The Difference Between Solar And Lunar Eclipses

An eclipse is a uncommon occurrence that provides a remarkable view into how the earth and moon interact with the sun. There are two types of eclipses that can be seen from the earth, the solar and the lunar eclipse.

Lunar Eclipse – A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth stands directly between the sun and the moon. This blocks the suns rays from hitting the moon. The moon, http://nineplanets.org/luna.html, of course, has no source of light other then the sun reflecting off of it, and the only light, http://www.digitalfilmtools.com/light/ that can reach it is whatever sunlight is refracted off of the earth’s atmosphere. This gives the moon a dark red hue during the eclipse. A lunar eclipse can be seen by anyone who is currently on earth’s night side and can last anywhere from an hour to four hours.

Solar Eclipse – A solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sun’s rays from hitting the earth by becoming positioned between the two objects. Partial solar eclipses, when the moon only covers part of the sun, occur semi-frequently, though can only be viewed from the area of earth that is currently covered by the moon. This means that any particular location may have to wait some time before being affected by a solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse is very rare, as the moon has to be lined up precisely enough to cover the entirety of the sun’s rays.