Are you intrigued by the phenomenon of eclipses? Are you looking to learn some fascinating details about eclipses? The term “eclipse” refers to a cosmic phenomenon in which a celestial space body (like the moon or any other stars or planets) blocks or blocks out the light of another. Explore some amazing Facts About Eclipse here!
To make an eclipse happen there have to be three astronomical bodies. This means that one body will block the light of the other, and it would cast the shadow onto the surface of the third celestial body. A lunar eclipse is a remarkable phenomenon to say the least. It makes us curious.
In this blog we’ll be trying to entice you with information about eclipses. So, we’ll share 25 amazing facts about eclipses.
So let’s go ahead and shoot away…
Amazing Facts About Eclipse
#1 Eclipse that occurred in Ancient Time:
The public was aware of eclipsesfrom an eon long ago. But, they didn’t really know what caused an eclipse of the sun. In the end, people might think that God may have been angry with them. So, something awful will take place. In order to save them from the wrath of God the people would begin to pray.
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#2 To look or not to look at Solar Eclipse
Normally, you shouldn’t gaze directly at the sun using your naked eyes. The intense light from the Sun could even harm the eyes permanently. It is possible that you could observe the sun during a solar eclipse since the sun’s brightness is a little diminished during that time.
In fact, it is not advisable to observe the sun’s rays in the open, regardless of whether it’s a sun eclipse, or not. Staring at the sun during an eclipse could damage the retina forever.
The retina in our eyes does not contain any pain receptors, which means you won’t notice anything until it’s too late. Because of this, you should make use of sunglasses or eclipse glasses to view direct sunlight.
#3 Animals during Total Solar Eclipse
An eclipse total is a very rare phenomenon. In this case, the day could turn like night. This is the reason why many animals are unable to discern the distinction. They believe it’s the night and they are already asleep.
For example, spiders begin to break up their web and bats begin to leave their caves, giraffes begin to move, crickets begin to chirp, and so on.
Additionally, as an eclipse of the solar totality is over and the sun comes back and roosters sing, the birds begin to sing. They believe the night is coming to an end and that a new day is on the way. Interesting, isn’t it?
#4 Eclipse within Chinese Culture
The Chinese term for the English term ‘Eclipse’, is “Ri shi’. The word “Shi” is a reference to eating’. What’s the significance? Let’s look at the reasons.
The old Chinese people believed that monsters such as dogs or dragons consume in the time of the eclipse. They also try to chase after the beast by beating drums and making other loud sounds.
#5 Baily’s Beads
The phenomenon of ‘Baily’s beads’ occurs during a total or annular solar eclipse. There are light-colored beads shining through the edges of the moon, encircling it as the moon covers its sun in the course of the eclipse. Additionally, you may observe a more bright Baily’s beads in comparison to the rest prior to and following an eclipse that is total.
It is also called the “Diamond Ring phenomenon. Because it resembles the shape of a ring. The phenomenon was first described by the English Astronomer Francis Baily. Baily first observed and began to talk about them in 1836.
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#6 Eclipse Vs. The Length of Day
People have been recording eclipses since ancient times. In the present, through gathering data from these ancient documents scientists have discovered that the duration of the days has increased around 0.047 seconds over that time.
#7 Lunar Eclipse Visibility:
A lunar eclipse isn’t so difficult to observe. It visible from any place around the globe if it is nighttime. However, you’ll require a clear night also.
But, from certain locations the whole eclipse may appear to be obscured. In this case you may only see some or even the entire eclipse. Another interesting aspect of this lunar eclipse is you are able to see an eclipse of the moon with your naked eye.
#8 Lunar Eclipse Frequency:
Every lunar eclipse takes place year. In reality, you will witness at least two lunar eclipses per year. But, there are seasons when you can witness up to five lunar eclipses.
If you’re looking forward to a total lunar eclipse or blood moon then you could be waiting for about 2.5 years after having observed one.
