When:
๐๏ธ When the Moon is exactly between the Earth and Sun
Where:
Where Moon and Sun are visible from the Earth surface
Since:
Before humans
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The Total Solar Eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, then steps in front of the sun and casts a shadow on Earthโs surface in a cosmic game of Peek-a-Boo.
Picture a bright sunny day suddenly turning into nighttime, with only the sun’s corona visible โ a ring of light around the black disk of the moon. It’s like the moon is giving the sun a “Halo,” but it’s not exactly angelic.
Some ancient cultures believed solar eclipses were omens of doom or a sign of gods being angry, so they tried to scare away the moon with noise and fire.
Thanks to the science of astronomy we replaced fear and superstition with the assuring knowledge that enables us to accurately predict when and where eclipses will occur.
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Will there be an eclipse in your location?
Date Time (UTC) Visible Total Solar Eclipse 2024, April 8 15:42:15 – 20:52:19 Total: Mexico, central and northeastern United States, East Canada Partial: North America, Central America
Maybe West in Europe, North America, North in South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic.Annular Solar Eclipse
2024, October 215:42:59 – 21:47:00 South of North America, Most of South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Antarctica. Partial Solar Eclipse
2025, March 2908:50:43 – 12:43:45 Northwest Africa, Europe, northern Russia Partial Solar Eclipse 2025, September 21 17:29:43 – 21:53:45 South Pacific, New Zealand, Antarctica Annular Solar Eclipse 2026, February 17 09:56:26 – 14:27:42 Antarctica
Partial: South Argentina, Chile, South Africa, AntarcticaTotal Solar Eclipse 2026, Augustus 12 15:34:15 – 19:57:57 Total: Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Northeastern Portugal
Partial: Northern North America, Western Africa, EuropeAnnular Solar Eclipse 2027, February 6 12:57:36 – 19:01:39 Annular: Chile, Argentina, Atlantic
Partial: South America, Antarctica, West and South AfricaTotal Solar Eclipse 2027, August 2 07:30:11 – 12:43:10 Total: Morocco, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia
Partial: Africa, Europe, Middle East, West and South AsiaAnnular Solar Eclipse 2028, January 26 12:06:42 – 18:08:50 Annular: Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, Spain, Portugal
Partial: Eastern North America, Central and South America, Western Europe, northwest AfricaTotal Solar Eclipse 2028, July 22 00:27:37 – 05:23:11 Total: Australia, New Zealand
Partial: Southeast Asia, East IndiesPartial Solar Eclipse 2029, January 14 15:01:58 – 19:23:06 North America, Central America Partial Solar Eclipse 2029, June 12 02:26:29 – 05:43:32 Arctic, Scandinavia, Alaska, northern Asia, northern Canada Partial Solar Eclipse 2029, July 11 14:27:45 – 16:44:11 Southern Chile, Southern Argentina Partial Solar Eclipse 2029, December 5 13:06:42 – 16:58:53 Southern Argentina, Southern Chile, Antarctica Annular Solar Eclipse 2030, June 1 03:34:44 – 09:21:19 Annular: Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Greece, southeastern Bulgaria, Turkey, southeastern Ukraine, Russia, northern China, Japan
Partial: Europe, Northern Africa, Middle East, Asia, Arctic, AlaskaTotal Solar Eclipse 2030, November 25 04:16:46 – 09:24:04 Total: Botswana, South Africa, Australia
Partial: South Africa, Southern Indian Ocean, East Indies, Australia, AntarcticaWant to find more eclipses even further in the future?
Check out this list that goes up to 2050! -
There are three different types of solar eclipses:
Total Solar Eclipse:
The moon completely covers the sun.
The classic eclipse is when the sun goes actually bye bye for a little while.Partial Solar Eclipse:
The moon only covers part of the sun.
The sun looks itโs cosplaying a moon sickle, except still brighter.Annular Solar Eclipse:
The moon is too far from Earth to fully cover the sun, leaving a ring visible around the moon.
This looks like an actual โRing of Fireโ in the sky.And then, for an honorable mention, there also is the Hybrid Solar Eclipse.
The hybrid solar eclipse is a combination of total and annular eclipse.
Some parts of the Earth see a Total Eclipse and some parts of the Earth see the Annular type. -
While a lunar eclipse sounds similar to a solar eclipse, it’s not the same at all
Solar Eclipse is when the moon blocks the sun’s light from reaching Earth.
The moon is between Earth and sun.
So we see the moon with the sun hiding behind the moon.
A Solar Eclipse is a like game of “Shadow Tag”.
๐-๐-๐Lunar Eclipse is when the Earth blocks the sun’s light from reaching the moon.
The Earth is between sun and moon.
So we see the sun with the moon hiding behind us on the other side of the Earth.
A Lunar Eclipse is a game of “Light Block”.
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A word of warning:
Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse or any other time, unless you want to see stars โ but not the twinkly kind!
You might go blind if you look at the eclipse without proper protection.
So use special solar viewing glasses or make a pinhole projector.
It’s like watching a scary movie, but with protective gear!
Ways to celebrate a Total Solar Eclipse:
The tradinal way is to attend a viewing party, gather with friends and family, take photos and videos.
Organize an eclipse party yourself if you can’t find one and serve sun-themed snacks and drinks.
Viewing a Total Solar Eclipse is a chance to witness one of nature’s most spectacular shows.
You’ll have a great excuse to wear funky eclipse glasses and look cool.
It’s a great way to learn about the movements of celestial bodies and the wonders of the universe.
A total solar eclipse is like a Hollywood red carpet event, but with only stars we actually do want to see.
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So don’t be a “Shadow” of yourself, and join in on the celebration!
A total solar eclipse is like a cosmic power outage, but with a happy ending.
Just remember to protect your eyes and have fun!
#TotalSolarEclipse #SolarEclipse #Eclipse
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