What Are Total Solar Eclipse?
An eclipse is an astrological event which takes place when an object passes into, or partially into, the shadow of another object. This alignment of celestial bodies is called an eclipse. For an eclipse to take place, there must be a moon in the same solar system as the observer. The totality of the eclipse is not visible to the earth because the moon blocks the path of the sun. When a solar eclipse occurs, the waxing and waning of the moon create an elongated shadow.
Many Christians view the moon and the sun as symbols of God. The ancient Egyptians also considered the sun and the moon to be sacred. The Augustinian Calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar after his invasion of Rome, included a solar eclipse as a time of celebration. In the middle ages, the solar eclipse was linked with the end of the Roman rule in the west. Because the dark solar disk had been associated with the devil, the followers of the heretic sect made puns on it. When the sun crossed the imaginary equator, it signified the coming of Antigone, the Greek goddess of healing.
The term for the total eclipse, in astronomy, is called a total-moon eclipse. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the moon is in the ecliptic section of its orbit, not moving. It’s called a penumbral lunar eclipse when the moon is so far from the Earth that it is visible only as a fuzzy point of light, sometimes known as a soft eclipse. When it is near the Earth, it creates a spectacular full-moon eclipse. A total eclipse may also be called a cataclysmic eclipse when it causes an earthquake, tsunami, or eruption.
There are three distinct phases of the Moon during an eclipse. The first phase is called an emerging or new Moon. This stage lasts for about two weeks. At the end of this period, the Moon stops moving and begins slowly moving back into its original and permanent phase, which happens to last for another four months.
The second stage of the Moon’s journey around the earth is called a contracting or descending phase. It lasts for about three weeks. During this time the Moon sinks considerably. When it comes to the peak of the descending phase, the sun becomes nearly invisible. Finally, at the beginning of the fourth month, the Sun makes a huge impact on the Moon’s surface, making it appear red. Only a total lunar eclipse can make the Moon completely invisible.
The third phase of the Moon’s journey around the earth occurs during a perigee, which occurs when the Moon is closest to the earth. It occurs for a few days and is the biggest event of the year for many observers. If you live on the west coast you won’t have a total lunar eclipse until Aug. 21st. For those who live on or near the Pacific Northwest and Central states, you won’t see a total eclipse until Apr. 28th.
A complete eclipse takes place when the Moon completely covers the entire sun (the dark disk that makes up the Earth), both in altitude and in visibility. Since the Moon travels away from the Earth at different rates depending on whether it is descending or ascending, only the path of the Moon can be seen clearly. For this reason, a total eclipse can be seen as a silvery-white twilight. When it appears completely, the sun can be hardly visible above the horizon. As the eclipse progresses, a number of meteor showers can be seen together with the sunlight.
Lunar eclipses occur less frequently than total solar eclipses, but they are also interesting in their own way. While every person has their favorite cause for looking out for a lunar eclipse, most people agree that it is fun to look at. After all, no two lunar eclipses will ever be exactly the same. Some people even believe that they foreshadow important events in human history such as the landing of the first manned space ship or the Big Bang Theory.
