Getting to Know Eclipse Types and How They Work
- VIVA/M Ali Wafa
VIVA –Eclipses are one of the most amazing astronomical phenomenon. A total lunar eclipse occurs on November 8, 2022. Last night's phenomenon could be seen in North and Central America, Asia (including Indonesia), and Oceania.
The next total lunar eclipse will only occur in March 2025, according to the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is in a straight line between the Sun and the Moon. All of the Sun's light that goes directly to the Moon is blocked by the Earth.
However, the Sun's rays still reach the Moon's surface indirectly, through the Earth's atmosphere. This will make the Moon look like it's bathed in reddish, yellow, or orange light. But this is only one type of eclipse.
"In general, there are two types of eclipses, namely the types Lunar and Solar Eclipses. But technically there is a third type involving two stars," an Astrophysicist from the Center for Science Communication of the Autonomous University, Chile, Juan Carlos BeamÃn remarked, as quoted from the BBC website, Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
Well, here are the types of eclipses and how they work:
1. Lunar Eclipse
Penampakan gerhana bulan total di Ternate Utara
- tvOne
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon. The Earth blocks the Sun's rays. In other words, during a lunar eclipse, what we see is the shadow of the Earth on the surface of the Moon.
During a Total Lunar Eclipse, NASA explains that the Moon and the Sun are exactly in a straight line with the Earth. Although the Moon is in the shadow of the Earth, some of the Sun's rays can still reach the Moon.
The Sun's rays pass through the Earth's atmosphere, which filters out most of the blue light - therefore, during this phenomenon, the Moon looks red and is sometimes referred to as a 'Red Moon.
