What is a solar eclipse? How does it happen? And what are its types?

Arab weather - a solar eclipse is an astronomical event that is considered the most prominent and important among the astronomical events that occur every year, because it reveals our place in the solar system that is constantly in motion, so that it coincides with its occurrence at that moment when the Earth is lined up with the sun and the moon, and in this article we explain how the eclipse occurs Solar, and what are its types? And how often does it happen?

What is a solar eclipse?

Solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, so that the sun, the moon and the earth are in one straight line.

Types of eclipses, total, partial and annular, and the difference between them

There are 4 types of solar eclipses, which vary depending on the location and shadow of the moon:

1. Partial solar eclipse

A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, the moon and the sun line up on a straight line, and the moon begins to pass in front of the sun, blocking its rays from the earth, but the moon’s shadow is much smaller than it covers the whole earth, so what happens to most areas on Earth is that it falls in the semi-shadow of the moon and is called (Penumbra), where the moon can only block a part of the sun’s rays, and a partial eclipse may block the sun’s disk in varying proportions, as it may block a quarter or half of it, or any percentage less than complete.

2. Total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurs in the small spot on the Earth's surface in the full moon's shadow called the Umbra. During this eclipse, the moon's disk passes completely in front of the sun's disk, blocking all the sun's rays and darkening the entire sky as if it was night time, but the solar corona, which is the outer atmosphere of the sun, will appear. This eclipse lasts for about five minutes, after which it returns as a decreasing partial eclipse until the moon completes its transit in front of the sun.

Although the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, it is 400 times closer to the earth than the sun is far from the earth, and because of this tight balance in the universe, the moon is able to block the sun, so a total eclipse occurs.

3. Annular solar eclipse

An annular solar eclipse is a phenomenon astronomically similar to a total eclipse, but with a small difference, and this type of eclipse occurs because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is elliptical and not completely circular, so the annular eclipse occurs when the moon is farther from the Earth than usual, or the Earth is closer to the sun than usual. , or both, so the sun appears slightly larger than its usual size, while the moon appears a little smaller. Thus, when the moon’s disk crosses in front of the sun, it cannot completely obscure it, despite the fact that it is located exactly in front of it. Rather, a ring of its rays remains around it and is called the “ring of fire,” hence the name annular eclipse, and it lasts for almost the duration of the total eclipse.

(annular eclipse)

4. Hybrid solar eclipse

Hybrid solar eclipse A hybrid solar eclipse is called a total annular eclipse, which occurs when the moon is within an area close enough to reach the Earth, and a hybrid eclipse usually begins as an annular eclipse, and then completes to become total.

Hybrid eclipses are rare (they make up only about 4 percent of solar eclipses). NASA information indicates that the last hybrid eclipse occurred in 2013, and that we have to wait until April 20, 2023 to see the next hybrid eclipse, which will be visible in Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea.

How often does a solar eclipse occur?

Solar eclipses occur two to five times each year, with total eclipses occurring every 18 months or so, and the shape of the eclipse varies depending on where on Earth it is viewed.

With the rotation of the Earth, the moon’s shadow on the Earth (and the scene of the eclipse) moves from west to east, and this path is for areas that witness the total eclipse, while viewers in areas outside the path see a partial eclipse, or they do not see an eclipse at all.

In general, a total solar eclipse is visible everywhere on Earth every 400 years.

When is the next solar eclipse? And the best places to see it

• October 25, 2022: A partial solar eclipse visible from the UK, Europe, western Russia, the Middle East, western Asia and northeastern Africa. More
• April 8, 2024: Total solar eclipse visible across parts of North America.
• March 29, 2025: A partial solar eclipse visible from northwest Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe and northern Russia.
• August 12, 2026: a total solar eclipse visible from the North Pole, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, and northern Spain. A partial eclipse in other parts of the world.

What is the phase of the moon during a solar eclipse?

Solar eclipses only occur during the new moon phase (new moon). This is because during a solar eclipse, the sun is behind the moon to us on Earth, illuminating the side we can't see, leaving the side facing us dark.

But this does not mean that there is a solar eclipse with every new moon, because the sun, the moon and the earth need to line up in such a way that the moon’s shadow falls on the earth, and this does not always happen because the moon’s orbit around the earth is slightly tilted compared to the earth’s orbit around the sun.

If the moon, sun and earth line up when the moon is full, it causes a lunar eclipse. In this case, it is the Earth that passes between the sun and the moon and casts a shadow on the moon.

How long does a solar eclipse last?

The Earth and the Moon are in perpetual motion, so the eclipse is a temporary event. The longest total solar eclipse in modern history was on July 11, 1991 and lasted six minutes and 53 seconds. It may take several hours for the moon to pass in front of the sun, but the moment of total eclipse lasts only minutes, with a maximum of seven minutes and 32 seconds.

What does the eclipse scene look like?

A total solar eclipse is an amazing and unique experience, where we see the sun and the disk of the moon gradually cover it and the surrounding landscape becomes strangely dark, with a faint yellow light.

When the total eclipse occurs, the sun turns into a black disk but is surrounded by white threads representing the outer solar atmosphere (or corona), and after a few minutes the sun disk returns to light again as the moon moves away.

Eclipses provide an opportunity to study things that would normally be difficult to see because of the sun's glare. During an eclipse, measurements can be made of rapid changes in the solar corona (the sun's hot outer atmosphere). Bright stars or planets such as Venus and Jupiter may be visible near the sun in the sky.

Effect of the eclipse on wildlife

The moments of a solar eclipse confuse some aspects of wildlife, such as birds stopping their songs or flying towards their nests, trying to find out what happened. It was as if suddenly night had fallen even though the sun was shining high in the sky just minutes ago. The process of photosynthesis in plants may also stop.

How to watch a solar eclipse safely

You should never look directly at the sun, even with sunglasses or even through dark materials such as trash bags. These materials do not protect your eyes from infrared rays and can cause permanent eye damage. Never use binoculars or a telescope unless you have a special solar filter or you can use them to view the eclipse on a white card.

As for the safe way to watch the eclipse, it is by wearing eclipse glasses equipped with light filters, and according to international standards for glasses, they must be classified according to 14 and above, that is, they block 99% of ultraviolet rays and 97% of the visible spectrum. He cautions against the use of all kinds of sunglasses, as well as colored films, X-ray sheets, and tinted plastics, including car tinting paper, floppy disks, etc.

More: How to watch a solar eclipse without harming your eyes?