#9 Discovery of Helium:
Helium is among the chemical elements that is most plentiful of the universe. But, we didn’t learn the existence of Helium up until the year 1868. The French astronomer Jules Janssen discovered helium during the total solar eclipse the year 1868. We can still find the element helium on Earth.
At the time there was no information about the existence of Helium on Earth. In fact, Jules Janssen found the first evidence of Helium in the spectrum of sun’s chromosphere in the month of August 1868. But, up to 1895, there was no an evidence that helium existed anywhere on Earth.
#10 Solar Eclipse Frequency:
Usually, solar eclipses be observed between 2 and five times per year. But solar eclipses aren’t accessible from all over the world in the same way like lunar eclipses. In addition, complete solar eclipses happen to be extremely rare , as well.
On average, there’s an eclipse of the sun that is total every 1.5 years. But, if you’ve previously witnessed an entire solar eclipse at your spot it is possible that you will be waiting for 350-420 years for the total solar eclipse to witness from the same spot. That’s what makes the solar eclipse an uncommon event.
#11 Total Solar Eclipse Duration:
The length for a total solar eclipse may vary from a few minutes or even several hours. The duration of “Totality” is a significantly shorter time than. The highest point at which the sun is completely covered by the moon’s shadow on Earth is known as “Totality”.
In this time during this time, the path of totality will be completely dark. Incredibly, the time of totality varies between a few seconds and around seven minutes and thirty-one seconds.
#12 Similar Eclipses:
It is possible to predict the solar eclipses, Earth as well as the moon. Because of the location of the three celestial bodies, the eclipses occur in the same spot after a specified amount of time. To clarify the specific cycle is known as ‘The Saros’..
It is around the equivalent of 18 years, (or 6585.3211 days. This means that after an eclipsed sun, the moon, as well as the Earth, will be in the same place with respect to each other after around 18 years. In this way, you’ll be able to observe an exact lunar eclipse each 6585.3211 days.
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#13 Total Eclipse in Future:
Total solar eclipses are possible because of specific locations and the size of the Moon, Sun, and Earth. To help you understand the sun is approximately 400 times bigger than the moon. The moon, however, is also around 400 times more distant from Earth in comparison to Sun.
This is why it’s possible for total solar eclipses to occur. But, the moon is moving away from Earth by around 4 centimeters per year.
In that sense the moon’s orbit will shift so far away that there won’t be a full solar eclipses visible on Earth within the next 600 million years.
14 Christopher Columbus vs. Eclipse:
Here’s a fun detail about the eclipse that I would like to share with you. It was an eclipse of the moon total on March 1, 1504. The famous adventurer Christopher Columbus was in Jamaica seeking food and other essential items from the indigenous people.
After staying for around 6 months, natives began to reduce their food supply. But, Christopher Columbus knew that an eclipse of the moon was in the near future thanks to the diary from Regiomontanus who was an German astronomer of the time.
So, he asked for an encounter with the natives and informed them that God was not pleased with the indigenous people because they had cut off their food supplies to Columbus. He would also be avenging them on March 1 1504.
As usual the total lunar eclipse took place according to the proper time. This caused the indigenous people were terrified and began to follow the orders that was given by Christopher Columbus. They began to arrive with everything they could find.
#15 Eclipse in Other Planets:
The gazing giants (Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter) are home to a large number of moons. This is why these planets also see frequent eclipses. In addition, our closest neighbor Mars has more than 100 eclipses each ‘Earth Year’.
Also, since planets Mercury and Venus do not have moons, there aren’t any eclipses. In fact, there are eclipses on Pluto, the tiny planet’.
#16 Lunar Eclipse vs. Solar Eclipse:
Simply stated, a sun-set occurs when our moon is in orbit through the Sun and Earth and then it casts its shadow on the Earth. Contrarily lunar side, a lunar eclipse can happen when our Earth passes through the lunar limbs and then the Sun. This means that our shadow from Earth will fall onto the moon.
#117 Eclipse Types
It is well-known that, generally there are two kinds of eclipses, namely lunar and solar eclipses. In the case of lunar eclipses, there are three types : penumbral, partial and total.
