The Ningaloo Eclipse was witnessed on April 20, 2023. It is a rare ‘hybrid solar eclipse’ , caused by the curvature of the earth’s surface and a shift from annular to total eclipse.
What are Eclipses?
- An eclipse takes place when one heavenly body such as a moon or planet moves into the shadow of another heavenly body.
- There are two types of eclipses on Earth: an eclipse of the Moon and an eclipse of the Sun.
A Solar Eclipse
- Sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, it moves between the sun and Earth.
- When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth.
- This causes an eclipse of the sun or solar eclipse.
- During a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow onto Earth.
How many Type of Solar Eclipses?
Eclipses may be classified into 4 types
- Annular Eclipses : Occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line but Moon appears smaller than the Sun. During one annular eclipse, the Sun appears as a bright ring around the Moon.
- Total Eclipses : This occurs when the Sun is completely obscured from the rich
- Partial Eclipses: Occurs when the Sun and Moon are not completely aligned and the Sun is partially obscured.
- Hybrid Eclipses: Hybrid Eclipse is a combination of total and annular eclipse that takes place when a total eclipse changes to an annular eclipse or vice-versa along different sections of the eclipse’s path.
Observing a Solar Eclipse
- Solar eclipses happen once every 18 months.
- Unlike lunar eclipses, solar eclipses only last for a few minutes
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