do solar eclipses happen so rarely?
The main reason that solar eclipses in our time do not occur every new moon is that the plane of the Moon's orbit does not coincide with the plane of the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth's orbit) and is inclined to it at an angle of 5.145 degrees (Fig. 7, pos. 1). In this figure, as well as in all others, the dimensions of the corners and the ratio of the scales of objects are exaggerated for the sake of clarity of images.
Rice. 7.
Work on the article "Solar eclipses" continues.
Sergey Ov(seosnews9)
Solar eclipses 2019:
January 2019 - Partial solar eclipse
;
July 2019 - total solar eclipse;
December 2019 -(observed in Russia)
06.01.2019 04:28
- New Moon.
This new moon will happenpartial solar eclipse
January 6, 2019 at 04:41 MSK, eclipse will be able to observe in eastern Mongolia northeastern China, Korea and Japan, in Russia - in the south of Eastern Siberia, the Far East, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin.
02.07.2019 22:16
- New Moon.
This new moon will happen total solar eclipse
, the eclipse maximum phase will come July 2, 2019 at 10:26 pm MSK, a partial eclipse of the Sun can only be observed in the South Pacific, Central and South America (Chile, Argentina), alas: will not be observed in Russia ...
26.12.2019 08:13
- New Moon.
This new moon will make the inhabitants of the Earth happy with the third solar eclipse of the year - it will be annular solar eclipse
(annular), the maximum phase of the eclipse will come December 26, 2019 05:18:53 MSK, an annular eclipse can be observed in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, south of India, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Malaysia and Indonesia, private in Central and Southeast Asia, Australia and western Oceania , in Russia, the eclipse will be observed in Transbaikalia and Primorye
.
2018:
February 2018 - Partial solar eclipse;
July 2018 - Partial solar eclipse;
August 2018 - Partial solar eclipse
(observed in Russia)
16.02.2018 00:05
- New Moon
This new moon will happen partial solar eclipse
, the eclipse maximum phase will come 02/15/2018 at 23:52 MSK, a partial eclipse of the Sun can only be observed in Antarctica and southern South America (Chile, Argentina) - summary: in Russia will not be observed.
13.07.2018 05:48
- New Moon (
, (super new moon) - a variant of the translation from the English word "supermoon", the other is "Super Moon". On a new moon, the Moon is usually not visible, but in such cases there are very strong tides, maybe the best translation would be: "Strong Moon"?)
In addition, on this new moon there will be partial solar eclipse
, the eclipse maximum phase will come 07/13/2018 at 06:02 MSK. The eclipse can be observed, alas, only in Antarctica on the Budd Coast, the southernmost part of Australia, Tasmania or in the Indian Ocean between Antarctica and Australia - Russia will not see an eclipse
.
11.08.2018 12:58
- New moon(
, Strong Moon)
On this new moon, it will also happenpartial solar eclipse
, the eclipse maximum phase will come August 11, 2018 at 12:47 pm MSK, the eclipse will be visible in northern Canada, Greenland in the Scandinavian countries, in Russia - in the northern and middle latitudes of Central Russia, throughout Siberia and the Far East
, northeastern part of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China .
2017: February 2017 - Annular solar eclipse; August 2017 - Total solar eclipse
February 26, 2017 05:58 PM
This winter new moon will happen annular solar eclipse
. The maximum phase of the eclipse will come February 26, 2017 at 05:54 PM MSK
. An annular eclipse of the Sun can be observed in the south of Argentina and Chile, southwest Angola, and private in the south of South America, Antarctica, western and South Africa - in Russia will not be observed.
August 21, 2017 21:30- astronomical new moon.
This summer new moon will total solar eclipse
. The maximum phase of the eclipse will come August 21, 2017 at 09:26 PM MSK.
A total eclipse of the Sun can be observed, alas, only in North America in the United States, private in Russia
- in Chukotka (the Moon will only slightly touch the Sun); in other countries- in the USA and Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland and the UK, Portugal (at sunset), Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Guinea and Brazil.