Additionally, astronomers appear to be in agreement that there are four kinds that solar eclipses can be classified into. These can be classified as Partial, Annular, Total and Hybrid eclipses.
#18 The Corona v. Total Solar Eclipse:
Sun is also a planet with an atmosphere. The outermost portion that is the atmosphere around the Sun is known as the Corona. Due to the Sun’s intense luminosity, the corona is never visible.
But in the event that the complete solar eclipse occurs this bright light will be obscured by moonlight. This means that we are able to see the corona clear when we look from Earth in the solar total eclipse.
#19 Moon’s Color during the Eclipse:
If you’ve observed an eclipse of the moon total, you’ll observe that the color of the moon could change to orange or red. Why, though? It’s because of Earth’s atmosphere.
In the event that the lunar eclipse total occurs, Earth blocks the sun from the moon. In the end, all the light from the sun passes across the atmospheric layer of Earth to the moon.
As you are aware, that all colours are not of the same wavelength. Therefore, they radiate out of the atmosphere differently.
In the end it is only the colors that have the longest wavelengths i.e. red or orange, can pass through the atmosphere of Earth and get to lunar surface. This is the reason why the moon appears reddish in a total lunar eclipse.
#20 During a Total Solar Eclipse:
If an eclipse of the sun’s total occurs, the conditions that is in the path could change drastically. The temperature of the area will drop , and the entire area would be dark since there will be no sunlight.
#21 Following an Total Solar Eclipse:
You are aware that an eclipse that is total can be up to 7 mins and 30 secs. But, after the eclipse, sunlight will not return to its former state immediately. In reality, you could need to wait for an hour or so to wait for the sun to return to its full glory.
#22 The Path of Totality:
Because of the dimensions of the moon, it is unable to completely cover the globe with its shadow in an eclipse total to the sun. It is able to cover a small portion of Earth and is referred to in the “path of the totality.
The length of the eclipse totality’s path could be as high as 167 miles or 268.76 kilometers. The moon’s shadow at this time could be moving at speeds between 1100 and 5000 mph, depending on the exact location.
#23 Speed of Light vs. Eclipse
The first person to determine the velocity of light is Ole Romer. He estimated the velocity of light by observing the eclipses of the four largest moons on Jupiter. Jupiter.
He observed that the eclipses occurred in 17 minutes later than the time that was predicted. He then concluded that this was because of the time it takes light traveling between Jupiter through Earth. That’s how he found the speed of light in 1676.
#24 The First Ever Recorded Eclipse in the History of Science:
There is debate over whom was first person to capture an eclipse throughout history. But, some scholars claim it was the Babylonians were the ones who observed a solar eclipse at first. The eclipse was recorded on the 3rd of May 1375 BCE. They also predicted the future solar eclipses using the Saros cycle.
However the majority of historians believe that the renowned Greek philosopher, as well as astronomer Thales of Miletus, was the first in the history of mankind to predict and document an eclipse of the sun in the history of science.
Perhaps, this was the reason for the eclipse of solar rays that occurred on the 28th of May in 585 BC. In that period, the war took place in the region between Lydians and the Medes. This particular solar eclipse stopped the war , and both sides reached a peace accord finally.
#25 : The Next Eclipse Would be:
Astronomers can predict future eclipses precisely. They can also determine the location from which the eclipse will be the most visible and the direction through the sun, the length of the eclipse, and much more. It is also possible to learn more about the upcoming eclipses by visiting NASA’s eclipse prediction website.
Before We Leave. Fun facts about Eclipse:
Eclipses are amazing. Everyone wants to witness an eclipse, whether it’s a lunar eclipse or solar eclipse in our lifetime. If you’re lucky you may have participated in certain eclipses.
If you’ve not yet witnessed any eclipses or seen any eclipses, click on the above link to find out when you’ll be able to view the next eclipse from where you are. We hope you’ve enjoyed all the fascinating information about this eclipse.
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