Getting to Know Eclipse Types and How They Work
- VIVA/M Ali Wafa
"Total solar eclipses are only possible on Earth due to coincidental events related to space. The Sun is 400 times wider than the Moon, but it's also 400 times farther away," NASA said.
"That geometry means that when perfectly aligned, the Moon blocks the entire surface of the Sun, creating a total solar eclipse," NASA added.
The line tracing the Moon's shadow on the Earth's surface is called the "path of totality", and it is in that small area that total darkness will occur.
As for the frequency of occurrence, it's not as rare as you might think: solar eclipses can happen every 18 months. What is truly rare is a Total Solar Eclipse that occurs in the same place. This phenomenon can happen once every 375 years. A Total Solar Eclipse will occur in April 2023.
6. Ring Eclipse
Gerhana Matahari Cincin.
- VIVAnews/Ardian
When the Moon is farther from the Earth and appears 'smaller', it does not completely cover the surface of the Sun. Thus, an outer ring of the Sun appears around the Moon, and this event is referred to as a Ring Solar Eclipse.
Just as during a Total Solar Eclipse, during this phenomenon there is an 'annularity path' where the eclipse is seen as a ring. On each side of this path, in turn, some regions are affected.
In October 2023, the Ring Eclipse will be visible in North and South America. According to NASA, this type of eclipse usually lasts the longest, when the ring appears it can last more than ten minutes, but on average it lasts no more than five or six minutes.
7. Hybrid Eclipse
BeamÃn explains that a hybrid eclipse is a phenomenon that occurs "when the Moon is at a distance where it can cover the Sun completely, but in its movement, it moves slightly away from the Earth, and stops covering the Sun, then turns into a ring eclipse."