March 2016 - Total Solar Eclipse + Supermoon
09 March 2016 04:54 Moscow time - astronomical new moon;
This new moon will happen total solar eclipse, the eclipse maximum phase will come March 09, 2016 at 04:58 MSK, a total eclipse of the Sun can be observed on the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Halmahera, private in Russia- in Primorye, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka; in other countries in India, China, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, USA and Canada (Alaska)
;
01.09.2016 12:03
- astronomical new moon;
This new moon will happen annular solar eclipse, the eclipse maximum phase will come 01 September 2016 at 12:08 MSK
, An annular eclipse can be observed, alas, only in central Africa and Madagascar, and private in all African countries, in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and in the Indian Ocean
March 2015 - Total Solar Eclipse + Supermoon
March 20, 2015 12:36 pm Moscow time - astronomical new moon; ;
A total solar eclipse will occur on this new moon, the maximum phase of the eclipse will occur on March 20, 2015 at 12:46:47 MSK, total eclipse of the sun can be observed in the Faroe Islands, Svalbard and the North Pole, partial eclipse in Russia- throughout the European part and Western Siberia; as well as in Greenland, Europe and Central Asia.
;
* Eclipses, eclipse = Z.
Z. - astronomical phenomena, consisting in the fact that the sun, moon, planet, satellite of the planet or star cease to be visible to the earth observer in whole or in part. Z. occur due to the fact that either one celestial body covers another, or the shadow of one non-self-luminous body falls on another similar body. So, the Z. of the Sun are observed when the Moon closes it; Z. Moon - when the shadow of the Earth falls on it; Z. satellites of planets - when they fall into the shadow of the planet; Z. in systems of double stars - when one star covers another. Stars also include the passage of the shadow of a satellite across the disk of a planet, the occultation of stars and planets by the Moon (the so-called occultations), the passages of the inner planets—Mercury and Venus—across the solar disk, and the passage of satellites across the planet’s disk. With the beginning of the flights of manned spacecraft, it became possible to observe the Earth's Sun from these spacecraft (see illustration). Of greatest interest are the z. of the Sun and the Moon, associated with the motion of the Moon around the Earth.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. 1969 - 1978
What is a Solar Eclipse?
A solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon that occurs on Earth when the Moon moves in its orbit between the Earth and the Sun. This happens at the new moon when the sun and moon are in conjunction with each other. If the Moon were only slightly closer to the earth, and its orbit was in the same plane and circular, then we would see eclipses every month. The Moon's orbit is elliptical and tilted with respect to the Earth's orbit, so we can only see up to 5 eclipses a year. Depending on the geometry of the Sun, Moon and Earth, the Sun may be completely blocked (obscured), or it may be partially blocked.
During an eclipse, the Moon's shadow (which is divided into two parts: dark umbra and light penumbra) moves across the earth's surface. Safety note: Never look directly at the sun during a total solar eclipse. The bright light of the sun can damage your eyes very quickly.
Types of Solar Eclipse
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 
A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the solar disk. In a total solar eclipse, the narrowest part of the path where the sun is completely blocked and the moon casts its dark shadow (called a total shadow) is called the “zone of totality”.
Observers see this path as an obscured sun (often described as a "hole in the sky"), with a ghostly glow from the solar corona, heading into space. A phenomenon called "Bailey's beads" often appears when sunlight breaks through valleys on the Moon's surface. If the sun is active, observers may also see solar prominences, loops, and flares during an eclipse. A total solar eclipse is the only time it is safe to look directly at the sun. All other solar observations (even in partial phases) require special solar filters to avoid damaging your eyes.
A total solar eclipse is not always visible from Earth. In the past, the Moon was too close to the earth and during an eclipse, it completely obscured the disk of the Sun. Over time, the lunar orbit has changed in size by just over 2 cm per year, and in the current epoch, the alignment is almost perfect. However, the Moon's orbit will continue to expand, and perhaps in 600 million years, total solar eclipses will no longer occur. Instead, future observers will only see partial and annular eclipses.
ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE 
When the Moon is farther in its orbit than usual, it cannot completely cover the disk of the Sun. During such an event, a bright ring of sunlight shines around the moon. This type of eclipse is called an annular eclipse. It comes from the Latin word “annulus”, which means “ring”.
The "ring" period during such an eclipse can last from 5 or 6 minutes to 12 minutes. However, although the Sun is mostly covered by the Moon, if the sunlight is bright enough, an annular aurora occurs during which observers will never be able to look directly at the Sun. This event requires eye protection throughout the eclipse.
PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 
A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves through the lunar penumbra just as the moon moves between the Earth and the sun. The moon does not block the entire solar disk, as seen from Earth. Depending on your location during a partial eclipse, you can see anything from a small glimpse of the Sun to a nearly total eclipse.
It is safe to use a filter to view any eclipse, or use an indirect viewing method such as projecting rays through a telescope onto a white piece of paper or cardboard. Never look at the sun through a telescope unless it has an appropriate filter. Blindness and severe eye damage can be caused by improper observation technique.
Facts About Solar EclipsesDepending on the geometry of the Sun, Moon and earth, there can be 2 to 5 solar eclipses per year. An aggregate occurs when the Moon completely occludes the sun so that only the solar corona is visible. A total solar eclipse can occur once every 1- 2 years. This makes them very rare events. If you lived at the North or South Pole, you would only see a partial solar eclipse. Partial, total, annular and hybrid eclipses can be seen by people in other parts of the world. The longest total solar eclipse can last 7.5 minutes. The eclipse's path is typically about 160 km wide in diameter and can cast a shadow over an area of the earth's surface of about 10,000 miles in length. Almost identical eclipses occur after 18 years and 11 days. This period of 223 synodic months is called saros. During a total solar eclipse, the air temperature can change rapidly, immediately getting colder and dark in the immediate vicinity. At the time of a total solar eclipse, the planets in the sky can be seen as points of light.
I was asked the question: how often do eclipses occur, how often do solar and lunar eclipses occur?
Indeed, in different years we observe a different number of eclipses. Moreover, all of them are also different, depending on how much the disks of the planets overlap each other with a shadow. For example, an annular solar eclipse occurs at the moment when it is the most distant from our planet, and is not completely covered by the disk of the Moon.
And last autumn we observed a hybrid solar eclipse, a rather rare phenomenon when the phases of the same eclipse are visible to us from different points of the Earth as a total eclipse and an annular eclipse. An interesting fact here is that it is gradually moving away from the Earth by 3.78 centimeters per year, and the time will come when earthlings will no longer see a total eclipse, but will observe only an annular one. But this, however, will not be very soon.
Let us return to the question of the frequency of eclipses.
It is known that their number in a year is not the same. Solar eclipses occur on the new moon, if it is no further than 12 degrees from the points of intersection of the Moon with the ecliptic, there are from 2 to 5 solar eclipses per year.
If we take the count of eclipses for a hundred years, then out of 237 solar eclipses, the most are partial: namely, 160. In the remaining 77: total - 63 and annular - 14.
A lunar eclipse happens on a full moon - when the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun, there are no less than two lunar eclipses a year.
The “fruitful” year for eclipses in the near future was the year 2011, when 4 solar and 2 lunar eclipses occurred, and ahead is 2029, when there will be 4 solar and 3 lunar eclipses. There were 5 solar eclipses (and 2 lunar ones) in 1935. That is, the maximum number of eclipses in a year is 7.
Solar eclipses in a certain area of the Earth are a very rare occurrence, and if you manage to see one or two eclipses in your life, consider yourself very lucky.
However, eclipses are far from being limited to just a spectacular function, as many of us tend to perceive them. Their main and paramount role is the need to change the consciousness of a person, no matter where he is on the edge of the Earth during the eclipse. The process of changing consciousness undergoes literally each of us, and it lasts from several days to several years.
As astrology shows, the degree of influence of the eclipse may depend on how much the resonance with the natal chart of a person is manifested for the period of the eclipse. The characteristic of an eclipse originates from the specific saros series to which it belongs, and the resonant horoscope shows the area of life that is primarily affected by the eclipse.
I will add that eclipses play a deep karmic role, forcing a person to react to his external environment during a solar eclipse and to internal qualities during a lunar eclipse.
You have learned how often eclipses occur, although not everyone knows the astrological indications for these events. In addition, almost each of us can approach the solution of any problematic issue in our lives, while showing our best qualities. The only difference is that eclipses give tremendous energy for our development, forcing us to immediately respond to what is happening.
Be healthy and happy! See you on the site ""!